The Prairie Island Nuclear Plant runs safety drills, cyberattacks affect 30 water systems across the state, and dragon boat races make a splash in Bemidji.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
COMING UP …
[TODD BLOOMSTROM: THE GROWTH … AND EVEN THE PAST GROWTH … OF ROCHSTER COULD BE REACHING THE YIELD OF THE JORDAN AQUIFER.]
A CENTRAL MINNESOTA DRINKING WATER SOURCE COULD EVENTUALLY RUN DRY..
[BUT FIRST: ]
--WATER-SYSTEMS CYBER-ATTACKS --
MINNESOTA TECHNOLOGY INVESTIGATORS NOW SAYS A COORDINATED CYBERATTACK TARGETED PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS AND OPERATING TECHNOLOGY AT MORE THAN 30-COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY.
THE BUREAU OF CRIMINAL APPREHENSION IS WORKING WITH THE F-B-I TO TRY TO TRACK AND IDENTIFY THE ORIGIN OF THE ATTACKS.
THE CITY OF BRAHAM IN EAST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA HAD TO SHUT DOWN ITS WELL AND TREATMENT PLANT FOR NEARLY TWO HOURS.
PLYMOUTH, MAPLE PLAIN AND SOUTH SAINT PAUL ALSO REPORTED DISRUPTIONS. ALL FOUR CITIES SAY THE WATER IS SAFE.
FEDERAL AGENCIES WARN IRAN-AFFILIATED HACKERS ARE TARGETING SIMILAR INTERNET-CONNECTED WATER CONTROLS NATIONWIDE—BUT NO LINK TO MINNESOTA HAS BEEN PUBLICLY CONFIRMED AS OF TUESDAY.
[ROCHESTER: JORDAN AQUIFER]
IN SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA ... THE LONG-TERM THREAT TO THE DRINKING WATER SUPPLY IS POPULATION GROWTH.
ROCHESTER COULD OUTGROW ITS CURRENT WELL-CAPACITY IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. .
ROCHESTER PUMPS ABOUT FIVE BILLION GALLONS OF WATER A YEAR ...
THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES HAS BLOCKED THE CITY FROM DRILLING ANY MORE WELLS IN THE JORDAN AQUIFER UNTIL IT SHOWS IT HAS EXHAUSTED ALL OTHER OPTIONS.
WATER SERVICES DIRECTOR TODD BLOOMSTROM SAYS THE CITY IS STUDYING DEEPER AQUIFERS AND SURFACE WATER FROM THE ZUMBRO OR MISSISSIPPI RIVERS.
[TODD BLOOMSTROM: THERE IS A SOLUTION. WE WILL FIND A SOLUTION … AND WE ARE NOT IN CRISIS MODE TODAY.]
OFFICIALS EXPECT THE GROUND WATER FINDINGS THIS FALL ... AND A FULL WATER SYSTEM PLAN NEXT SPRING.
--NUCLEAR INCIDENT TRAINING--
EMERGENCY SERVICES TEAMS MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN ARE COMPLETING A TWO-DAY NUCLEAR EMERGENCY RESPONSE TRAINING AT PRAIRIE ISLAND… IN SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA.
THE FAKE EMERGENCY TESTS HOW XCEL ENERGY … THE PRAIRIE ISLAND INDIAN COMMUNITY … AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES WOULD PROTECT THE PUBLIC ... INCLUDING PUBLIC WARNINGS AND MASS MEDICAL CARE IN THE EVENT OF A REAL NUCLEAR INCIDENT.
THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY IS GRADING THE OFF-SITE RESPONSE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER ACROSS THE PLANT’S TEN-MILE EMERGENCY ZONE NEAR RED WING.
FEDERAL NUCLEAR REGULATORS ARE EVALUATING THE PLANT ITSELF.
--MANKATO BAG FEES--
DOWN SOUTH … MANKATO COULD JOIN MINNEAPOLIS, DULUTH, AND OTHER CIITIES IN CHARGING SHOPPERS FOR DISPOSABLE BAGS …
BUT CITY LEADERS WANT MORE INPUT FIRST.
