GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Governor Walz: Big week ahead for schools & coronavirus testing
When Minnesota governor Tim Walz spoke to President Trump this weekend he made a bold prediction about the week to come, saying that Minnesota is the state to watch as economies reopen. Governor Walz says he still believes public/private partnerships with the Mayo Clinic and M Health Fairview will help the state hit an ambitious goal of 40,000 coronavirus tests a week. Though Walz admits Minnesota is still falling short of the goal, he said he believes we can hit the number by the end of this week. The governor says testing is still the centerpiece of his plan to reopen the economy in phases. He says Minnesotans should expect more businesses to open soon, though he says it likely won't be business as usual for more than year or whenever a vaccine becomes reality. The same goes for schools, which is why the Governor says he plans to address long-term questions about the remainder of the school year and distance learning by the end of the week.
Firefighters in Minneapolis responded to an early-morning fire that fortunately left residents uninjured. Crews were called to a condo complex at 3600 Penn Ave. North around 1:15 a.m. Tuesday. The fire, which escalated to 2-alarms, required some of the building's residents to be rescued by fire ladders. At least 26 people are without a home. The Red Cross was on scene to help people who were displaced.
During COVID-19, the notion of shelter has taken on new meaning. Now, it has also delivered a new song. Father Michael Joncas wrote Shelter Me in a few hours time after waking at 3 a.m. one morning. Now the newly published hymn is already being played by church musicians during virtual ceremonies . The artist in residence at University of St. Thomas based his hymn on Psalm 23. The Psalm’s familiar verse, “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” evoked images to Joncas that seem to parallel the times. This isn't first time Joncas has been inspired. In 1976, while still in his 20s, Joncas wrote 'On Eagle's Wings' for a friend who had lost his father. He sang the song at the wake, then again at the funeral at the family's request. The song went on to become one of the most recognized modern hymns in the Christian faith, adopted by many denominations, and a funeral standard.
