biden holds star tribune/mpr edgnews/kare 11e … · resume we dnesday. other religious leaders,...

¬2019 LOCAL NEWS PULITZER FINALIST

T H E C O R O NAV I RU S’ TO L L

H AV E YOU H E A R D

TO P N EWS M I N N E S OTA S P O RT S

15,511,157cases worldwide

633,396deaths worldwide

4,050,126cases in the U.S.

144,283deaths in the U.S.

49,488cases in Minn.

1,566deaths in Minn.

Hooo’s in your Zoom meeting?: For a price, the Raptor Center will dial in a bird of prey, above right, to entertain your call. E1

Turkey reopens ancient mosque: Christians, schol-ars opposed the move. A2

China retailiates: It orders key U.S. embassy closed as tensions reach the brink. A3

Gun victim count soars: 275 cases in Mpls. so far in 2020 eclipses records. B1

Vaping injuries: Symp-toms in latest hospitalized cases mimic COVID-19. B1

3M leaders stand strong: Top two remain just that; Tony Finau is lurking. C8

WBNA ranks dwindle: Many players sitting out; Lynx lose a star. C2

Numbers as of 9:30 p.m. Friday • Sources: Johns Hopkins University (worldwide), New York Times (U.S.), Minnesota Department of Health (Minnesota)

STAR TRIBUNE Minneapolis, St. Paul MNVolume XXXIX • No. 112July 25, 2020

More of what matters to Minnesota. All day. Every day.

ONLINE: startribune.com • TIPS: 612-673-4414 • COMMENTS: 612-673-4000SUBSCRIPTIONS: Call 612-673-4343 or go to startribune.com/subscribe

TWINS POWER UPKepler’s homers spark opening win

SPORTS

HEROES OF THE PANDEMICA salute to front-line workers

INSPIRED

90° 74°Downpours may take the

edge off the heat. B10

Mandate begins across Minnesota.By GLENN HOWATT and MARY LYNN SMITH • Star Tribune staff

Nearly 4 million dispos-

able masks are being shipped to chambers of commerce and other groups across Minne-sota as state officials prepare to launch the statewide mask mandate that begins Saturday.

Minnesota joined nearly 30 other states this week when Gov. Tim Walz announced the face-covering require-

ment. Most large cities in the state as well as many businesses had already made mask-wearing mandatory.

While cities can enforce stricter guidelines, the state mandate, issued under the governor’s public health emergency powers, sets a min-imum standard that applies to all indoor public spaces and businesses. “There’s a sense of relief,” said Angie Whit-comb, chief executive at the Shakopee Chamber of Com-merce. “It has leveled the playing field and taken the onus off of the businesses” to

set their own policies.Whitcomb expects to

receive a shipment of 74,000 masks early next week from the state. Those will be divided among the seven local chambers of commerce in Scott County.

Her organization will have 20,000 masks to distrib-ute to businesses in the city, including to firms that are not chamber members. “This is a resource that we’ve been given by the state to share with businesses,” she said.

Having masks available

State sending out 4 million masks

Suburbs are helping restaurants stay afloat with steps usually seen in more urban settings: allowing eateries to carve out patios on sidewalks and even streets to increase seating capacity.

“The intent was trying to help businesses that were shut down,” said Dan Wietecha, Hastings city administrator. “It was a matter of trying to allow them opportunities for additional customers.”

The impromptu patios, which have popped up from Shakopee to Stillwater, not only are helping the establishments survive tough times, they’ve fostered a street-cafe vibe, according to servers and patrons. Some cities are even blocking off por-

tions of streets to cars, typically a suburban no-no.Residents have complained that the outdoor

patios result in fewer parking spots and noise after dark, but city officials say the positives mostly outweigh the downsides.

And many said that the cities’ quick moves to greenlight the patio spaces demonstrate that officials will go the extra mile to help their busi-ness survive the pandemic.

At Brian’s Bar and Grill in downtown Still-water, manager Nick Dodge said he’s grateful to have the extra outdoor tables, which doubled the

VERY OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Musician Matt Browne, hired by Spiral Brewery, performed on a closed downtown street in Hastings, where about 10 restaurants feature patio dining.

