Back from the front lines. Hannah Flood at Fox9 interviews Greg Bodin, back from the coronavirus quarantine base in San Diego: “Bodin works as a pastor at two local hospitals and is a fire marshal for the Robbinsdale Fire Department. His role for the past two weeks, however, was making sure medical professionals on his team were safely providing medical care for evacuees from China. ‘They needed protection and isolation from each other,’ he said. ‘We needed protection and isolation from them and yet make those human connections.’”
It works, let’s cut the funding. Randy Petersen at the Rochester Post-Bulletin speaks with Olmsted County officials about potential cuts in their human-trafficking victims programs: “‘Why would a county try to do more and try to innovate if the net result is you pave the way and then you lose the funding?’ County Commissioner Sheila Kiscaden said after hearing about the proposed funding reduction.”
Another reason to buy that surgical mask. WCCO-TV offers news on the fire at a Becker recycling plant: “Crews have been at scene at the Northern Metals Recycling Plant in Becker throughout the night. Since early Tuesday morning, a pile of crushed cars has been burning, sending a plume of smoke high into the air, visible from the northern edge of the Twin Cities metro. As far away as St. Paul, residents have reported smelling strange fumes. Crews have been called in from around the state to control the flames.”
Give them historical landmark designations. Patricia Cohen at the New York Times reports on rural America’s crumbling roads: “Like hundreds of other small agricultural counties and towns around the country, Trempealeau County in central-west Wisconsin is overwhelmed with aging, damaged roads and not enough money to fix them. ‘Our road hasn’t been paved since the ’60s,’ said Kellen Nelson, whose family owns Triple Brook Farms on County Road O outside Osseo. ‘Patching and seal coating is all they’ve ever done.'”
A trillion trees is a good start. Brady Slater at the Duluth News-Tribune interviews a local scientist about the Trillion Trees Act supported by Rep. Pete Stauber: “‘We have a lot of understocked forest in Minnesota, which is kind of a surprise,’ [Duluth scientist Chris] Wright said, citing U.S. Forest Service data which shows 44% of Minnesota forest land is less than fully stocked. … ‘If you increase stocking levels by planting trees on poorly stocked land, you would increase carbon uptake,‘ he said.”
Body check. Jace Frederick at the Pioneer Press talks with sports legend Lou Nanne about being the bad guy in the movie about the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team: “Nanne didn’t spend much time around that Olympic team in the buildup to the Games. So, imagine his surprise when Brooks approached him years later asking for his permission to be portrayed in the movie ‘Miracle.’ … ‘Well, you were the only NHL guy on the committee, you’re going to be like the antagonist,’ Brooks told him. … ‘So, no, I’m not doing it,’ Nanne told Brooks. ‘If they do that to me, I’ll sue you guys.'”
In other news…
UMD students IRL: “Unplugged: UMD students seek to re-normalize social connection” [Duluth News Tribune]
Cloudy forecast: “Minnesota sees nearly 6% drop in solar jobs in 2019, national ranking slips” [Star Tribune]
Now, about merging: “Appeals court: Minnetonka driver not wrong to go wide right while making left turn” [Star Tribune]
Enjoy with your favorite artisanal almond milk: “General Mills’ plans to revive cereal sales include selling a box for $13” [CNBC]
Good boys: “Behind the scenes: Dog portraits at Pheasant Fest” [Star Tribune]
