Minnesota Midday: Weather Through Election Day, St. Paul Encampment Lead Test and Hermantown Data Center Vote

Minnesota's forecast from sunny Thursday to rain by Election Day, lead found in soil at St. Paul's largest homeless encampment, and Hermantown's Google data center meeting rescheduled after protests.

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STORY 1

Minnesota gets sunny, cooler Thursday; rain returns by Election Dayconfirmed

Morning clouds give way to afternoon sunshine across Minnesota on Thursday, with Twin Cities highs in the mid to upper 50s and 40s in the far north. Friday stays dry with highs in the 50s, Halloween brings spotty light showers, Sunday is the warmest day with highs in the 60s, and rain moves in Monday into Election Day, Tuesday, November 3.

Sources (2)

STORY 2

St. Paul encampment soil tests show lead at triple the health thresholdconfirmed

Soil samples from St. Paul's largest homeless encampment, at Randolph Avenue and Shepard Road, showed lead at 646 parts per million at the center and 355 along the main pathway, according to MinnPost-commissioned testing by a University of Minnesota researcher. Chronic exposure above 200 ppm is considered a health risk, and the EPA recommends removing residential soil above 600 ppm. The site has been a state superfund site since 1992. On October 21 the St. Paul City Council unanimously passed a 60-day pause on encampment closures, and Ramsey County says it has safety protocols for staff on site.

Sources (2)

STORY 3

Hermantown Google data center vote rescheduled after protests shut down meetingdeveloping

Protesters packed the Hermantown City Council chambers Monday night and chanted for about two hours, so the council could not take up Google data center agreements. Police declared an unlawful assembly and gave everyone ten minutes to leave; there were no arrests. A rescheduled Tuesday meeting was canceled to avoid disrupting early voting at City Hall. MPR News reports the meeting is now set for Friday at 6:30 p.m., with in-person attendance capped at 85 and a livestream.

Opponents sayThe group Stop the Hermantown Data Center cites energy and water needs, noise and light, and a lack of transparency, and says residents were not given enough time to review documents.

Supporters and the city sayBusiness and labor groups cite jobs and tax revenue; the city and St. Louis County expect about 210 million dollars in tax revenue over 20 years, and a councilor said the disruption is not how Hermantown gets things done.

Sources (3)

3 questions · 30 seconds

Quick quiz: did you catch it?

1. What day is Minnesota's Election Day this year, with rain forecast?

2. What lead level did St. Paul encampment soil show at the center of the camp?

3. How many in-person visitors does Hermantown's rescheduled meeting allow?