By LIZ NAVRATIL liz.navratil@startribune.com

Minneapolis is poised to cut $1.5 million from the city’s Police Department — and elected officials are promis-ing more substantial changes in the coming months.

The City Council approved the changes Friday morn-ing when they signed off on a larger effort to reduce the city’s $1.6 billion budget to deal with financial losses from the coronavirus pandemic. While the cuts amounted to less than 1% of the Police Depart-ment’s budget, the bulk of the money will be shifted to pay for trained civilians who work with families, crime victims and others to interrupt the cycle of violence.

Mayor Jacob Frey said he will approve the cuts to this year’s spending and that he plans to unveil larger changes next month. “The 2021 budget is the appropriate budget for deeper structural change, and that will be the direction for the budget I propose,” Frey said. “It will include a well-thought-out vision for MPD.”

That vision is still under development, he said.

Council trims police budget

By TOREY VAN OOT torey.vanoot@startribune.com

Just as Gov. Tim Walz announced a statewide mask mandate this week, his top economic development com-missioner fired off an e-mail to business and industry groups urging them to submit pre-written letters supporting the policy to newspapers and other organizations.

None of the sample letters included disclosures indicat-

ing the text was written and provided by state officials.

The push sparked protests Friday from Senate GOP lead-ers accusing the DFL gover-nor of using state resources for what they called a “tax-payer funded PR campaign” in support of a mandate that many Republicans oppose as an overreach of his emer-gency powers to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka called the move a

“poor decision” at best, adding that he is looking into whether the action constitutes a viola-tion of state law or ethics.

“The average Minnesotan understands that businesses and individuals should never be directed or pressured to publicly support the Gover-nor by one of the Governor’s own commissioners,” Gazelka said in a statement. “The pub-lic needs to see a reprimand and explanation of this abuse

Walz under fire for sample letters

The new statement aligns with President Trump.

By ABBY GOODNOUGH New York Times

WASHINGTON – The nation’s top public health agency issued a full-throated call to reopen schools in a statement that aligned with President Donald Trump’s pressure on communities, list-ing numerous benefits of being in school and downplaying the

potential health risks.The Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention pub-lished the statement, along with new “resources and tools,” Thursday evening, two weeks after Trump criticized its earlier recommendations on school reopenings as “very tough and expensive.” His words ratcheted up what was already an anguished national debate over how soon students and teachers should return to classrooms.

“Reopening schools cre-ates opportunity to invest in the education, well-being and future of one of America’s greatest assets — our children — while taking every precau-tion to protect students, teach-ers, staff and all their families,” the agency’s statement said.

Trump, pummeled with criticism over his handling of the pandemic, sees reopening the nation’s schools this fall as crucial to reinvigorating the economy and to his re-

election. While many public health experts and pediatri-cians agree that returning chil-dren to classrooms is critically important, they warn that it has to be done cautiously, with a plan based on scientific evi-dence. They, along with teach-ers unions, have accused the president of putting children and the adults who supervise them at school at risk by politi-cizing the subject.

The new package of CDC

CDC calls on schools to reopen despite risks

Pessimism on jobs: Many in poll believe jobs lost during pandemic are gone for good. D1 • Super masks: Telling kids they’re heroes can help them want to wear one. E1

Inside: Where cuts came from, where the money is going. A8

Suburbs are letting restaurants put

patios in new places, including the street

Story by ERIN ADLERPhoto by RENÉE JONES SCHNEIDER

Star Tribune staff

N O T Y E T: Lindsey West, who teaches fifth grade at Clara Barton Open School in Minneapolis, protested outside the

Governor’s Residence on Friday against reopening too soon.

ANTHONY SOUFFLÉ • anthony.souffle@startribune.com

See MASKS on A5 Ø See WALZ on A5 Ø

See CDC on A4 Ø

See PATIO on A4 Ø

See BUDGET on A8 Ø

ZSW [C M Y K] A1 Saturday, Jul. 25, 2020

SATURDAYJuly 25, 2020