Tag: pandemic

Minnesota legislators Paul Gazelka, Kurt Daudt join Republican push to reverse Big Ten decision

Two from Minnesota join 8 others in GOP effort to open fall sports season. 

Two Minnesota legislators have joined other lawmakers from states with Big Ten universities, asking the conference to overturn its decision to cancel fall sports.

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, and House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, were two of 10 legislators signing a letter written by Michigan House of Representatives speaker Lee Chatfield. All are Republicans from six states — including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Wisconsin.

The letter went to Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren as well as all of the institutions’ presidents and chancellors. Continue reading.

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine study paused after one illness

Late-stage studies of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate are on temporary hold while the company investigates whether a recipient’s “potentially unexplained” illness is a side effect of the shot.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the company said its “standard review process triggered a pause to vaccination to allow review of safety data.”

AstraZeneca didn’t reveal any information about the possible side effect except to call it “a potentially unexplained illness.” The health news site STAT first reported the pause in testing, saying the possible side effect occurred in the United Kingdom. Continue reading.

Campaign of contrasts: Trump’s raucous crowds vs. Biden’s distanced gatherings

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LONDONDERRY, N.H. — When the announcer at President Trump’s recent rally here urged a packed airplane hangar of supporters to don their masks, a cacophonous round of boos erupted, followed by defiance. No matter that the attendees’ chairs were inches apart, their temperatures had not been taken and masks were required by the state.

Joe Biden, meanwhile, has barely left his home without a mask for months, and he makes a point of keeping voters — when he encounters any — at a distance from himself and one another. Events at drive-in theaters have been kept under 50 — people, not cars — to respect state guidelines.

This contrast continued Tuesday, when Trump flew to Florida and North Carolina, addressing crowds in both places, while Biden’s camp announced by 9:30 a.m. that he would make no public appearances all day. It’s a likely snapshot of the race’s final eight weeks: one campaign fueled by in-person events, raucous gatherings and defiant crowds flouting health rules; the other driven by quiet, small-bore events with everyone masked and spaced apart. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov Flanagan Update: September 9, 2020

September 9, 2020

Updates from the Governor

Governor Tim Walz today announced that he will convene a special legislative session beginning on September 11, 2020. Governor Walz intends to extend the COVID-19 peacetime emergency by 30 days to ensure the state can continue to quickly and effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While Minnesota has taken life-saving action, the threat of COVID-19 remains,” said Governor Walz.“It’s imperative that we have the tools necessary to respond to this rapidly-evolving virus quickly and decisively in order to safeguard the health and wellbeing of each and every Minnesotan.” 

“COVID-19 is unpredictable, and there is still so much that we do not know,” said Lt. Governor Flanagan. “This pandemic is not over. With the fall and winter months fast approaching, we know the next stages of this virus will continue to present a challenge, especially to underserved communities. We must be prepared to respond quickly and efficiently in order to keep all Minnesotans healthy, safe, and informed.”

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov Flanagan Update: September 9, 2020”

Jobs recovery is slowing, but congressional CPR not expected

The weak jobs numbers are unlikely to break the legislative impasse that’s taken hold of Capitol Hill

The August jobs report showed America’s economic recovery slowing down, but Washington analysts doubt the figures will be enough to jostle Congress out of its deadlock over additional stimulus.

The economy added 1.4 million nonfarm jobs in August, bringing the unemployment rate down to 8.4 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. That’s less than the revised 1.7 million nonfarm jobs added in July, and the 4.8 million added in June. Economists worry that the slowing pace of job creation may smother hopes for the economy’s quick convalesce from the havoc wreaked by the coronavirus.

“The labor market recovery has slowed down a fair bit and while things are improving for some people, the hopes of a quick and complete recovery are gone,” said Nick Bunker, director of research at Indeed Hiring Lab. “Unless there is some big reversal in terms of public policy or the virus itself, we’re not going to see a sharp return to where we were before the virus.” Continue reading.

Drug companies issue rare joint pledge on vaccine safety amid political fears

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Nine pharmaceutical companies on Tuesday issued a rare joint pledge seeking to reassure the public about the safety and efficacy of their potential vaccines for coronavirus. 

The statement from the top drug companies working on coronavirus vaccines, including Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna, comes amid fears of political pressure from President Trump on the vaccine approval process and doubts among the public about taking a vaccine. 

The joint pledge states that the companies will not seek Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for their vaccines until a rigorous phase 3 clinical trial shows that it is safe and that it works.  Continue reading.

A major coronavirus vaccine trial paused over ‘unexplained illness’

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Human tests of a coronavirus vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford have been put on hold pending a review of safety data triggered by a “potentially unexplained illness,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday. The news comes as President Trump continued to assert that his administration could produce a vaccine by November, although such a statement contradicts the timeline laid out by health officials in his administration. View the free post from The Washington Post here.

Minnesota joins national push to recruit young poll workers

Many voting site veterans older, vulnerable to virus. 

Joshua Medley is a recent college graduate who is volunteering to be an election judge this year. He volunteered for the primaries and found the experience to be rewarding after he noticed some people seemed encouraged to see a youthful (face).

Facing a national shortage of older poll workers, Joshua Medley, a student at Normandale Community College, will join other young Minnesotans helping out at the polls on Nov. 3, meeting voters with a greeting and a mask.

“We need the polling places to be stocked, and to have people who can welcome in voters who may be new, may not be comfortable, or may come from a background or a culture that doesn’t encourage them to vote as frequently,” he said. Continue reading.

Republicans could oust more of Gov. Tim Walz’s agency heads

Senators see leverage over what they call overreach. 

Several state agency leaders’ jobs — and the fraying relationship between GOP lawmakers and Gov. Tim Walz — could hang in the balance of an upcoming special session of the Legislature.

The DFL governor is expected to call the fourth session of the summer on Friday, despite the possibility that Senate Republicans could use the occasion to vote out more members of his administration.

Republican opposition to the governor’s use of emergency powers for the pandemic came to a head in August when they rejected Nancy Leppink as the leader of the Department of Labor and Industry. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: September 8, 2020

September 8, 2020

Updates from the Governor

Today, Governor Tim Walz, a classroom teacher for more than 20 years, launched a statewide Safe Learning Tour. He and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan kicked-off the start of the 2020-21 school year by visiting students and educators in-person and virtually. With this school year looking different than normal, they thanked educators, students, and parents for their flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next few weeks, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor will visit with students and educators at schools across the state, including Wyoming, Bloomington, Mankato, Saint Paul, Moorhead, Duluth, and more.

Following Minnesota’s Safe Learning Plan, school districts and charter schools are beginning the school year in one of three models: in-person learning, hybrid learning, or distance learning. Experts at the Departments of Health and Education have partnered with local school districts and charter schools to help determine which learning model they should use to start the school year. The Departments of Education and Health will continue to work with school districts and local health professionals throughout the school year to track the virus and determine if and when a school may need to adjust their learning plan.

With any learning model – in-person, hybrid, or distance – the Governor and Lt. Governor remain focused on supporting Minnesota schools to deliver an equitable education that strives to meet the needs of every student in our Pre-K through grade 12 education system.

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: September 8, 2020”