Nov. 30, 2020
It's been a rare sunny November this year. We’ve had 18 days this month with abundant sunshine. That’s about 60 percent sunny days.
The state saw some signs of improvement in the COVID outbreak in the latest daily data from the state department of health. The main takeaway: Deaths fell to their lowest level in two weeks. The 15 additional deaths is less than a third of the seven-day rolling average, which has been over 50 for nearly a week.
One — maybe big — caveat: Past holidays have distorted daily COVID-19 reporting and data, and the impact of the Thanksgiving break isn’t clear yet.
Also, Gov. Tim Walz said negotiations are underway with lawmakers over a potential COVID-19 relief package for small businesses.
"Possibly. Possibly. Once we have an agreement I’ll call them back and we’ll get this done," Walz said at a news conference Monday.
In other news, state regulators Monday issued the final permit Enbridge Energy needs to begin construction on the 337-mile Minnesota segment of the Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency granted a construction storm water permit for the project, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the independent Minnesota Public Utilities Commission gave their final approvals last week. You can get more of the latest news, in just a few minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast. — Tim Nelson | MPR News | 