At 6 p.m., Walz to roll out 4-week curbs on bars, restaurants, gyms as COVID-19 rages

Warm trend continues. Clouds will roll in tonight, keeping it a little warmer than normal. Look for the low 30s in the north and the lower 40s south. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with highs near 40 up north to the upper 50s further south.

At 6 p.m. Gov. Tim Walz will lay out new COVID-19 restrictions; here's what we know so far:

The governor will announce the new restrictions at 6 p.m. tonight. You can watch or listen to his address live on MPR News.

Latest COVID data: 67 Minnesotans died; another 5,102 new cases Wednesday.

The 67 deaths follow a leap in hospitalizations earlier in the week and tops the previous record, set last week, by nearly a dozen. The number of people with COVID-19 in hospitals statewide has also topped 1,700 for the first time.

2 longtime DFL state senators break with their party caucus; become independents.

Sens. Tom Bakk and David Thomassoni, both from the state’s Iron Range, formed their own independent caucus in a closely divided legislative chamber. They didn’t join the Republicans, but are expected to get committee chair assignments — and possibly lend crucial votes to the one vote Republican advantage.