Providers get creative to reach Minnesota's COVID-19 vaccination goal

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - Providers get creative to reach Minnesota's COVID-19 vaccination goal: A total of 141 people [received a shot and a beer at a special COVID-19 vaccination event]( Monday night outside Lake Monster Brewing in St. Paul that is seeking to help push Minnesota closer to its 70% immunization goal. While 60.5% of eligible Minnesotans 16 or older, or more than 2.6 million people, have received at least a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, state health officials have said it will take more creative approaches to maintain progress and get the state to its target goal. [Fewer Americans are reluctant to get a COVID-19 vaccine than just a few months ago](, but questions about side effects and how the shots were tested still hold some back, according to a new poll that highlights the challenges at a pivotal moment in the U.S. vaccination campaign. - On-time finish looking unlikely as Legislature's session nears end: [Leaders have yet to agree on big-picture budget numbers](, a step they had hoped to achieve last week. That makes the chances of an on-time finish before the May 17 adjournment deadline increasingly slim. And Gov. Tim Walz on Monday said that budget negotiations have yet to encompass any policy proposals and instead remain fixed on "dollar amounts." - Work begins to revive St. Paul's Hidden Falls: More than a century ago, a stream in St. Paul's Highland Park carried stormwater from higher ground over Hidden Falls. On Monday, work began to once again feed those falls with [a steady flow gathered from the 122-acre former Ford manufacturing site](, now known as Highland Bridge. - McConnell leads GOP attack on Democrats' voting rights bill: [The bill would bring about the largest overhaul of U.S. elections in a generation](, touching on almost every aspect of the electoral process. Democrats say the changes are even more important now as Republican-controlled states impose new voting restrictions after the divisive 2020 election. Yet it's a motivating issue for Republicans, too, with GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell so determined to stop Democrats that he's personally arguing against the measure, a rare role for a party leader that shows the extent to which Republicans are prepared to fight. - Israel, Hamas launch strikes after clashes in Jerusalem: The Hamas militant group on Monday launched a rare rocket strike on Jerusalem after [hundreds of Palestinians were hurt in clashes with Israeli police at an iconic mosque](, as tensions in the holy city pushed the region closer to full-fledged war. Israel responded with airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, where 20 people, including nine children, were killed in fighting. More than 700 Palestinians were hurt in clashes with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem and across the West Bank, including nearly 500 who were treated at hospitals. - Woman driving car with missing tire crashes and dies in Minneapolis, police say: [A driver speeding in her car with a missing tire crashed and died]( near a north Minneapolis intersection shortly before sunrise Tuesday, authorities said. - U.S. job openings soar to highest level on record: U.S. employers [posted a record number of available jobs in March](, illustrating starkly the desperation of businesses trying to find new workers as the country emerges from the pandemic and the economy expands. To encourage people to return to work, more states are making it harder for people to stay on unemployment. Several states have begun requiring those receiving unemployment benefits to [show they are actively searching for work](, and a few will stop providing the additional federal supplement. - AAA expects huge jump in travel over Memorial Day weekend: U.S. highways will be far busier over the Memorial Day holiday weekend than last year, but traffic still won't reach pre-pandemic levels, [according to a forecast by the AAA auto club.]( - Bush Foundation names 16 Minnesotans to 2021 fellowship program: A corrections officer in Stillwater, an assistant Hennepin County attorney and an associate professor at the University of Minnesota are among 16 Minnesotans with bold plans to boost justice and equity within broader systems. They are among [24 Midwesterners named to the prestigious Bush Foundationfellowships](, the St. Paul foundation announced Tuesday. WATCH THIS Fireball lit up night sky over Robbinsdale last weekend: [This video captured by Steve Kirchoff's Ring camera]( shows what appears to be a bright meteor streaking across the sky early Sunday morning. Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. TRENDING - Spring migration is peaking now in Minnesota. Here's how to enjoy the show. You don't have to be a birder to enjoy the spectacle of spring migration. Head outside to [get a glimpse of the many birds passing through.]( - Emotional skaters say farewell to St. Louis Park roller rink: They sashayed and spun, glided and grooved. Then, as the house lights came on, they cried. For five decades, kids, teens and adults went to the Roller Garden in St. Louis Park to skate and to celebrate. [Last week, they went to say goodbye.]( - Outdoor screening of Questlove's "Summer of Soul" will kick off MSP International Film Fest: Winner of the jury and audience prizes at January's Sundance Film Festival, ["Summer of Soul" takes us to the Harlem Cultural Festival]( from the same summer as Woodstock, 1969. The vibrant footage was intended for use in a documentary but languished until hip-hop maestro Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson assembled this jubilant work, which will hit theaters in July. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. SPORTS ROUNDUP - Five likely Vikings roster battles to watch during summer, training camp: Where could the Vikings' offseason additions create the most competition for spots on the 53-man roster? [Here's a look at five positions to watch this summer.]( - Trainer says anti-fungal medication given to Kentucky Derby winner contained banned drug: Regardless of the reason, [Medina Spirit would be disqualified from the Derby]( if a second round of testing shows the presence of betamethasone. - Minnesota girls' wrestling state tournament approved, boys' volleyball plan fails: [A girls' wrestling state tournament was approved]( but adding boys' volleyball as a spring sport was turned down Tuesday by a key body of the Minnesota State High School League. Join us for a 2021 Lynx season preview! Get a jump on the season Thursday at 1:30 p.m. with a live Zoom conversation featuring Star Tribune sports journalists Michael Rand and Kent Youngblood along with longtime Lynx broadcaster Lea B. Olsen. There will be a live Q&A session and a chance to win tickets to an upcoming game. [Sign up here.]( It's free! WORTH A CLICK Nuclear fission reactions are happening at Chernobyl again: "On April 26, 1986, Reactor No. 4 exploded at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, causing the worst nuclear accident in history. Now, thirty-five years later, smoldering nuclear 'embers' are still buried within Chernobyl site, raising questions about just what might happen there—and what's at stake," [writes Catherine Delbert for Popular Mechanics.]( FROM THE ARCHIVES May 11, 2016: The Minnesota Zoo announced the birth of a bison calf in the herd in an exhibit along the zoo's Northern Trail. The calf, born April 30, was the 43rd born at the zoo and the first of 2016. (Photo: Jim Gehrz/Star Tribune) Connect with Star Tribune [facebook]([twitter]([pinterest]([instagram]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]( • [Unsubscribe]( This email was sent by: StarTribune, 650 3rd Ave S, Suite #1300, Minneapolis, MN, 55488 © 2021 StarTribune. All rights reserved. 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