WCCO-TV’s Erin Hassanzadeh reports: “COVID-19 cases are rising, but the average age of the patients continues to drop. In Edina, for example, most of the people getting sick used to be about 57 years old. In the last two weeks, the average age dropped to around 19 years old. Edina health officials say young people don’t seem to be getting it from places like bars or restaurants. Seventy-four percent of the 154 new cases in Edina since June 25 are in people under 25.”
An AP story says, “The University of Minnesota is reviewing its fall semester plans to make sure that international students aren’t forced to leave the country under new guidance from federal immigration authorities. The guidelines Monday from the U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement say international students must leave the U.S. or transfer to another college if their schools plan to offer classes entirely online this fall. The guidelines are adding new pressure on universities to reopen even as the coronavirus is resurging in many parts of the country.”
For the Star Tribune, Rochelle Olson writes: “Face coverings will be required for all employees and visitors in Minnesota district and appellate court facilities next week under an order issued Tuesday by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea. Beginning Monday, visitors should bring their own masks to wear while in any of the state’s 105 court facilities, Gildea said. Those who don’t have masks or have medical conditions that prevent them from wearing them should immediately speak with court staff upon entering, she wrote, adding that visitors who do not have access to a face covering will be provided one.”
For NBC News, Jacqueline Stenson writes, “Recent studies have suggested that people’s blood types may affect their risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus or developing a serious case of the disease. Overall, the findings indicate that people with Type O blood seem to be more protected and that those with Type A appear more vulnerable. So does that mean some people can slack off on preventive measures while others need to ratchet them up? Not so fast, say doctors who point out that the findings show associations, not causation — and don’t indicate that any particular blood type guarantees protection.”
Says Karen Scullin for FOX 9, “The recent and ongoing crime wave in Minneapolis has some Black community leaders calling on the Minneapolis City Council to help them do something about it. A memorial of balloons and flowers sits at the intersection where a woman was shot and killed Sunday night. Medical staff delivered her unborn baby, who is fighting for his life. The incident has left some in the community sending a strong message to City Council. They believe there’s a direct connection between the recent violence and the council’s effort to defund and abolish the police department.”
The Star Tribune’s Zoe Jackson reports, “Minneapolis couple Lex and Celina Berndt did not expect to marry after just a four-month engagement. Celina, 24, popped the question on Valentine’s Day, with an idyllic backdrop of a beach in Puerto Rico. …The couple had envisioned a two-year engagement, after Lex, 25, wrapped up studies. But when George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police on Memorial Day, their plans shifted drastically. After weeks of protests and activism, the couple married in front of the burned-out Third Precinct police station, on the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City.”
MPR’s Kirsti Marohn says, “The University of Minnesota, Morris says it now has a net-zero carbon footprint when it comes to electricity use. The west-central prairie campus has long been known for its commitment to renewable energy and sustainability. The latest milestone means the balance of the electricity the university uses is generated from clean energy sources that don’t give off carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change.”
Also in the Star Tribune, this from Jim Buchta. “Developers are moving forward with plans to build midrise apartment buildings on a trio of redevelopment sites in Minneapolis, including two that were originally going to be condominiums. On Thursday, the Minneapolis Planning Commission Committee of the Whole will review plans for TMBR, an eight-story, mixed-use building with 107 units and 5,500 square feet of retail at 110 3rd Av. N. in the North Loop; a seven-story mixed-use building with 227 dwelling units and 5,300 square feet of commercial space at 416-420 E. Hennepin Ave. … and a seven-story mixed-use building with 150 units and 2,700 square feet of commercial space at 2841 Hennepin Av. in Uptown.”
Says Paul Huttner at MPR, “There may be a lull in storm activity during the midday hours Wednesday. Then the risk for severe storms shifts to central and eastern Minnesota Wednesday afternoon and evening. … As heat and humidity build and a weak low-pressure center approaches, the second wave of storms blows up in western Minnesota Wednesday afternoon. This wave has the potential to intensify and move through the Twin Cities area late Wednesday afternoon.”
