GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — One dead as tornadoes, severe weather hit central Minnesota
One person has died and at least two others are injured after severe weather brought multiple tornado warnings to west central and northern Minnesota on Wednesday evening. In a post on the Otter Tail County Facebook page, Sheriff Barry Fitzgibbons confirmed one person had died and at least two others were taken to the hospital following the storms, but their conditions are unknown. The National Weather Service (NWS) reported at least three farmsteads were damaged near the town of Dalton in Otter Tail County, as spotters reported a tornado crossing I-94 around 5:30 p.m. NWS meteorologists reported at least one farmhouse was flattened. The Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office was searching an "impact area" of about six to nine miles in size near Dalton, though there were no reports of any missing persons. There were also reports of multiple trees down near the town of Otter Tail.
Gov. Tim Walz answered questions about a potential mask mandate on Wednesday at a news conference, saying that he thinks there will be a decision soon. He said a recent study shows that 95% mask compliance could save 1,700 lives in Minnesota by November. Walz said he thinks in the "very near future" his administration will make some determinations, and they are considering plans that would impose mandates in certain areas instead of a blanket rule across the state. Walz applauded decisions by Minnesota courts and some communities to implement mask mandates.
The death of George Floyd sparked protests for justice and change across the country, and a flurry of enthusiasm to learn about racial injustice in this country from a book. If you could get one by supporting a Black-owned bookstore, even better. There lies the problem for Minnesotans like Dionne Sims. Sims said at least two known Black-owned bookstores in the Twin Cities are closed, so that means there are now no Black-owned bookstores in the entire state. According to a list compiled by the African American Literature Book Club, she's right. Sims took to twitter on June 15, tweeting, "Minnesota doesn't have a black-owned bookstore. I think that's my new dream." And from there it just went viral, Sims said, with the tweet retweeted 700 times and liked more than 14,000.
