Minnesota's COVID-19 case growth drops despite protest fears

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Minnesota's COVID-19 case growth drops despite protest fears: A surge in COVID-19 cases following the mass protests and riots over the police killing of George Floyd has not yet materialized, despite aggressive testing over the past week of people involved in the demonstrations. The Minnesota Department of Health on Monday [reported 4 more deaths and 308 more lab-confirmed cases]( of COVID-19, an infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus. That is the lowest number of Minnesota deaths reported in one day in the pandemic since mid-April. - Gunfire on Uptown sidewalk "tragic and senseless," police chief says: Gunmen unleashed a torrent of bullets in a crowded block in the heart of Minneapolis’ Uptown area early Sunday, [killing one person and wounding 11 others]( in one of the city’s most violent shootings in recent memory. The gunfire sent terrified bar patrons and revelers in the area, newly crowded after weeks of COVID-19 closures, diving for cover, unsure of what was unfolding. Bystanders and police officers rushed to help the wounded and to get people to safety. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo called the carnage “tragic and senseless” and said the FBI and state agencies will assist his department as it deals with the recent surge in shootings around the city. - Minnesota doctors try shorter swabs to take sting out of COVID-19 tests: Doctors are trying new approaches to collecting specimens for COVID-19 tests as the growth in testing means more patients must endure nasopharyngeal swabs that are widely used to collect samples. The swabs are long in order to reach where the nasal cavity meets the throat, so the procedure can be uncomfortable. Organizers of a large testing event this past weekend in Mower County [opted for shorter swabs after some people stayed away]( from a previous event because of concerns about discomfort, said Pam Kellogg, division manager for health and human services. - Virus shuts down U.S. Bank Stadium for 2020, except for potential Vikings games: As of Monday, the four-year-old stadium has nothing but football on the schedule. Even if the NFL season goes ahead, [it’s unlikely to include stadiums full of fans.]( - Star administrator off to challenging start leading massive Hennepin Healthcare: [The new CEO comes through a series of career-defining challenges]( committed to the view of HCMC as a leader in the community health, a safety net for the poor but also a leader in teaching, trauma and innovation. - Winona LaDuke turns to hemp farming, solar power to jump-start "next economy": You may remember Winona LaDuke as Ralph Nader’s running mate on the Green Party ticket in 1996 and 2000 or, more recently, as a leader of oil pipeline protests at Standing Rock. But a more typical day finds the 60-year-old Anishinaabe activist at home on her farm near Callaway, Minn., on the White Earth Indian Reservation. As it happens, the farm is home to the latest project in LaDuke’s [ever-expanding portfolio of progressive initiatives](. - Four killed in wrong-way crash on I-35W: A Lakeville woman says she’s putting aside her anger over the wrong-way crash caused by an unlicensed driver that killed her son, choosing instead to channel all her emotions and strength toward her daughter who is hospitalized with severe injuries from the same collision. The State Patrol has yet to explain how Alfredo Torres, 21, of St. Paul, entered northbound 35W in a Nissan Murano and headed south until [colliding with a northbound GMC Terrain near 66th Street](. - Tidal wave of bankruptcies is coming, experts say: Already, companies large and small are succumbing to the effects of the coronavirus. They include household names such as Hertz and J. Crew and comparatively anonymous energy companies such as Diamond Offshore Drilling and Whiting Petroleum. [And the wave of bankruptcies is going to get bigger](. - Live music returns to Minneapolis' Hook & Ladder, weeks after near destruction: The south Minneapolis performance venue — around the corner from the charred remnants of what used to be the Third Precinct police headquarters — rather miraculously survived the riots and destructive rampaging along E. Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue following the police killing of George Floyd on May 25. Now, “The Hook” is [ready to breathe new life into its gasping neighborhood]( — on top of its original, pre-riots goal of helping the Twin Cities music scene survive the coronavirus quarantine.  Watch this Singer Rick Astley rolls out a surprising cover of Foo Fighters' "Everlong": The 1980s singer best known for the cultural phenomenon of "rickrolling" says the Foo Fighters are [one of the bands he turns to to lift his spirits.](  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - After 20 years in Lyn-Lake, Herkimer brewpub is closing this week: An anchor near the intersection of Lyndale and Lake in Minneapolis since 1999, [the Herkimer Pub & Brewery is ending its run.]( - 3 homemade cocktail slushies inspired by Twin Cities bars: These frozen concoctions can [take you back to being a kid sipping a giant cola Slurpee]( at the movie theater, or a young adult sampling a frozen margarita at a beachside bar. - $1.4M log home in Silver Bay sits on rock ledge overlooking Lake Superior: If you like unobstructed views of Lake Superior, you’ll really like [a home in Silver Bay that just hit the market](. The log house is set right on the water, built on ledge rock in a private cove. You can’t get any closer to the lake without getting wet.  Sports roundup - How did a Russian sports legend end up in Detroit Lakes? In the early '90s, goalie Vladislav Tretiak [became a goalie instructor at a hockey camp]( – and faced tough questions from 9-year-olds. - FBI investigating noose left in NASCAR stall of driver Bubba Wallace: Federal authorities on Monday confirmed [they are investigating the discovery of a noose]( found in the Talladega Superspeedway garage stall of Bubba Wallace, NASCAR's only Black full-time driver who successfully pushed the stock car series to ban the Confederate flag at its venues earlier this month. - Gophers' beloved "Blanket Lady" was once a star athlete, too: A basketball pioneer from the years before Title IX, Elvera "Peps" Neuman now [channels her enthusiasm toward the Gophers.](  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Worth a click The Nova Scotia shooter case has hallmarks of an undercover operation: "The withdrawal of $475,000 in cash by the man who killed 22 Nova Scotians in April matches the method the RCMP uses to send money to confidential informants and agents, sources say. ... Sources in both banking and the RCMP say the transaction is consistent with how the RCMP funnels money to its confidential informants and agents, and is not an option available to private banking customers. The RCMP has repeatedly said that it had no 'special relationship' with [shooter Gabriel] Wortman," [Macleans magazine reports.](  From the archives June 22, 1948: Johnny Ross, 11, of Minneapolis, got the opportunity to interview baseball legend Babe Ruth during his stop in the Twin Cities on a youth baseball promotional trip sponsored by Ford Motor Company and the American Legion. Ross, who lost his eyesight due to an illness several years earlier, asked Ruth what his biggest thrill was as a baseball player. The Bambino replied: "Johnny, I think the time that I pitched 29 consecutive innings without giving up a run." (Photo: Star Tribune) Connect with Star Tribune [facebook]([twitter]([pinterest]([instagram]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]( • [Unsubscribe]( This email was sent by: StarTribune, 650 3rd Ave S, Suite #1300, Minneapolis, MN, 55488 © 2020 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.](