Minnesota Today

There’s no letup in the presidential campaign attention being paid to Minnesota.

Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to make a quick stop Thursday for an event focused on showing support for police officers. The “Cops for Trump” listening session at a Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport hotel. President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, is due to join Pence on the stop.

It’s less than a week after Trump campaigned in Bemidji while his Democratic challenger Joe Biden appeared in and around Duluth.

This is an MPR News morning update for Thursday, September 24, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

Hospitaliations top 300 again, as COVID raises more alarm among state health officials, who say social gatherings are a major driver. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.

Until this week, getting tested for COVID-19 in Minnesota has meant a bit of discomfort.

Most tests statewide are conducted by a PPE-clad medical professional, swabbing a sample from deep in a patient’s nose or far in the back of their throat.

It’s not terrible, but it’s also not comfortable.

But starting Wednesday, Minnesota residents can be tested by spitting into a tube. 

Health officials are opening the state's first COVID-19 saliva testing site in Duluth.

This is an MPR News morning update for Wednesday, September 23, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

The prospect of a conservative Supreme Court raises the stakes for state legislative races if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Lawmakers are already bracing for the battle. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.

State health officials on Monday said they would be setting up a walk-up saliva testing facility soon at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center.

“Testing is free and you will not be required to have an ID or insurance. It is open to anyone who feels they need to be tested, whether or not you have symptoms, but especially if you have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID,” Dan Huff, an assistant state health commissioner, told reporters Monday.

This is an MPR News morning update for Tuesday, September 22, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer.

Our theme music is Gary Meister.

Fall sports get a do-over in Minnesota high schools as high school league reverses plan to move them to spring and start next week. This is an MPR News evening update hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.

Minnesota health officials reported more than 2,200 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases over the weekend — including a single-day record increase of 1,318 cases in Sunday’s report, pushing the state's total past 90,000.

This is an MPR News morning update for Monday, September 21, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

Former Vice President Biden appeared in Duluth, President Trump was scheduled to arrive in Bemidji later Friday evening. This is your MPR News afternoon update for Sept. 18, 2020. Hosted by Nina Moini. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is planning a stop at a union training center in Duluth on Friday afternoon. President Trump will hold a rally at a Bemidji airport hangar on Friday evening. MPR News morning update for September 18, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

The $300 additional weekly benefit ran for six weeks. Minnesota Employment and Economic Development commissioner Steve Grove said he asked for a seventh, and was denied by federal officials. This is an MPR News afternoon update for Sept. 17, 2020. Hosted by Tim Nelson. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.