Stories from September 3, 2020

Gov. Tim Walz and health officials warned that people need to do more to contain the spread of the coronavirus, especially ahead of the Labor Day holiday and the reopening of more schools to in person classes. This is an MPR News evening update for Thurs., Sept. 3, 2020. Hosted by Myah Christenson. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
Mostly summery Labor Day weekend
Two of three weather stars this holiday weekend?
There's a push to name and rank heat waves
We’ve named hurricanes for decades and The Weather Channel names winter storms. Now one group wants to name heat waves to boost awareness about their growing impact.
As new COVID-19 cases spike, some schools rethink their plans
This will be a school year like no other. That’s about the only thing certain about it right now. MPR News host Angela Davis spoke with three stakeholders and decision-makers about the start of the school year — its challenges and opportunities.
Flu season looms and scientists wonder how flu and COVID-19 might mix
There's a lot scientists don't know about how viral infections can interact. But researchers are eager to figure out how COVID-19 infections might affect flu infections and vice versa.
Cube Critics Marcheta Fornoff and Euan Kerr talk about the much anticipated Christopher Nolan blockbuster, and the second season of "The Boys" much anticipated by fans of twisted superhero stories.
The 'good enough year': Anxious teachers brace for a return to school
All three of Minnesota’s options for resuming school involve steep learning curves and little preparation time for teachers and district leaders. Some question how well they’ll be able to deliver the instruction they want to give students.
Minnesota author Peter Geye on ‘Northernmost’
“Northernmost” is a new family saga by novelist Peter Geye. The Minnesota author spoke about what inspired the novel and what it means to reflect on the legacies we leave behind.
New jobless claims drop below 1 million, but there's a caveat
Another 881,000 people applied for state unemployment benefits last week, the Labor Department says. That's down from the previous week, but the report comes with an asterisk.
Minnesota Supreme Court expected to expedite voter-aid case
Justices will decide if a pair of laws covering the level of assistance permitted for voters will remain active or be suspended. A lower court halted enforcement. The case is one in a sprawling battle over the way the 2020 election will be conducted.
A statement from UW System President Tommy Thompson did not disclose the nature of the complaint against Dwight Watson. He was previously Provost and Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at Southwest Minnesota State University.
Our Labor Day weekend looks reasonably nice. A batch of showers and thunderstorms will move through some areas Saturday night, while most of us are sleeping. You may need an umbrella on Labor Day.
What are the next steps for senior care facilities in the midst of the pandemic?
Long-term care facilities were ground zero for COVID-19 deaths this spring. Those numbers are trending downward now. But what happens in the next phase of the pandemic?  
Study: No deadly Legionella strain in closed U of M buildings’ water
This spring, as COVID-19 sent people across the University of Minnesota to work and learn from home, two professors launched a study to look for the presence of Legionella bacteria in the water supplies of buildings on the university’s Twin Cities campuses.
In Breonna Taylor's hometown, 90-day protest becomes family
Demonstrators arrived at the nondescript park in Louisville, Ky., months ago to demand justice for George Floyd and for Breonna Taylor. The demonstrators were strangers to each other then. They were faces in a sea of humanity, unaware that their devotion to this square would soon tether them together. 
Trump faces pushback for urging people to vote twice as test
President Donald Trump is facing a backlash for urging voters in North Carolina to vote by mail and then try to vote again in person to test the mail-in ballot system in the Nov. 3 election.
In memoir, Sarah Huckabee Sanders shows she's all in with Trump
Trump's former press secretary is not about settling scores. Her book is an unabashed homage to the president and a feathering of her nest for a probable run for governor of Arkansas.
Yao Yang seeks generational change at Hmong Chamber of Commerce
Some women business owners say they’ve felt neglected by the Minnesota Hmong Chamber of Commerce. Yao Yang is determined to change that.
Temperatures rebound the rest of the week after a colder and windy Thursday.  Then a much bigger temperature plunge happens next week.
In Duluth, shoring up Superior's encroachment on Park Point
For the past several years, cities and property owners along the Great Lakes have been battered by big storms and high water. That includes the Duluth neighborhood of Park Point, the 7-mile sand spit that juts out into Lake Superior from downtown. Now there’s an effort to rebuild it. 
Can I get the coronavirus twice?
It seems possible, though how often it happens isn't known. Researchers in Hong Kong recently reported evidence of a person who got the coronavirus a second time, months after an initial infection.
A storm that passed through northern Minnesota is bringing the entire state cooler and windy conditions Thursday.
Facebook moves to target misinformation before election
The company said Thursday it will restrict new political ads in the week before the election and remove posts that convey misinformation about COVID-19 and voting. It also will attach links to official results to posts from candidates and campaigns declaring premature victories.
State public health leaders worried for weeks about Minnesotans carrying COVID-19 back with them from the massive Aug. 7-16 motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D. It didn’t take long for cases to start rolling in. The toll so far? Fifty direct infections, evidence of secondary spread — and one death, the first in the nation linked directly to Sturgis and the coronavirus. This is an MPR News morning update for Thursday, September 3, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
Biden, in Kenosha, says U.S. confronting 'original sin'
Joe Biden told residents of Kenosha, Wis., that recent turmoil following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, could help Americans confront centuries of systemic racism, drawing a sharp contrast with President Donald Trump amid a reckoning that has galvanized the nation.
Sept. 3 update on COVID-19 in MN: 'Not out of the woods'
Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday warned Minnesota sits at a “tipping point” in the COVID-19 pandemic, putting the state’s gains at risk as cases skyrocket. He implored Minnesotans to stay vigilant to stem the spread of the disease over Labor Day weekend and beyond.
2020 is the year of the woman donor: Campaign contributions surge
The share of female donors has surged to more than 43 percent this year, and it could make a big difference in some of this year's closest political races.
Trump's base is shrinking as whites without a college degree continue to decline
Whites without a college degree have gone from 45 percent of eligible voters in 2016 to 41 percent, per a Brookings Institution and NPR analysis. Meanwhile, whites with a degree and Latinos are on the rise.
COVID-19 looms over sugar beet harvest
Sugar beet growers and processors hire thousands of workers each year of the harvest. This year they need to protect them from COVID-19 to ensure the harvest is brought in.
APM Reports documentary: Black at Mizzou — Confronting race on campus
In 2015, Lauren Brown left her mostly Black neighborhood in Chicago for the University of Missouri. Moving to a predominantly white college was a huge shock, made even more difficult by the racial harassment she faced that fall. That same semester, the campus erupted in protests that made international news. Brown is the host of this APM Reports documentary, “Black at Mizzou: Confronting race on campus.”
At least 12 states report coronavirus cases linked to Sturgis rally
Public health officials across the U.S. reported dozens of cases in their states associated with people who attended the annual Sturgis, S.D., motorcycle rally in August.