July 6, 2020
From steamy to stormy. After sweating through the weekend we still can’t catch a break from the heat. Our current steamy air mass is capable of scattered severe storms through Wednesday. With storms most likely to pop up in northeast Minnesota this afternoon, and a few strong to severe storms favoring southern Minnesota late afternoon through tonight. But a break in the heat and humidity should blow in by Friday. Hang in there! Powderhorn residents are conflicted over homeless encampment. Following the pandemic crisis and unrest after George Floyd’s killing, hundreds of homeless people are sheltering in and around the south Minneapolis park. Residents of the neighborhood say while they want the homeless in the encampment to have stable housing and access to the services they need, they feel the encampment is unsafe and unsustainable. Some say there is an uptick in open drug use and sex trafficking tied to the encampment, but park officials say the crime neighbors are pointing to is not linked to the encampment. Judge sides with Standing Rock Sioux Tribe on Dakota Access issue. The federal judge ordered the pipeline to shut down until more environmental review is done. “Today is a historic day for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the many people who have supported us in the fight against the pipeline,” said Standing Rock Tribal chairman Mike Faith. “This pipeline should have never been built here. We told them that from the beginning.” COVID-19 in Minnesota today: As state opens, younger people catch virus. Deaths and ICU cases are continuing to slow and plateau as Minnesotans in their 20s now make up the largest age group of confirmed cases — more than 8,300 since the pandemic began. The median age for cases has been dipping and is now just under 39 years old. That’s still concerning, health officials say. While young people with COVID-19 may not feel its worst effects, “this is an infectious disease, and they can spread it to people who may not do as well,” Dr. Ruth Lynfield, the state epidemiologist, told reporters Monday. Your mask questions, answered! With the possibility of a mandate on the governor’s plate, masks and face coverings have become our most asked about topic. Here we answer a few of the more common mask mysteries. Have a question of your own? Share it with us here and we’ll try to track down the answer. -- Sara Porter | MPR News | 