| | Dec. 1, 2020
This is a pretty unusual weather pattern for early December in Minnesota. Highs will reach the 40s much of this week across southern Minnesota. The warmest days will likely be Thursday and Friday. Tonight, look for partly cloudy skies with lows from 15 in the north to lower 20s in the south.
Minnesota got some good news on several fronts today.
First, experts say the state’s economy seems to be faring better in the COVID-19 pandemic than experts initially believed. The state’s budget crunchers said they were projecting a $641 million surplus by the end of the fiscal year next summer — compared to a deep deficit projected in May.
More spending by Minnesotans and less spending by government are responsible for the surplus, officials say. Although they expect the state budget will fall into the red by nearly $1.3 billion for its next two-year budget.
Second, COVID-19 cases fell to their lowest daily numbers in a month in new data from the Minnesota Department of Health today.
There are some warning signs in the new data, though. New hospital admissions trended sharply higher, hitting a new seven-day average high in the pandemic, eclipsing Saturday’s record, after trending down the past couple of days. And the daily test positivity rate rose past 16 percent, a potential sign of accelerating spread of the coronavirus.
Check out our new newsletter from MPR News data reporter David H. Montgomery for a better understanding of the latest COVID-19 data in Minnesota.
You can get more of the latest news, in just a few minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast. — Tim Nelson | MPR News | |
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| Chief Axtell: Cop who shot, wounded man 'fell short of standards' on use of force | In a press conference Tuesday, St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell said a shooting involving officers on the city's north end last weekend did not measure up to department standards. Axtell said he's taking action against at least one of the officers involved, but citing state law said he couldn't describe the action.
"When I asked myself if the officer's action on Saturday night were reasonable and necessary,” Axtell said, “the only answer I could come up with is no.” | |
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| Enbridge starts construction on Line 3 in Minnesota | | Enbridge Energy began construction on its Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement in Minnesota on Tuesday, a day after state regulators approved the final permit for the $2.6 billion project amid legal challenges from local activist and Indigenous groups. | | |
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| Trump files lawsuit challenging Wisconsin election results | | President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Wisconsin seeking to disqualify more than 221,000 ballots in the state's two most Democratic counties, a longshot attempt to overturn Joe Biden's win in the battleground state he lost by nearly 20,700 votes. | |
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