This from the AP: “Gov. Tim Walz requested money Thursday from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help Minnesota rebuild and repair fire damage from the unrest that followed the killing of George Floyd. Walz asked President Donald Trump to declare a “major disaster” because of extensive damage to public infrastructure following Floyd’s killing on May 25 … . Current estimates of the total damage exceed $500 million, the governor wrote ….”
Another AP story says, “State officials said Thursday that 31 Minnesota financial institutions have committed themselves to provide additional mortgage-relief options to homeowners facing financial hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic who don’t have federally backed mortgages. Under the framework announced by Attorney General Keith Ellison and Gov. Tim Walz, the participating banks and credit unions have agreed to offer 90-day forbearance periods. Qualifying families won’t have to make lump-sum payments at the end of that period for what they owe.”
The Star Tribune’s Liz Navratil and Miguel Otarola report, “A Minneapolis City Council member defended the decision of three colleagues to use private security agencies to protect them, saying the service was recommended by the city’s security experts following threats. ‘Anybody that’s making a threat over a policy action or statement or decision is engaging in a form of terrorism meant to suppress the democratic system through a form of intimidation or violence,’ said Council Member Andrew Johnson, who said he has also received a threat but hasn’t asked for private security.”
KSTP-TV reports: “Japanese restaurant Fuji Ya announced it is closing its doors permanently. … According to its website, Reiko Weston was the original founder who started Fuji Ya from a two-car garage building back in 1959. As the business grew over time, in 1968, Reiko acquired and turned an old flour mill in downtown Minneapolis by the riverfront into a traditional Japanese restaurant.”
Says Dee DePass for the Star Tribune, “Periscope ad agency’s parent company changed a rule forbidding employees from using ‘Black Lives Matter’ in social media posts after 179 Minneapolis workers walked off the job on Thursday. Employees said they wanted to use the term to show solidarity with Black and racial-justice protesters in the wake of the George Floyd killing, but were repeatedly told no by Wisconsin-based parent company, Quad.”
Says Joe Nelson for BringMeTheNews, “Short of getting hit by a car, a snapping turtle in Minnesota recently had what must’ve been the worst day of its life. According to Wildwoods, a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation organization in Duluth, a family was at Island Lake June 25 when a child needed to go to the bathroom, so he hopped in a Porta-Potty and found a snapping turtle in what can only be described as a stinky situation. … Naturally, they were ‘a little leery of trying to grab a snapping turtle with their bare hands’, much less reach into the depths of human waste, so they called the portable toilet company and Wildwoods for help.”
Chris Serres of the Star Tribune says, “abrupt evictions, detailed in recently released state Health Department surveys, highlight the extreme measures being taken by many of Minnesota’s nursing homes to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has killed 1,143 residents of long-term care facilities statewide and sickened thousands more, state health data shows. Since the pandemic began, complaints about involuntary discharges and transfers from senior care homes statewide have risen nearly 30% over the same four-month period a year ago, according to the state Office of Ombudsman for Long-Term Care.”
Also from the AP: “ ‘Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing’ will be performed live or played before ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ prior to each NFL game during Week 1 and the league is considering putting names of victims of police brutality on helmet decals or jersey patches, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press.”
