Tuesday Morning C-19 Update

 

NOTE - Below is a radio-friendly notepad used on the Need To Know Morning Show on AM1100 The Flag WZFG.  Spelling, punctuation, etc are not edited.

HERE ARE THE KEY NUMBERS THIS MORNING.....

IN NORTH DAKOTA THE PERCENT POSITIVE TEST RATE LOOKING GOOD AGAIN MONDAY AT 2.4 PERCENT (34 POSITIVE OUT OF 1,401 TESTS).....NO NEW DEATHS REPORTED OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS AND THE HOSPITALIZED COUNT IS UNCHANGED AT 31...CASS COUNTY HAD 25 OF THE 34 POSITIVE TESTS

IN MINNESOTA, 571 OUT OF 33-HUNDRED, THAT'S 17.3 PERCENT - RIGHT AT THE 14 DAY AVERAGE... 9 DEATHS - THE LOWEST NUMBER IN 2 WEEKS....BUT A RARITY MONDAY....HEALTH COMMISSIONER JAN MALCOM SAYS ONE OF THE NINE WAS A PERSON IN THEIR 40'S WITH NO UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS.....396 ARE HOSPITALIZED ..THOSE NUMBERS ARE ABOVE THE 14 DAY AVERAGE...IN CLAY COUNTY 13 HAVE DIED…

IN SOUTH DAKOTA, 21 HAVE DIED, 4 OVER THE WEEKEND....69 ARE CURRENTLY HOSPITALIZED.

ACROSS THE U-S....THERE MAY BE SOME GOOD NEWS ON THE TRENDLINES....THE LOWEST NUMBER OF NEW DEATHS IN 3 WEEKS - JUST OVER 11-HUNDRED WERE REPORTED YESTERDAY.....THAT NUMBER HAS TYPICALLY BEEN ABOUT 2-THOUSAND A DAY RECENTLY....IT MAY BE PARTIALLY DUE TO THE WEEKEND LAG IN REPORTING THAT WE OFTEN SEE....NEW CASES ALSO DOWN, ABOUT 23-THOUSAND INSTEAD OF THE 2 WEEK AVERAGE OF 28-THOUSAND....ABOUT 16-THOUSAND ARE HOSPITALIZED, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST SINGLE DAYS YET....MORE THAN 69-THOUSAND HAVE DIED NATIONWIDE.

HERE ARE YOUR TUESDAY MORNING HEADLINES -

THE FARGO CITY COMMISSION AND THE FARGO CITY COUNCIL HAVE CONFIRMED THAT THERE WILL BE NO IN-PERSON VOTING ON JUNE 9TH….IT’S A PRIMARY ELECTION FOR STATEWIDE OFFICES - BUT THE GENERAL ELECTION FOR SCHOOL BOARDS AND CITY COMMISSIONS….FARGO COMMISSIONERS BRIEFLY DISCUSSED A MEASURE THAT WOULD ADD ONE POLLING PLACE BUT IT FAILED TO GENERATE ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO PASS….THE CONCERNS WERE DIFFICULTY IN SOCIAL DISTANCING AND THE FACT THAT THE ELECTION IS JUST A MONTH AWAY…COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ALSO FAILED TO MOVE ANY PLANS FORWARD, MEANING THAT THE VOTING PROCESS WILL BE MAIL-IN BALLOTS ONLY….THE CHANGE TO MAIL-IN BALLOTS CAME IN APRIL AS A RESULT OF THE CORONAVIRUS.

FARGO CITY COMMISSIONER DAVE PIEPKORN TELLS WZFG RADIO THAT THE CITY ALSO CUT 3 MILLION DOLLARS FROM ITS BUDGET, AFTER A REPORT SHOWING THAT REVENUE WOULD FALL THAT MUCH FROM THE CORONAVIRUS SLOWDOWN…THE BUDGET CUTS INCLUDE PERSONNEL, FREEZING OPERATING EXPENSES AND PUTTING OFF EQUIPMENT PURCHASES….THE FORUM ALSO REPORTS THAT THE CITY IS CUTTING 7 MILLION BY DELAYING CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS….

THE STAR TRIBUNE REPORTS THAT MN Gov. Tim Walz appears set to allow DENTISTS AND medical providers to resume elective surgeries and procedures…..THEY’VE BEEN temporarily prohibited so the state could conserve medical resources for the COVID-19 pandemic….HOSPITALS AROUND THE STATE SAY THEY’RE BEING DAMAGED FINANCIALLY BY THE LACK OF ACTIVITY WHEN CURRENTLY LESS THAN 400 COVID PATIENTS ARE HOSPITALIZED….THEY ALSO SAY PATIENTS WHO NEED CARE ARE NOT GETTING IT IF THEY’RE NOT SUFFERING FROM THE VIRUS... Walz said he would likely act TODAY so that surgeons, dentists and other providers could resume work.

A PLANNED COVID TEST SITE WAS CANCELLED AT THE FARGODOME MONDAY AFTER A SHORTAGE OF TESTING SUPPLIES....NOT AT THE DOME….AT THE STATE LAB…THE SHORTAGE WAS IN A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT USED TO STORE THE TEST SAMPLES AT THE LAB.....AN “NDSU” LAB SAYS IT CAN HELP AND IS SENDING REINFORCEMENTS....BUT THERE IS NOW A BACKLOG OF ABOUT FIVE-THOUSAND TESTS......A WILLISTON TEST SITE SCHEDULED FOR TODAY HAS BEEN CANCELLED TOO.

