Walz to extend in-person dining pause through holidays

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Temperatures stay near to slightly above average today, with highs in the mid-20 to the lower 30s across Minnesota. It'll be mostly cloudy throughout Wednesday. The rest of this week will continue to be mild for December in Minnesota. Find the latest from Updraft.

Gov. Tim Walz will lay out the next steps in Minnesota's COVID-19 response. Here's what we know so far.

According to the governor's spokesperson, Walz plans to extend his monthlong ban on indoor dining at bars and restaurants through the holiday season.

Other curbs on fitness clubs and youth sports that are also set to expire this week will likely to be lifted, the Walz spokesperson said Tuesday night. Youth sports teams will be allowed to resume practices on Jan. 4, and gyms may reopen starting Saturday.

Walz will formally announce his plans during a 1:15 p.m. press conference.Watch or listen to his announcement live on MPR News.

Minnesota's latest COVID-19 restriction has had “really positive effect” in slowing the new case increase, the state's top health official says.

There were yet more promising signs in Tuesday's COVID-19 data from the Minnesota Department of Health -- new caseloads and hospitalizations continued to retreat from their recent highs, with no sign of an expected surge from Thanksgiving holiday celebrations.

Health Commissioner Malcolm, however, reiterated that we are still “way above” a manageable growth in cases in Minnesota. She and other officials said they are trying to balance the recent improvement in conditions with the reality that the pandemic continues at a worrisome pace.

Here are Minnesota’s current COVID-19 statistics:

After almost two decades in prison, Myon Burrell, sentenced to life behind bars as a teen, took his first steps of freedom last night.

That was after the state Board of Pardons commuted his life sentence to 20 years earlier the day. Burrell was 16 when he was convicted of murder in the 2002 shooting death of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards. But critics said the case lacked physical evidence and relied too heavily on jailhouse informants.

Burrell told the board that the request “is not in any way, shape or form me trying to minimize the tragedy of the loss of” Tyesha. “I come before you, a 34-year-old man who spent more than half of his life incarcerated for a crime I didn’t commit.”

Gov. Tim Walz, who voted for the commutation, said a life sentence for a teenager is too extreme, adding “we cannot turn a blind eye to the developments in science and law as we look at this case.” Read more about the pardons board decision and watch moments of Burrell's release last night here.