A top infectious disease expert says the recent COVID-19 Delta variant surge is likely to last another month or even longer.  Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, the University of Minnesota's Dr. Michael Ostherholm noted the spike in the southern states before adding other parts around the country could experience a similar surge.  Ostherholm said the Delta variant spreads much easier than the previous variants, which is why the numbers have taken a big jump in the last few weeks.  He added that his department has studied how Americans use masks and determined most people aren't wearing them correctly.

BEMIDJI, MN - SEPTEMBER 18: Minnesota Republican Party chair Jennifer Carnahan looks on during the national anthem  Minnesota's Republican chairwoman says she's not resigning because a donor was indicted on sex charges. Republican Party chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan took to Facebook yesterday saying that she won't step down because of 'guilt by association.' Some Republican leaders and a handful of Republican lawmakers want Carnahan out after prosecutors indicted Republican donor Anton "Tony" Lazzaro on federal sex trafficking charges. The lawmakers say Carnahan allowed Lazzaro to get too close to party leaders, and say Carnahan allowed him to be too involved. [...]

Minnesota's governor is extending the $100 vaccine sweetener for another week. Governor Tim Walz's office said yesterday that it will continue the program until Sunday. So far just over 55,000 people have taken advantage of the giveaway. Lawmakers set aside almost $14 million to make sure everyone receives a $100 Visa gift card for getting vaccinated.

Yesterday, the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a house fire in rural Granite Falls. When the emergency crews arrived, the house was engulfed in flames. Luckily, there were no people or pets home at the time of the fire. The house unfortunately  appears to be a total loss. Assisting the Granite Falls Fire Department at the scene were the Granite Falls Ambulance, Clarkfield Fire Department, Montevideo Fire Department, Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal.

Minnesota has hit one of its coronavirus vaccination goals. Governor Tim Walz said yesterday that more than 70% of people 16 and older have now gotten one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. In all, more than 3.2 million people have gotten a single dose of the vaccine. About 3 million of those people are fully vaccinated.

Potential Salmonella contamination is causing the recall of almost 60,000 pounds of chicken product.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the possibly tainted meat was produced on February 24th and 25th from Indiana-based Serenade Foods.  It involves stuffed chicken products under the Dutch Farms, Milford Valley, and Kirkwood labels sold at Aldi's.  The chicken is either stuffed with broccoli and cheese or sold as cordon bleu.  People should look in their freezers for the product and toss it out if it has "P-2375" number on the USDA inspection mark.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 28 counties in Minnesota remain at a high level of COVID-19 community transmission--and another 42 counties are considered at a substantial spread. Governor Tim Walz says... "I'm still optimistic for Minnesota, we still rank as one of the best states, but the Delta variant is causing problems. Our case counts are up, our hospitalizations are up, not anywhere near the extent we've seen elsewhere." As of Monday, 7,698 people have died from COVID-19 in Minnesota. Walz says he's nervous as we head into fall and winter when the state has previously seen [...]

A pair of companies is opening up the checkbook to acquire Sanderson Farms.  Cargill and Continental Grain announced a joint venture to buy the third largest chicken producer in the U.S. for more than 4.5 billion dollars.  Sanderson Farms will be combined with Continental Grain's poultry subsidiary Wayne Farms.  Cargill is one of the country's biggest producers of beef and turkey.

St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. - September 4, 2015: Rides, Games and Crowds of People at the Midway section of the Minnesota State Fair, in St. Paul Minnesota Over 1,100 new COVID-19 cases are being reported in Minnesota.  Health officials announced the new cases of the virus yesterday, along with four additional deaths.  Nearly 300 people in the state are hospitalized for COVID-19-related illnesses.  Over 618,000 Minnesotans have tested positive for the virus and almost 7,700 have died since the pandemic began. Because of this, organizers of the Minnesota State Fair are considering requiring masks to be worn at indoor [...]