Good morning, and welcome to the weekend. This is what you need to know for Friday.
We could see highs in the 60s this weekend. But for Friday, Twin Cities highs near 40 and statewide highs between lower 30s to lower 40s. It’ll cool some 10 degrees or more in most of the state. More on Updraft. | Forecast
Your coronavirus questions, answered. We’ve been taking questions on COVID-19 (and still are) for the past few days and now we’re answering them — everything from how to prepare to the disease’s symptoms.
With Elizabeth Warren out, it’s truly a two-person race. Democrats now have to choose between Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden now that the Massachusetts U.S. senator has exited the race. (Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is still running, but has no shot at winning the nomination.)
Warren hasn’t yet endorsed Biden or Sanders. In exiting the race, she told staff: "For every American who desperately wants to see our nation healed and some decency and honor restored to our government, this fight goes on. And sure, the fight may take a new form, but I will be in that fight, and I want you in this fight with me. We will persist.”
The census is underway and there are many myths to bust. No, there isn’t a citizenship question on the 2020 census. And no, the census doesn’t ask about religion, politics or income. NPR has a list of 10 census myths and what the reality is.
President Trump is eyeing a Minnesota win in 2020. Second lady Karen Pence stood in for Vice President Mike Pence, who’s busy with COVID-19, at a campaign event Thursday in St. Paul. “Each one of you here plays a very critical role,” she told the crowd, saying Minnesota is vital in the 2020 election. The president has a 44 percent approval rating here.
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A major Minneapolis throughway is getting a redo, with the Lake Street Kmart closing. The city will pay $9.1 million to end the store’s lease this summer. It sits on a large lot in a dense south Minneapolis neighborhood, cutting off Nicollet Avenue at Lake Street. Some Minneapolis leaders call the store one of the worst planning decisions in city history.
However, shuttering Kmart isn’t all good. The store is a critical affordable shopping destination for low-income Minneapolitans. As Sahan Journal’s Mukhtar Ibrahim notes, the Kmart is located in one of Minneapolis’ most diverse neighborhoods. Another observer argued on Twitter that opening up more room for cars adds to climate change.
If you make $15 an hour or less, we want to hear what it’s like to get by. Send us your story here. And while you’re here, read Jon Collins’ excellent profile of Sandra Lopez, who supports herself and two children on $12.50 an hour.
-- Cody Nelson, MPR News | 