THE CLOSELY WATCHED UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON IHME MODEL HAS BEEN REVISED UPWARD FOR THE NUMBER OF DEATHS EXPECTED IN THE U-S BY AUGUST 4TH....THE NUMBER INITIALLY STARTED AT 171-THOUSAND BUT WAS REVISED DOWNWARD MULTIPLE TIMES TO 61-THOUSAND….LAST WEEK IT WAS MOVED UP TO 72 THOUSAND....AND THEN MONDAY RACHETED UPWARD TO ABOUT 134-THOUSAND....MINNESOTA'S NEW PROJECTED DEATH COUNT IS 21-HUNDRED...NORTH DAKOTA'S NUMBER IS 38....

VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE SAYS HE MADE A MISTAKE IN NOT WEARING A FACEMASK WHEN HE VISITED THE MAYO CLINIC LAST WEEK.  HE SAID, ON A FOX NEWS TOWN HALL SUNDAY NIGHT, IN RETROSPECT HE SHOULD HAVE ABIDED BY HOSPITAL POLICY, BUT THOUGHT THAT SINCE HE AND PRESIDENT TRUMP ARE TESTED OFTEN HE DID NOT POSE A RISK TO ANYONE....PENCE DID WEAR A MASK AT ANOTHER STOP LATER IN THE WEEK....

VALLEY NEWS LIVE REPORTS THAT ON-SITE DINING'S RETURN TO FARGO AND WEST FARGO WAS A SUCCESS FOR MANY.....WEST FARGO'S Silver Dollar Bar owner Kurt Lepird says sales WERE down about 40 percent from what a normal weekend would look like, but says he’s still happy with how it went.....And Big Erv’s General Manager Danielle Pretzer says while their first weekend went well too...THE BIGGEST STRUGGLE WAS THINGS THAT MAKE A BAR FUN LIKE MINGLING COULDN'T TAKE PLACE…

FARGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS ANNOUNCING THERE “WILL” BE GRADUATION CEREMONIES....BOTH A VIRTUAL CELEBRATION AT THE END OF MAY, AND A TENTATIVE ON SITE CEREMONY AT THE END OF JULY....LOCATIONS AND TIMES WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT A LATER DATE....FARGO IS THE FIRST DISTRICT IN THE METRO TO ANNOUNCE GRADUATION PLANS…SUPERINTENDENT DR. RUPAK GANDHI SAYS A PROM SOMETIME THIS SUMMER HAS NOT BEEN RULED OUT YET EITHER.

The North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department HAS ANNOUNCED the reopening of state park campgrounds.   MOST PARKS WILL OPEN ON MAY 9TH, WITH LIMITED SERVICE LIKE limited access to restrooms and comfort stations, no multi-unit camping, and limited access to concession and rental items.

MN Gov. Tim Walz HAS signed an executive order that temporarily prevents creditors and debt collectors from taking money meant to offset economic harms of COVID-19, including direct stimulus payments that were part of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act.

MACY'S SAYS IT IS READY TO BEGIN REOPENING STORES IN STATES THAT ALLOW DEPARTMENT STORE SHOPPING....THE COMPANY DID NOT ANNOUNCE SPECIFICALLY WHICH STORES WILL BE OPENING WHEN....ALL 775 STORES COULD BE OPEN IN THE NEXT SIX WEEKS…

IN OTHER NEWS THIS MORNING - ...

WDAY TV REPORTS THAT RAY AND KATHIE KVALVOG HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST THE MN HIGHWAY PATROL….THEY ALLEGE THAT THE TROOPER WHO FILED THE ACCIDENT REPORT FROM THE CRASH THAT KILLED THEIR TWO SONS FIVE YEARS AGO, FILED AN INACCURATE REPORT....THEY ALSO ALLEGE THAT THE TROOPER - RAY EISCHENS - HAD TIES TO PARK CHRISTIAN SCHOOL WHERE THE BOYS WENT AND THAT HE WAS NOT IMPARTIAL....A JURY, LAST JULY, CLEARED THE SCHOOL AND BASKETBALL COACH WHO WAS LEADING THE TRIP OF ANY WRONGDOING.

THE GF HERALD REPORTS THAT Around 400 University of North Dakota staff members will be affected by the university’s “reduction in effort” in the coming weeks and months....The university is facing an estimated $11 million revenue shortfall in the current quarter.

Moorhead Public Service is warning its customers about a recent water heater scam.....MPS says multiple customers have received letters asking for information regarding their water heater. The letters say if the information is not provided within a certain amount of time, the customer may face fines or penalties.....THE AGENCY says it does not ask for or need this type of information and would not threaten customers to get it.

The Department of Homeland Security and FBI warned states earlier this year that Russia could look to interfere in the 2020 U.S. elections by covertly advising political candidates and campaigns, according to a law enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press.....THE DOCUMENT SHOWS THAT VLADIMIR PUTINS GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN ATTEMPTING SIMILAR TACTICS IN OTHER COUNTRIES...

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