Mayo Clinic is going public with its own COVID-19 modeling

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Mayo Clinic is going public with its own COVID-19 modeling: The Rochester-based health system is [unveiling an online tracking tool Thursday]( that provides recent COVID-19 case data for U.S. counties, as well as reputable advice on how to prevent infections with the coronavirus that causes the disease. The tool will be updated this fall with county-level modeling forecasts for pandemic activity. [COVID-19 case growth worsened in multiple counties]( across Minnesota, according to data released Thursday, with six mostly rural or outstate counties reaching levels at which the state recommends all online K-12 classes. [We are tracking the spread of the coronavirus in Minnesota here.]( - Rising vacancies spur discounts for renters in parts of the Twin Cities: [Concessions are most common in upper end Minneapolis buildings]( while renters in less costly apartments are unlikely to share in breaks. - Trump contradicts health officials, predicts mass vaccinations soon: Openly contradicting the government's top health experts, President Donald Trump [predicted Wednesday that a safe and effective vaccine]( against the coronavirus could be ready as early as next month and in mass distribution soon after, undermining the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and calling him "confused" in projecting a longer time frame. - Feds considered using "heat ray" on D.C. protesters, whistleblower says: A military whistleblower says [federal officials sought some unusual crowd control devices]( — including one that’s been called a “heat ray” — to deal with protesters outside the White House on the June day that law enforcement forcibly cleared Lafayette Square. The Justice Department [explored whether it could pursue either criminal or civil rights charges]( against city officials in Portland, Oregon after clashes erupted there night after night between law enforcement and demonstrators, a department spokesperson said Thursday. - AG Barr lashes out at Justice Department prosecutors, compares lockdown orders to slavery: Attorney General William Barr's comments at a speech at Hillsdale College in Michigan amounted to [a striking, and unusual, rebuke of the thousands of prosecutors]( who do the daily work of assembling criminal cases across the country. Barr has faced scrutiny for overruling the decisions of Justice Department prosecutors who work for him, including in criminal cases involving associates of President Donald Trump. Barr also drew sharp condemnation Thursday for [comparing lockdown orders during the coronavirus pandemic to slavery.]( - Pence to hold event with Cops for Trump in Minneapolis next week: Vice President Mike Pence [will return to Minnesota next Thursday](, when he plans to hold a Cops for Trump listening session in Minneapolis. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden [will visit a union training center in Duluth]( on Friday, his campaign said Wednesday. President Donald Trump will also be coming to northern Minnesota on Friday, hosting an event at Bemidji Aviation Services. - Damaged Lake Street Target store set to reopen in November: Some of [the changes to the store that Target has planned]( is an expanded food and beverage section in response to community feedback, an additional entry being created close to the light rail for better access to commuters and other improvements both inside and outside the store like landscaping. - Suspect in killing of Minneapolis teen arrested after fleeing wrong way on I-394: Authorities arrested a suspect in [the shooting death of a 17-year-old in Minneapolis]( Thursday morning after he fled law enforcement the wrong way on a freeway, then drove through suburban yards and crashed. - Former Minnesota Chief Justice Russell Anderson dies at 78: [Anderson served 10 years on the state Supreme Court]( and a quarter century as a judge in Minnesota.  Watch this Why it's a bad idea to try to climb an iceberg: [They may not be very stable](, as ice climbers Mike Horn and Fred Roux recently learned.  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - At long last, Boundary Waters named "dark sky sanctuary": The starry nights are no secret to those familiar with the Boundary Waters, but [a new designation puts the wilderness area on the world map]( for those seeking stunning skies after dusk. - How to make the Minnehaha Cake, a 150-year-old recipe that swept the nation: [Various versions of the wildly popular Minnehaha Cake recipe]( made the rounds in Minnesota publications perused by our great-great-grandparents. - Canterbury veterinarian's mission: Save horses from slaughter. Dr. Richard Bowman's 4,000-acre cattle ranch in North Dakota has become [a refuge for the injured, the old, the lame and the slow](, the horses with nowhere to go when they retire from racing at Canterbury Park in Shakopee. More than 600 thoroughbreds and quarter horses have been healed and rejuvenated in the prairie air, eventually moving on to new owners and careers.  Sports roundup - Twins closing in on playoff spot as they face White Sox in matinee: The Twins' magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 3 entering [this afternoon's game against the White Sox]( at Guaranteed Rate Field - What on earth are GM Bill Guerin and the Wild doing? Wednesday’s news that the Wild sent Eric Staal to Buffalo in exchange for Marcus Johansson [was a head-scratching moment.]( - Restarting Minnesota prep football, volleyball seasons full of challenges: The one little agenda item for the meeting — “Reconsider Placement of Fall Activities Seasons” — [holds massive ramifications](. Whether or not to start football and volleyball yet this fall is the decision the Minnesota State High School League board of directors is expected to make in a special session set for 9 a.m. Monday.  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Worth a click A Maine wedding is linked to seven COVID-19 deaths. None of those people attended. "Only about 65 close family members and friends were on the guest list for a bride and groom’s rustic wedding celebration in a small Maine town in early August. But the nuptials began an outbreak now traced to more than 175 reported novel coronavirus infections and also to the deaths of seven people, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday," [the Washington Post's Meryl Kornfield reports.](  From the archives Sept. 17, 1966: Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y., left, campaigns with Sen. Walter F. Mondale, D-Minn., during Turkey Day festivities in Worthington. 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