Minnesota's workplace injury, illnesses declined from 2022 to 2023

New survey data shows that Minnesota’s estimated workplace injury and illnesses incidents decreased from 2022 to 2023.

Waiting on a Minnesota 'hero check?' It's getting smaller

More than 901,000 people have applied for frontline worker bonus pay in Minnesota, far more than state officials anticipated.

Frontline worker bonus pay applications now open, early hours face challenges

Hundreds of thousands of workers who were on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota can now sign up for a $500 million pool of bonus checks.

Minnesota schools prepare for return to in-person classes after COVID-19 pause

Many school districts across the Twin Cities are returning to in-person learning this week. Because of a surge in COVID-19 cases coming out of winter break, they’ve been out of the classroom for 2 weeks of distance-learning.

Supreme Court ruling scrambles vaccine mandate plans in Minneapolis, St. Paul

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that blocks the Biden administration from enforcing vaccine-or-test mandates against employees at large companies will have wide-ranging effects in Minnesota.

Walz earmarks $40M for emergency staffing with thousands of hospital workers out sick

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is earmarking $40 million in federal COVID-19 relief to bring in hundreds of emergency hospital workers as the omicron variant causes a surge in infections across the state.

Minnesota nurses on pandemic: 'We’re losing the war'

Last year, Mary Turner, the president of the Minnesota Nurses Association, likened the fight against COVID-19 as a war and nurses as the soldiers going to battle.  Nearly 20 months into the pandemic, her assessment remains grim.

'We're overwhelmed': Minnesota hospitals run full page ad in newspapers

In a letter running in newspapers across Minnesota, hospital leaders say they are sounding the alarm about the stresses the COVID-19 pandemic continues to place on the hospital system in the state.

Vaccine mandates aren't causing staff shortage, Mayo and Allina say

Two of Minnesota's biggest health care systems, Mayo Clinic and Allina Health, refute claims that their COVID-19 vaccine mandates are causing a staff shortage that has the state scrambling for answers.

COVID-19 hospitalizations surpass 1,500 in Minnesota

More than 1,500 people are now hospitalized from COVID-19 in Minnesota, according to data released by the Minnesota Department of Health.

U.S. military medical team arrives at HCMC to relieve COVID backup

U.S. soldiers deployed Tuesday to two Minnesota hospitals that care for some of the sickest COVID-19 patients and are facing staff shortages.

'It was really scary:' Minnesota hospitals struggle with COVID surge

Minnesota hospitals are caring for 40 percent more COVID-19 patients since the start of November as the state became the country's worst COVID-19 hotspot this week.

Pandemic continues to hit rural Minnesota hospitals hard

Itasca County health officials say there are no more open beds for critical patients, as the county deals with "crisis levels" not seen since November of 2020.

Minnesota's pandemic pay panel can't agree it's failed

Minnesota lawmakers tasked with sending $250 million in COVID-19 pandemic pay to frontline workers this fall have failed. A Wednesday afternoon meeting of the Legislature's pay panel -- the first meeting in nearly two months -- yielded no progress.

Minnesota pandemic pay panel likely to miss Monday deadline

A legislative panel tasked with deciding who gets $250 million set aside for frontline workers will likely miss its Monday deadline.

Minnesota lawmakers hear COVID horror stories as workers seek $250 million in pandemic pay

AFSCME estimates that 1 million workers could fall under the federal government's definition of essential, and lawmakers will now work to decide who will be included in the $250 million that's been authorized.