Jeremy Olson reports in the Star Tribune: “Updates from two large Minnesota hospital systems show that fully vaccinated people make up a minority of COVID-19 hospitalizations and an even lower share of severe illness requiring intensive care and ventilators. Minneapolis-based Allina Health reported that 176 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday and that 40 (or 22%) were vaccinated against the coronavirus that causes the infectious disease. Sioux Falls-based Sanford Health reported 159 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized on Tuesday across its facilities in the Dakotas and Minnesota, and that 16 (or 10%) were fully vaccinated. The hospital systems are among the first in the nation to report their COVID-19 hospitalizations by severity and vaccination status….”
At WCCO-TV, Reg Chapman reports: “A group of north Minneapolis residents have sent an open letter to Gov. Tim Walz, calling the area a ‘war zone’ and are requesting the Minnesota State Patrol or National Guard to assist police. Sent Wednesday, the letter from 26 residents says they have been left to ‘twist in the winds of violence’ for over a year, with the violence including deaths of children due to gunfire. The group says the city as a whole has seen 69 ‘murders’ this year so far, and things are getting worse with more incidents including automatic gunfire.”
KSTP-TV reports: “Authorities say a suspect who was taken to a hospital Wednesday after he was hit by a law enforcement squad vehicle has now died. The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to the 2200 block of Mounds View Boulevard at 10:40 a.m. to help Mounds View Police with a felony domestic assault that involved a gun being fired at AmericInn. There, law enforcement helped ensure the domestic violence victim’s safety and learned the suspect’s description. Officers located him a short time later in the 5200 block of Pinewood Court, and he raised a gun and fired at the approaching squads, narrowly missing two officers and damaging one Mounds View and one Ramsey County squad. At that time, the deputy who was shot at used his squad to hit the suspect, the sheriff’s office said.”
WCCO also reports: “The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Wednesday that the team has ‘parted ways’ with President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas. WCCO’s Mike Max says based on conversations, Rosas is out for two reasons: a culture he created that allegedly was toxic, and for an ‘inappropriate relationship’ inside the organization. … People inside the organization have been put off by him at times, and the latest issue to surface was seemingly the final straw. One other employee of the team also left abruptly Wednesday.… Wolves player and former 2015 first-round draft pick Karl-Anthony Towns tweeted ‘wtf…’ not long after the announcement.”
A Star Tribune story by Susan Du says, “A Minneapolis City Council committee voted on Wednesday to reinstate longstanding plans to build a new water maintenance facility in the East Phillips neighborhood. Although the new plan would set aside several acres for community development, the vote infuriated residents lobbying to repurpose the entire site as a large urban farm and neighborhood center. The former Roof Depot warehouse, the intended site of the city’s new water yard, has been in dispute for years as East Phillips environmental activists pushed for an alternative project that would include aquaponics, a community kitchen, small shops, solar gardens and affordable housing.”
Frederick Melo writes in the Pioneer Press: “Despite a unanimous city council vote in support of an employee vaccination requirement five weeks ago, St. Paul officials are still working on structuring how a COVID vaccine mandate would roll out for some 3,000 city employees. … Human Resources Director Toni Newborn told the city council on Wednesday that negotiating the details with the city’s labor unions has taken weeks, and there’s additional considerations regarding how to securely track vaccination status, which qualifies as private medical data. ‘… We’re still in the process of negotiating with our labor partners,’ Newborn said. ‘We’re thinking on or around November, but that’s not a hard deadline.’ Members of the city council said they were not pleased..”
Another Susan Du story in the Star Tribune reports: “City of Minneapolis Public Works employees, including people who plow the streets, patch potholes, repair sewers and collect garbage, voted Tuesday night to reject a proposed city contract, authorizing a future strike if necessary for higher wage increases. Union leaders representing about 450 public works employees are in mediation with the city after a three-year contract expired in 2020 and has not been renewed, in part because of the pandemic. With early voting already underway in a highly competitive city election, work stoppage by some of the city’s most essential employees could leave leaders in a precarious position.”
An AP story says, “A home health nurse who discovered the bodies of a prominent Minnesota businessman and his wife in a murder-suicide case is suing their estate and seeking damages for emotional trauma. Lisa Ann Hayes walked in on a grisly scene in April 2019 at the Lake Minnetonka mansion of Irwin and Alexandra Jacobs. Irwin Jacobs had fatally shot his wife and then himself amid health and financial troubles, according to investigators. … Hayes is seeking unspecified damages in her lawsuit, claiming Irwin Jacobs’ actions were injurious to her health and ‘constituted willful, wanton and malicious conduct.’”
This from WBAY-TV in Green Bay: “Wisconsin state health officials say the spread of the COVID-19 virus reached critical levels in 8 counties, six more than it reported a week ago. These include Forest, Green Lake and Oconto counties. Virus activity is ‘very high’ in 62 counties and high in the remaining 2, including Florence County. These labels are based on the number of positive cases per capita over the last two weeks (the ‘burden’) and the percent change in the number of cases in the past week (the ‘trajectory’). There are no counties with moderate or low activity. Critically high: Barron, Buffalo, Forest, Green Lake, Oconto, Rusk, Trempeleau, Washburn … .”
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