Stories from May 18, 2020

Retail stores in Minnesota cautiously open
As of Monday, nonessential retailers in Minnesota with a coronavirus safety plan were allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity.
The heavy weekend rain did not make it to northern Minnesota, where dry conditions elevate the fire risk the next few days.  Temperatures will slowly be on the rise this week, with the next chance for showers and storms moving in by Thursday evening.
Thread Must-Read: Curtis Sittenfeld's 'Rodham'
The novel “Rodham” explores what might have been for Hillary Clinton if she hadn’t married Bill Clinton. Kerri Miller shares her experience reading this what-if tale.
No more watercooler talk and other ways offices will adapt to the pandemic
As stay-at-home orders loosen, people will return to offices transformed by the crisis. Conference rooms, air conditioning, kitchenettes and open-floor plans are all being rethought.
 What’s next for the economy?
MPR senior economics contributor Chris Farrell joins Angela Davis to give us his take on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the economy and answer listener questions.
Ken Osmond, Eddie Haskell on 'Leave It to Beaver,' dies
Ken Osmond's Eddie Haskell stood out among many memorable characters on the classic family sitcom “Leave it to Beaver,” which ran from 1957 to 1963 on CBS and ABC, but had a decades-long life of reruns and revivals.
A nurse's simple fix puts COVID-19 patients at ease
Nurses are thinking a lot about personal protective equipment — how much they need it, whether they'll run out. But some are also thinking about how scary it can look to patients.
Session over, lawmakers already preparing to come back
Gov. Tim Walz and top legislative leaders are looking ahead to a likely special session next month to address some of the issues that were unresolved during the regular session that ended early Monday morning.
Combating food insecurity during the pandemic
Before the COVID-19 crisis, about 10 percent of Minnesota households were food insecure. But that number has drastically grown in the past few months. As the state's unemployment rates have increased, so have the number of Minnesotans struggling to put food on their tables. How are food shelves and other programs across the state stepping up to help? What is the long-term concerns if these needs continue?
New coronavirus vaccine candidate shows promise in early, limited trial
Cambridge, Mass.-based Moderna, Inc., is reporting preliminary data suggesting its COVID-19 vaccine is safe, and appears to be triggering an immune response in test subjects.
As the country re-opens, what happens next?
Much of the country is slowly re-opening, including Minnesota. But many experts are concerned about what could follow.
Will restaurants and retail be able to bounce back?
Favorite restaurants in Minnesota have already shuttered due to the pandemic. Retail spending across the country has been slashed. Now that eateries and shops are reopening, what will it be like?
Fed's Powell says sharp downturn won't last
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell warns it could be another year and a half before the U.S. recovers from the economic fallout of the pandemic. But he says this will not be another Great Depression.
The legislative session ends, but a special session is coming; Ellison goes to court to try to stop bar owner from reopening
Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Chris Wray were set to hold a news conference to announce developments in the shooting late last year at the Pensacola Naval Air Station, in which a Saudi Air Force officer killed three U.S. sailors and injured eight other people.
Congress gave colleges $14 billion. Here's where it's going
Like so many sectors of the economy, higher education is taking a big hit from the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education has so far distributed more than $10 billion in relief funds to colleges.
Southern Minnesota is recovering from a soaking weekend rain, while northern parts of the state are so dry there is an elevated fire risk. Temperatures rise through the week, bringing some 80s by the end of the week.
As southern Minnesota starts drying out from record weekend rain, parts of northern Minnesota are parched enough to see a fire risk.
The Legislature has adjourned its 2020 session without completing many of the key bills on its to-do list. A deadline for action came and went at midnight. There’s every indication that lawmakers will be back at the Capitol this summer in a special session as the COVID-19 fight goes on. MPR News morning update for Monday, May 18, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Music in this episode from Blue Dot Sessions -- Open Flames & Li Fonte
Central Minnesota bar owner backs down, says he won't defy state order to remain closed
Kris Schiffler said in a Facebook video posted Sunday that the hospitality industry has suffered enough. He’s raised nearly $175,000 on GoFundMe to challenge the state.
High school yearbook staff shifts from prom to pandemic
Spring is usually a busy time for high school yearbook staffs. But this year, instead of documenting sports, concerts, prom and graduation crammed into a few weeks, the staff of Moorhead High School’s Cho Kio are documenting a pandemic.
May 18 update on COVID-19 in MN: 731 dead; life curbs loosen, risk remains
Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm on Monday implored residents to wear masks outdoors and keep their distance from others even though the state’s stay-home order has ended. “We’re really going to have to keep up these behaviors for a long time to come.”
The Economic Club of Minnesota hosted a webinar called "Our Economy and Health in Crisis” with Neel Kashkari of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank and University of Minnesota epidemiologist Michael Osterholm.
Minnesota Legislature lurches toward likely special session
With a special session all but assured, the Minnesota Legislature adjourned its session early Monday with few of the year’s big issues resolved.
U.S., European leaders weigh reopening risks without a vaccine
On a weekend when many pandemic-weary people around the world emerged from weeks of lockdown, leaders in the U.S. and Europe weighed the risks and rewards of lifting COVID-19 restrictions knowing that a vaccine could take years to develop.