VIRUS OUTBREAK-MINNESOTA

Opponents of COVID-19 restrictions rally at state Capitol

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered outside the Minnesota Capitol to protest COVID-19 vaccines and face covering requirements. Organizers billed Saturday’s event as a “medical freedom” rally. Many in the crowd held up signs criticizing vaccines, masks and mandates and chanting slogans such as “My body, my choice.” About a half-dozen Republican legislators and two candidates for governor addressed the group that stood together without wearing masks. The statewide mask mandate ended in May but many employers have taken matters into their own hands as case numbers surge across the state. Speakers objected to the idea of carrying vaccine passports and many signed a petition to ban them.

ENBRIDGE LINE 3-PROTEST

Troopers arrest 69 pipeline protesters at Walz’s residence

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Troopers arrested 69 people outside Gov. Tim Walz’s residence in St. Paul in a protest against an oil pipeline replacement project. The Minnesota State Patrol says demonstrators at Saturday’s gathering were booked into the Ramsey County Jail under several charges, including third-degree riot, disorderly conduct and felony threats of violence. The demonstrators are calling for Walz and President Joe Biden to shut down the Enbridge Line 3 project that carries oil from Alberta, Canada and passes through North Dakota and northern Minnesota on its way to Superior, Wisconsin. The 337-mile segment in Minnesota is the last phase in construction. Opponents of the project say construction would destroy land that is protected by treaty agreements and would violate cultural and religious rights.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-RENTAL-ASSISTANCE

Anxious tenants await assistance as evictions resume

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — States have begun to ramp up the amount of rental assistance reaching tenants but there are still millions of families facing eviction who haven’t gotten help. The Treasury Department says just $5.1 billion of the estimated $46.5 billion in federal rental assistance, or only 11%, has been distributed by states and localities through July. Several states, including Virginia and Texas, have been praised for moving quickly to get the federal money out. But there are still plenty of states, from South Carolina to Arizona, who have distributed very little. The concerns about the slow pace intensified Thursday, after the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary eviction ban put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

BC-US-MINNESOTA-WILDFIRES

Minnesota wildfires level off; air quality alert extended

ISABELLA, Minn. (AP) — Fire personnel are working to put out the largest of numerous wildfires in northeastern Minnesota, where smoke from the blazes prompted a warning to residents to remain indoors. An air quality alert issued by state regulators was extended until 9 a.m. Sunday. The extension came as an unhealthy band of smoky air stretched from International Falls through the Iron Range to south of Brainerd. Officials say the Greenwood Lake fire is burning on roughly 40 square miles in the Superior National Forest and appears to have leveled off in size.

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-STURGIS-RALLY

How much impact could Sturgis rally have on COVID caseload?

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Health officials across five states have linked 178 virus cases to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. In the three weeks since the rally kicked off, coronavirus cases in South Dakota have shot up at a startling pace. State health officials have reported 63 cases among rallygoers from South Dakota so far. The epicenter of the rally, Meade County, is reaching a per capita rate that’s similar to the hardest-hit states of the South. Health experts say the pandemic fallout from the rally won’t be seen for weeks and an exact case count will likely remain unknown. But they’re worried that large gatherings across the Upper Midwest will feed a fresh wave of the virus.

TEST SCORES

Minnesota’s reading, math assessment scores slipping

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota students scored dramatically worse on this year’s reading and math assessment tests after the pandemic disrupted school settings. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports only 44% of students were proficient in math, down 11% from 2019, and 53% were proficient in reading, down 7% from two years ago. Students didn’t take the tests last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Black and Hispanic students’ math proficiency rate fell 34% compared with 19% for white students. About 77% of eligible students completed the tests, down from the usual 98%. The Biden administration in April granted Minnesota a waiver from using the results to identify low-performing schools that get state support.

AP-US-ENBRIDGE-ENERGY-LINE-3

4 Line 3 protesters arrested at Minnesota Capitol

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota troopers on Friday arrested four people protesting Enbridge Energy’s Line 3 replacement pipeline project at the state Capitol. Videos posted on social media showed law enforcement officers surrounding about a dozen protesters. About 1,000 demonstrators gathered earlier in the week for a major rally calling on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and President Joe Biden to pull permits and shut down the replacement pipeline project. A spokesman for the Department of Public Safety says officials had met with group leaders to have them remove a teepee that remained after the permit for the protest expired. Spokesman Bruce Gordon told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that some people were uncooperative, leading to four arrests.

MINNESOTA STATE FAIR

Minnesota State Fair first-day attendance down by half

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP) — First-day attendance at the Minnesota State Fair was down by roughly half as the fair returned after missing last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. With simmering concern over the delta variant, and fair officials declining to require masks or proof of vaccinations, Thursday’s attendance was 61,983. That’s less than half of the 2019 record of about 133,000. Thursday’s light turnout was also likely affected by violent thunderstorms that moved through the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in the afternoon. Fair officials announced earlier this month they wouldn’t require face masks or proof of vaccination to attend this year’s event. Around 150 vendors have pulled out, though labor shortages and supply chain issues have also been cited as factors.