Ryan Faircloth writes in the Star Tribune: “Minnesota colleges are reporting large spikes in COVID-19 cases on their campuses at the start of the spring semester, indicating the omicron variant is surging through their highly vaccinated communities in a way previous strains of the virus did not. Nearly 1 in 4 University of Minnesota students who tested for COVID-19 at the Twin Cities campus’ clinic from Jan. 6-13 were positive, according to data published Friday showing 253 positive student and employee cases out of 1,093 tests taken. … Among Minnesota’s private colleges, St. Olaf and Carleton, both located in Northfield, each reported more than 100 new positive cases over the past two weeks, and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul reported 131 cases from Jan. 1-7.”
At WCCO-TV Kate Raddatz says, “As COVID-19 cases surge in Minnesota, other parts of the country are seeing cases ease up. New York State reported 48,000 cases of COVID-19 on Friday. That is close to a 50% drop from the number of cases just a week earlier. Data Scientist Dr. Curtis Storlie, who works in the Mayo Clinic Kern Center, says right now projections from Mayo’s COVID Modeling Team show Minnesota will see its peak of Omicron cases around Jan. 23, give or take a week. And he believes we will see record case numbers.”
In the Pioneer Press, Bob Shaw writes: “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s phrase ‘the fierce urgency of now’’ burst with fresh resonance Monday – in the city where George Floyd was murdered. The phrase was the theme of the 32nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday Breakfast, at which a series of speakers outlined what should be done – fiercely and urgently – to alleviate racism. … Separately, Gov. Tim Walz sponsored the 35th annual State of Minnesota Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration …. At both events, most speakers invoked the memory of Floyd as a reason why Minnesotans should be especially attuned to the message of King.”
Also in the Star Tribune, Susan Du reports: “Minneapolis will soon support 200 families with its new guaranteed basic income pilot, an experiment in alleviating poverty by paying low-income households $500 per month for two years, no strings attached. The city has set aside $3 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds for the program, Households must earn less than 50% of area median income to be eligible. The program echoes a similar experiment that St. Paul launched in 2020 and dozens of other cities nationwide, whose leaders have made testing grounds to inform federal welfare policies.”
The AP reports: ”Rep. Pete Stauber, the Republican congressman who’s been representing Minnesota’s Iron Range for the last 4 years, says he’s running for reelection. Stauber was first elected in 2018 in the 8th Congressional District, once considered a lock for Democrats.… Stauber, of Hermantown, was among the Republicans who signed on to a last-gasp bid to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 2020 presidential election.”
KSTP-TV’s Josh Skluzacek reports: “A Minnesota state senator has announced his plans to retire at the end of his current term instead of seeking reelection. Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, says 2022 will be his final year in the state Senate. He was first elected to the Senate in 2006 after spending 34 years in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. Ingebrigtsen is the chairman of the Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee and the vice chair of the Finance Committee. Ingebrigtsen is the latest in a quickly growing line of state lawmakers opting to not seek reelection this year.”
Also from KSTP-TV, this from Kyle Brown, “Anthony Jolson, 33, of Minneapolis, faces one count of second-degree murder in connection with the killing of his 58-year-old father Thursday. …The day of the killing, Jolson’s brother had gone ice skating, and when he returned to the home on the 4700 block of Elliot Avenue South, he discovered their father slumped over on the couch and unresponsive, a criminal complaint states. The brother said Jolson and his father were alone with their two dogs when he left. … Jolson told his brother he had ‘sneak’ attacked their father, hitting him with a hammer and stabbing him. Jolson said, ‘The devil made me do it,’ his brother told police.”
Also in the Pioneer Press, Kathy Berdan writes: “The 2022 St. Paul Winter Carnival is mostly associated with events outdoors — parades, ice carvings, snow sculptures. But health precautions are advised outdoors and indoors as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. On Monday, the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, which produces the carnival, announced COVID guidelines for the 2022 event, Jan. 28-Feb. 6. Winter Carnival visitors and volunteers are ‘strongly encouraged’ to be fully vaccinated or take a COVID test within 72 hours of participating.”
Also in the Pioneer Press, Mary Divine writes: “City crews generally truck snow out of downtown Stillwater during the winter months. Not this year. … Welcome to the inaugural World Snow Sculpting Championship, which runs Wednesday through Saturday in Lowell Park. The event, sanctioned by Finland-based Association Internationale de Sculpture sur Neige et Glase, is expected to bring an estimated 30,000 people to Stillwater.”
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