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Jul 31, 2023

3M agrees to pay $6 billion in earplug settlement

Plus: State Fair attendance near 2019 record levels; Appeals Court rules driver did not break law when checking phone while driving; intense heat heading to Minnesota; and more. Welcome to the Glean,

Plus: State Fair attendance near 2019 record levels; Appeals Court rules driver did not break law when checking phone while driving; intense heat heading to Minnesota; and more.

Welcome to the Glean, MinnPost’s twice-daily roundup of Minnesota news.

The New York Times reports that 3M has reached a $6 billion settlement with military service members over ear plugs they claim caused hearing damage and tinnitus.

Axios reports that 3.7% of Minnesota kindergarteners have received exemptions from the required vaccines. The U.S. median for vaccine exemptions for that age range is 2.7%.

Minnesota Reformer’s max Nesterak writes that Sen. Omar Fateh, the author of the Uber and Lyft bill during this past legislative session, has withdrawn from the task force created by Gov. Tim Walz to look into similar legislation next year. Fateh’s spokesperson did not give the Minnesota Reformer a reason for the withdrawal.

Yes, everyone seemed to be at the Minnesota State Fair this weekend. Fox9 reports that between Friday and Sunday there were 551,315 visitors, which is only slightly lower than the 2019 record of 557,853.

Also in fair news: 25 people took the oath of allegiance and became American citizens in the fair’s first naturalization ceremony, KSTP reports.

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Stribber Paul Walsh writes that the State Appeals Court has ruled that a truck driver did not break the law when he checked his ringing cellphone before crashing his vehicle. At the time of the crash, the court ruled that the driver was not in violation of the distracted driving law but a recent amendment would prohibit such behavior while operating a vehicle.

The heat just won’t disappear, it seems. MPR reports that an intense heat wave is expected to hit Minnesota Labor Day weekend with temperatures projected in the upper 90s and 100s.

WCCO is highlighting the history of Minneapolis’ “secret garden” in the Longfellow neighborhood that was started in 1943.

The infamous flooding of the Hennepin Avenue Chipotle in East Isles, or Lake Chipotle as it’s called by many, is the inspiration behind one of the crop art pieces at the Minnesota State Fair, Southwest Voices reports.

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Jazzmine Jackson is MinnPost’s audience editor. You can reach her at [email protected] or @jazzmineabriana on Twitter.

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