Says James Walsh for the Star Tribune, “A day after Alibi Drinkery co-owner Lisa Monet Zarza opened her business in defiance of state orders for bars and restaurants to remain closed to dine-in business, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is taking her to court. On Thursday, Ellison’s office announced that he has filed lawsuits against the Lakeville restaurant and Neighbors on the Rum in Princeton. Later in the day, he filed for a temporary restraining order to force Alibi to close. Both businesses opened to in-person dining in defiance of Gov. Tim Walz’s executive order meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Minnesota.”
Dave Orrick writes for the Pioneer Press: “Minnesota’s top Republican Thursday threatened the budget of Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison after Ellison sought to crackdown on two bars that openly defied coronavirus restrictions. The threat of the purse string from Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, came as tensions over COVID restrictions on bars and restaurants seemed to reach new levels.”
MPR reports: “Three days after the Electoral College affirmed the election outcome, Minnesota Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer still refuses to call Joe Biden the president-elect. Emmer was pressed on the point Thursday during a forum convened by the Economic Club of Minnesota. He acknowledged the Electoral College has certified Biden’s win over President Donald Trump but added that the process is not over.”
In the Star Tribune, Erin Golden writes: “Several of Minnesota’s largest school districts intend to bring their youngest students back for in-person instruction next month, following Gov. Tim Walz’s announcement that elementary schools could reopen as soon as Jan. 18. Anoka-Hennepin, the state’s largest district, told families that it plans to start shifting elementary students from distance to full-time, in-person instruction starting Jan. 19. Similar messages went out from school leaders in the Elk River, Osseo and Robbinsdale districts.”
An AP story says, “Eight nuns living at a suburban Milwaukee convent have died of COVID-19 in the last week, according to the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province. A statement from the congregation says there are other confirmed cases of the coronavirus among the 88 sisters living at the Notre Dame of Elm Grove. The deaths of the eight nuns occurred since Dec. 9.”
In the Pioneer Press, Mara H. Gottfried writes: “The family of a 55-year-old man who died after he was shot while driving in St. Paul is reeling from his loss and believes it was a random incident. Jeff Mintz was supposed to be out for the last time Wednesday night before quarantining as a precaution for his daughter’s small wedding in two weeks, said his son, Lee Mintz. He drove for a food delivery service, but it wasn’t known if he was working at the time. Mintz, of St. Paul, called 911 after he was shot Wednesday about 10 p.m. while driving on Snelling Avenue near University Avenue. He died approximately two hours later, early Thursday, at Regions Hospital.”
The Star Tribune’s Jeremy Olson writes, “A University of Minnesota study of COVID-19 in grocery store workers could help solve vexing questions about the true spread of the infectious disease and guide state strategies to slow it down before the vaccine is broadly available. Public health professor Craig Hedberg is recruiting 1,000 grocers from across Minnesota to mail self-collected blood samples to see if they contain antibodies in response to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Patterns in the positive results by worker type and geographic location will offer important clues, he said. … If correct, that means 800,000 to 1.2 million Minnesotans have been infected.”
WCCO-TV reports: “Following a record-breaking October, Minnesota has only added about a half inch of snow this December. The drought has us on track to tie the least snowy December ever.”
At BringMeTheNews, Joe Nelson reports, “The Minnesota Department of Transportation is listening to Minnesotans who have requested they take Scotland’s lead and start naming snowplows. In Scotland and parts of the United Kingdom, pun-tastic snowplow names have become extremely popular. Now it’s Minnesota’s turn to try and compete with the names they’ve come up with overseas, which include: Spready Mercury … Snowbegone Kenobi … David Plowie … Roger Spreaderer.”
We are in this situation because of the incompetence of Donald and his Republican enablers. At every turn they made the wrong decisions. From the start they’ve bungled mask wearing, Messaging, PPE procurement and production, Testing and Republican refusal to pass another relief package, but its Democrats like Walz and Elisson who take the heat for trying to do what’s right. Hospitals and the front line workers there are being, and have been ,hammered day in and day out with new cases, deaths and fear of seeing family. They haven’t had a break all year. I rent to an emergency room nurse. She hasn’t seen her family Since last Christmas. She doesn’t want to infect them. Yes its hard on those who have lost their jobs, but these are extraordinary times and we have to get through it. People should understand that these businesses would not have suffered nearly as bad as they have had Republicans handled the situation properly. Democrats in the House passed a package back in May that would have helped small businesses survive. Mitch McConnell refused to deal with it. THAT is who this anger should be directed at, but no, its the people doing the responsible thing being taken to task. And that just might be the sickest thing of all because that just may be part of the plan.
Very well said.
With respect to Republicans refusing to acknowledge the outcome of the election, I draw your attention to this Huffpost article citing a recent Daily Show highlighting the constant moving of the goalposts by the president’s supporters:
“Republicans said they’ll stop trying to overturn the election after…
Ballots are counted
Recounts
States certify results
Supreme Court
Electoral College
…but will they really ever stop?”
Sadly amusing and distressingly all too true . . . .
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/daily-show-supercut-trump-defeat-goalposts_n_5fdc5a0cc5b6aa861e5d4fb7
Senate Republicans claim that they want to be part of the solution when it comes to the state pandemic response, but when push comes to shove they’d rather grandstand about the AG budget than actually take steps to enforce the rules around social distancing and mask wearing.
All this could have been over, or nearly over this summer if “conservatives” hadn’t chosen to play political games with public health recommendations. I wonder what it will take for them to finally learn their lessons?
So, Gazelka wants to defund the AG’s office because they are enforcing the law? Rich!
Well, what else would a preening “Law n’ Order” party do?
Basically, Gazelka is acknowledging that he doubts there will ever be a Repub AG in the state again, because once you start legislative attempts to coerce specific AG enforcement discretion, the other party has a right to pull the same tactic against your AG…
Very true. Statewide elections are so much different than State Senate or House ones. Too much power in anyone’s hands isn’t good as the last four years shows but AG’s and Governor’s sometimes need to act faster than the slow legislative process allows. Witness the issues to the East (Wisconsin) where the Legislature doesn’t meet and relies on lawsuits from lobbyists to govern.