🌱 Health Department Cuts Daily COVID Reports + Park Worker Shortage

Good morning, Minneapolis! Let's get to today's Daily.

First, today's weather: A t-storm around in the p.m. High: 95 Low: 63.

Here are the top 3 stories in Minneapolis today:

1. Beginning today, the Minnesota Department of Health is reducing its daily COVID-19 updates to weekly reports. More than 3,300 cases were reported statewide on Tuesday. (BMTN)

2. Jury selection has begun in the trial of Jamal Smith, who is accused of fatally shooting baseball coach Jay Boughton on Highway 169 last summer. Smith faces first-degree murder charges. (FOX)

3. Target officials said the company will pay for its employees’ travels to have an abortion, Patch reports. The Minnesota-based retailer joins Meta, Apple, Starbucks and other major corporations in promising to pay for employees' abortion-related expenses. (Patch)

Today in Minneapolis:

• Twin Cities musician Carolyne Naom performs at Peavey Plaza. (Noon)
• Stop by the East Isle Farmers Market. (4 p.m.)
• Family Fun Day at Central Gym. (5 p.m.)
• Hear live music at the Commons (5 p.m.), Umbra (6:30 p.m.), Bryant Square Park (6:30 p.m.), Minnehaha Park (7 p.m.) and the Lake Harriet Bandshell. (7:30 p.m.)
• The Twin Cities River Rats Water Ski Show Team performs. (6:30 p.m.)
• See “This Is Spinal Tap” at the Parkway Theater. (7 p.m.)
• Watch “The Wedding Singer” at Mueller Park. (9:20 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is experiencing a shortage of seasonal employees. (KARE11)
• The Star Tribune ranked the best patios in the Twin Cities for outdoor dining. (Paid source: Star Tribune)
• Early forecasts show mostly sunny conditions throughout the July 4 weekend. (Patch)

You're all caught up for today. See you tomorrow for another update!

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based newsletter writer and partner content curator. She spent five years on the entertainment beat for FF2 Media covering film festivals across the U.S. Her feature articles have been recognized with awards from the Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As editor-in-chief of the Lewis University newspaper, she and her staff earned honors from the Associated Collegiate Press and American Scholastic Press Associations. She began working for Patch in 2019.