Daily Digest: Coronavirus, Burrell review, teachers strike

Good morning. Here’s your Tuesday Digest:

1. Prevention by the gallon. A Minnesota bill speeding toward approval could be the first of several legislative responses to COVID-19 with discussions already focusing on front-line health centers and idled workers. The Senate voted 64-0 on Monday to bolster a public health account to fight the spread of the new coronavirus. A House vote was expected later in the day. It’s possible a final version would reach DFL Gov. Tim Walz early in the week. There are two known Minnesota cases of COVID-19, and ramped-up testing is likely to push that number up. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, said the goal is to instill confidence — not whip up panic. “We are taking this serious,” Gazelka said before the vote. “We’re not just doing an ounce of prevention. It’s a gallon of prevention. So we are being serious about it. But I think it’s up to us to tell people to remain calm because we have a plan.” MPR News

2. County attorney suggests Justice review of Burrell case. A top Minnesota prosecutor said Monday that Sen. Amy Klobuchar should ask the Justice Department to review the conviction of a black teen sentenced to life in prison after an 11-year-old black girl was killed by a stray bullet. In doing so, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman appeared to be putting the onus back on Klobuchar. Just last week, the senator asked Freeman to launch an independent investigation into the case that dogged her unsuccessful Democratic presidential primary run. Myon Burrell, now 33, has spent more than half his life in prison for the killing of Tyesha Edwards, who was hit by a stray bullet on Nov. 22, 2002, while doing homework at her dining room table. A yearlong Associated Press investigation published last month exposed major flaws in the police probe and prosecution, raising questions as to whether he may have been wrongfully convicted. Klobuchar was in charge of the Hennepin County attorney’s office from 1999 through 2006. Her office prosecuted Burrell during his first trial, in which he was convicted, and sentencing in 2003. Klobuchar was succeeded by Freeman, who oversaw a second trial for Burrell, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. “Only the Department of Justice would have the resources to independently review a case that includes 30,000 pages of documents plus videotaped evidence,” Freeman wrote, adding that his office would cooperate with any DOJ efforts while carrying out its own review of the case. The Associated Press

3. St. Paul teachers strike. Thousands of union teachers and other professional school staff headed for picket lines Tuesday morning instead of classrooms. The St. Paul Federation of Educators and their 3,600 members went on strike after late-night talks failed to produce a contract agreement. District and union leaders struggled to come to agreement after several sessions. On Monday, the district offered arbitration, but the union declined. Union representatives said the district had not come close enough to satisfying their demands for more funding of mental health services for students, as well as more multilingual interpreters and special education funding. Educators also want more efforts to reduce racial inequity in discipline and other areas. “The district’s latest proposal dramatically slashed the number of support staff the Saint Paul Federation of Educators proposed to help meet students’ needs,” the union said in a statement early Tuesday. “SPFE presented a plan that would stretch out increased staffing over a three-year period to give the district flexibility in budgeting.” MPR News

4. Get ready to be counted. Most Minnesota residents will have their first contact with this year’s census this week. The U.S. Census Bureau is sending out letters starting Thursday letting most residents know they can fill out the census questionnaire online. About 80 percent of households will receive the letters, according to the bureau. The remaining 20 percent of households will receive a paper copy of the census form. Residents can fill the form out online even before they receive the letter. Results from the census are used in a variety of ways, including to dictate legislative and congressional districts, said Minnesota State Demographer Susan Brower. “It’s the way that we distribute political power,” Brower said. “If you’re not counted in the census, you may be underrepresented in those maps, which leads to diluted political power over the next 10 years.” MPR News