[image_credit]Doug Mills/Pool via REUTERS[/image_credit][image_caption]President Donald Trump[/image_caption]
In Politico, Matthew Choi writes: “Rep. Ilhan Omar’s father died due to the coronavirus, the Minnesota congresswoman announced Monday night. ‘It is with tremendous sadness and pain that I share that my father, Nur Omar Mohamed, passed away due to complications from COVID-19,’ Omar said in a statement. ‘No words can describe what he meant to me and all who knew him.’ Omar was raised by her father and grandfather following her mother’s death when she was an infant, according to The Guardian and The New York Times. She and her father came to the United States as refugees in 1995 from Somalia during the country’s civil war and eventually settled in Minneapolis.”
For MPR, David H. Montgomery writes: “Lawmakers are preparing to distribute hundreds of millions of dollars to Minnesota cities hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The money is Minnesota’s share of $150 billion distributed to state and local governments under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act. About $316 million went directly to the state’s two most populous counties, Hennepin and Ramsey, under the terms of the federal law. Now the state gets to distribute $841 million more to smaller local governments. Leaders in both parties say they expect to pass a bill distributing money to local governments this week, before the Legislature adjourns its special session.”
In the Star Tribune, Chris Serres writes: “For residents of Minnesota’s senior care facilities, one of the most wrenching aspects of the pandemic has been their extreme isolation from loved ones.… Now, amid encouraging signs that the virus is waning in long-term care, state health regulators are allowing people to visit their loved ones through the windows of their facilities. The Minnesota Department of Health has issued new guidance mandating that facilities ‘work with residents and their visitors to allow window visits,’ provided they maintain a safe distance and wear cloth masks. It’s also exploring ways to allow visits outside with residents, officials said.”
Says Sarah Horner in the Pioneer Press, “A Rochester, Minn., man was seen on video pouring liquid from a metal container throughout a Minneapolis pawnshop targeted during recent riots and then standing in front as it burned, federal authorities say. An anonymous source provided the video footage of the May 28 arson incident to investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, leading to Montez Terrill Lee’s arrest in Rochester on Monday. Lee, 25, was charged by the U.S. attorney with one count of arson and was expected to make his first appearance in federal court Tuesday.”
Says Brian Bakst at MPR, “The Minnesota Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a recall petition against Gov. Tim Walz. Chief Justice Lorie Gildea wrote in an 11-page order that the state’s recall threshold for elective officials is necessarily high, and the bid to remove the DFL governor didn’t meet it. A group of voters argued that Walz committed malfeasance with his executive orders around the coronavirus pandemic, including his stay-at-home directive that came with a potential fine for violators. Gildea said she wouldn’t pass judgment on whether Walz exceeded his authority.”
A CNBC story by Lauren Hirsch says, “House Democrats on Monday wrote to the chief executives of some of the country’s largest banks demanding they disclose documents pertaining to their handling of the federal government’s small business bailout loan program. In letters to the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Santander Bank, Wells Fargo, US Bancorp, Truist, Citibank and PNC, House Majority Whip James Clyburn said the subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis is investigating whether the Paycheck Protection Program ‘has favored large, well-funded companies over struggling small businesses in underserved communities — contrary to Congress’ clear intent.’”
Also in the Star Tribune, Evan Ramstad writes: “Beverage carts are gone from Delta Air Lines’ domestic flights. And getting on board is a lot less complicated. The nation’s biggest airline, and the dominant carrier at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, has overhauled the way it cleans airplanes and operates at airports and on Monday invited the media to take a look. … It’s a turning point in Delta’s response to the coronavirus outbreak….Now, executives said they are trying to build confidence that flying is safe in a way passengers rarely used to worry about — for their health.”
For KARE-TV Gordon Severson says, “The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry is one of the main state agencies in charge of enforcing these ‘Phase 3’ rules. Commissioner Nancy Leppink says it’s difficult to say whether business owners are being compliant because many of them are still learning the rules. … Once an infraction is identified, Leppink says inspectors will notify the business owner and will explain what changes need to be made. If an owner chooses not to follow those guidelines Leppink says her agency would then either refer the case to local law enforcement or the state attorney general’s office. She says a majority of cases don’t make it that far, because most of the infractions her department sees are caused by business owners who don’t fully understand the rules.”
A WCCO-TV story says, “The COVID-19 pandemic has all but silenced concerts in the U.S., but Garth Brooks and his team have come up with a plan to bring music to thousands of people while respecting the need for social distancing. The idea? Broadcast a concert to more than 300 drive-in theaters across the country on a single night. The event is happening later this month (June 27, a Saturday), and three Minnesota drive-ins will screen the show. The Minnesota drive-ins hosting the event are: the Verne Drive-In in Luverne, the Elko Drive-In in Elko New Market, and the Kilburn in St. Cloud.”
