| June 28, 2021 Record heat is plaguing the far western U.S. and Canada, but the same weather pattern is helping bring some welcome rain and cooler weather to Minnesota. Look for mostly cloudy skies Monday night, with showers and thunderstorms likely. Lows will be in the mid-50s to lower 60s. Tuesday will be sunny with a chance of showers and thunderstorms across the east and highs in the mid-70s to mid-80s.Find the latest on Updraft. Lawmakers are trying to wrap up budget negotiations ahead of the end of the state’s fiscal year on Wednesday, and time for compromise is shrinking. House DFLers and Senate Republicans did reach an agreement over the weekend on changes to policing in Minnesota. But the deal doesn’t include changes to traffic stops, body camera video release or legal liability for police officers that some have been calling for. The narrow scope of the changes brought a strong rebuke from some lawmakers at the Capitol today. Senate Republicans say they are doing what needs to be done to keep Minnesotans safe. The dissatisfaction with the deal, in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and Daunte Wright, will get a test tomorrow, as it heads for a final vote. Passage is crucial to avoid a partial state shutdown on Thursday. In COVID-19 news, the number of cases in Minnesota continues to drop, now averaging less than 100 a day over the last week. There were also five additional deaths reported today.
The state reported 82 new cases of confirmed COVID-19. It's the fourth time in a week the numbers have fallen below 100, and is pushing the daily average to its lowest point since April of 2020. The percent of tests coming back positive is also now averaging less than .9 percent, yet another new low point. But vaccinations also continue to fall, now averaging only about 3,400 each day.
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