A LOCAL ZERO-WASTE GROUP PITCHED A TEN-CENT FEE FOR RETAIL BAGS TO THE CITY COUNCIL THIS WEEK … OTHER CITIES CHARGE FIVE CENTS PER BAG.
COUNCIL MEMBERS SAY THEY WANT TO REDUCE PLASTIC WASTE … BUT QUESTIONED HOW THE FEE AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS WOULD AFFECT SMALL BUSINESSES.
--NEW HORMEL CEO--
ONE OF SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA’S LARGEST EMPLOYERS HAS A NEW BOSS.
AUSTIN-BASED HORMEL FOODS HAS NAMED JOHN GHINGO (GEEN-go) ITS NEXT C-E-O.
HORMEL MAKES SPAM AND SKIPPY PEANUT BUTTER … EMPLOYING MORE THAN 32-HUNDRED WORKERS IN AUSTIN AND 19 THOUSAND WORLDWIDE...
GHINGO IS A 25-YEAR INDUSTRY VETERAN WHO PREVIOUSLY LED BRANDS LIKE OREO, CADBURY, AND PLANTERS. HE’LL STEP INTO THE ROLE IN OCTOBER.
--BLACK BUSINESS WEEK--
IT’S BLACK BUSINESS WEEK IN MINNEAPOLIS … AND THE CITY IS USING IT TO HELP BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES REACH MORE CUSTOMERS AND BUILD FOR THE LONG TERM.
BLACK MINNESOTANS MAKE UP NEARLY SEVEN PERCENT OF THE STATE’S POPULATION … BUT ONLY ABOUT TWO PERCENT OF ITS BUSINESS OWNERS.
BLACK BUSINESS WEEK RUNS THROUGH SUNDAY... CONNECTING ENTREPRENEURS WITH BUSINESS AND TAX EXPERTS THROUGH MARKETS, WORKSHOPS, AND NETWORKING EVENTS.
--MEASLES AND SUMMER TRAVEL --
AN UNVACCINATED PERSON CAN WALK THROUGH THE SAME AIRSPACE TWO HOURS AFTER A PERSON INFECTED WITH THE MEASLES HAS LEFT… AND STILL CATCH THE DISEASE.
THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL LATEST UPDATE SHOWS... U-S MEASLES CASES JUMPED BY 58-CASES SINCE JUST LAST WEEK … AND THERE ARE ALREADY MORE CASES THAN IN ALL OF LAST YEAR.
MINNESOTA REMAINS AT 17 CASES ... WITH NO NEW CASES SINCE APRIL. BUT STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST JAYNE GRIFFITH SAYS THE SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON BRINGS INCREASED RISKS .
[JAYNE GRIFFITH: IT’S SURPRISINGLY EASY TO CATCH. THERE HAVE BEEN CASES OF PEOPLE JUST WALKING THROUGH AN AIRPORT AND GETTING EXPOSED TO MEASLES … SO THE RISK IS THERE FOR ANYONE WHO IS NOT PROTECTED.]
GRIFFITH SUGGESTS CHECKING YOUR FAMILY’S M-M-R VACCINATIONS BEFORE TRAVELING… AND CATCHING UP ON ANY MISSING SHOTS OR BOOSTERS.. ESPECIALLY FOR INFANTS AND TEENAGERS.
--DRAGON BOAT RACES --
AND FINALLY …
A FLEET OF DRAGONS IS ABOUT TO WAKE UP ON LAKE BEMIDJI … AND EACH COMES WITH ITS OWN DRUMMER.
THE 20TH ANNUAL DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL OPENS TOMORROW IN NORTH-CENTRAL MINNESOTA.
CREWS OF UP TO 20 PADDLERS RACE 200 METERS FRIDAY NIGHT ... THEN 400 METERS SATURDAY.
THE DRAGON-HEADED BOATS FINISH NEAR PAUL BUNYAN AND BABE… WITH MEDALS, PADDLES AND BRAGGING RIGHTS ON THE LINE.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.