ST. PAUL, Minn — Gov. Tim Walz and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis reach an agreement to allow places of worship to open at 25% capacity in Minnesota. They must adhere to physical distancing and public health guidelines. The executive order, signed by Walz Saturday, goes into effect Wednesday, May 27th. Under the order, places of worship can…
MOORHEAD, Minn.–The Moorhead Armory is offering free COVID-19 testing from May 23 through May 25. The National Guard and local public health employees are providing the tests. Up to 2,000 tests will be available per day. Five other locations across Minnesota will also be offering free testing. Minnesota National Guard Adjutant General Jon Jensen said, “The Minnesota National Guard is proud…
ST. PAUL, Minn.–The Minnesota State Fair, known as the Great Minnesota Get-Together, has been canceled. The fair was scheduled for August 27 through September 7. This will mark only the sixth time the fair has been canceled since its inception. State Fair General Manager Jerry Hammer said canceling the fair was not a difficult decision, but “the only decision.” The…
It’s the unofficial weekend that kicks off the summer season, and a lot of people are going to hightail it for the lakes and prairies of the region to get away for the first time since lockdown ended nationwide. But when you’re heading out to remote areas, it’s always better to take some freshly-sharpened lifesaving skills with you — for…
NORTH DAKOTA & MINNESOTA – Despite COVID-19, The Minnesota State Patrol is expecting a high travel rate during memorial weekend. “When you look at statistics overall, memorial weekend is a very busy travel weekend and you know, despite everything that’s going on right now in the world, will there be more traffic? I think potentially there will be and it’s…
MINNESOTA – Some Catholic and Lutheran churches in Minnesota are planning to resume in-person worship services as early as Tuesday. That is in spite of Governor Walz’s executive order limiting congregations to 10 people. In a letter to Walz, Catholic Bishops of Minnesota say churches will operate at 33% capacity and will continue to make any necessary adjustments to safety…
MINNESOTA – A Minnesota school holds in-person graduation despite a state ban where a worker with the coronavirus had close contact with school staff. State health officials say the worker was involved with stage setup and was around the staff members for a few hours. The staff helped facilitate the graduation and did not know there were exposed. Officials would…
FARGO, N.D.–Essentia Health has announced their decision to move forward with permanent layoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Health organization says it has experienced operational losses nearing $100 million since the beginning of March. Various measures have been taken to attempt to offset the decline in revenue including placing employees on administrative leave, flexing hours, reducing physician and executive…
MINNESOTA – Gov. Tim Walz announces bars and restaurants can reopen June 1, but only with outdoor seating. Salons, barbershops and tattoo parlors can also open back up, but with limited capacity. The next phase of the Stay Safe Minnesota plan allows restaurants and bars seat no more than 50 people outdoors with six feet in between them. Masks are…
ST. PAUL, Minn.–Gov. Tim Walz and his team are expected to provide plans for reopening bars and restaurants in a press briefing on Wednesday. Walz will be joined by Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove, Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Joe Kelly and Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans….
