Twin Cities drivers can expect traffic headaches this weekend: Sections of Interstate 35E, Interstate 94, Interstate 394 and Interstate 694 will be closing for bridge and ramp repairs, and all St. Paul Green Line stations will be going offline for maintenance.

St. Paul closures include northbound I-35E and eastbound I-94. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is repairing nine bridges over 35E and 94 beginning this summer.

The Marion Street bridge over I-94 will close Monday, July 21, through the end of September.

A full replacement of the John Ireland Boulevard bridge over I-94 will begin in early October, after the Twin Cities Marathon, according to MnDOT.

I-35E

Northbound I-35E will be closed between Minnesota 5 and I-94 from 10 p.m. Friday, July 11, to 5 a.m. Monday, July 14.

Traffic will detour from eastbound Interstate 494 to northbound U.S. 52 to westbound I-94 back to northbound I-35E.

For more information on the project, go to dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/johnirelandbridge.

I-94

Eastbound I-94 will close 10 p.m. Friday, July 11, through 5 a.m. Monday, July 14, between Minnesota 280 and I-35E.

Motorists will detour onto 280 to Minnesota 36 to southbound I-35E.

For more information on the project, go to dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/johnirelandbridge.

I-394

There will be overnight lane closures on eastbound I-394 between Penn Avenue and Dunwoody Boulevard from 5 a.m. Monday, July 14, to 5 a.m. Monday, July 28.

I-394 E-ZPass lanes will close in both directions between downtown Minneapolis and Minnesota 100 on July 28. The lanes will be closed until November, according to MnDOT.

For more information on the project, visit dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/i94-i394minneapolis/.

I-694

Westbound lanes of I-694 will close 10 p.m. Friday, July 11, through 5 a.m. Monday, July 14, between Interstate 35W in New Brighton and Shingle Creek Parkway in Brooklyn Center. Motorists will detour on U.S. 10, Minnesota 610 and U.S. 169.

All ramps to and from westbound 694 in the project area will close 8 p.m. Friday.

Green Line closures

Related Articles

St. Paul audio play series returning for second season and scavenger hunt

Chicago firm makes fourth St. Paul acquisition with Degree of Honor apartments

Dining Diary: Pre- and post-event dining in St. Paul and Duluth yields delicious results

Layoffs hit UMN Extension food educators as MN grapples with Trump’s budget

St. Paul, Ramsey County officers seize nearly 900 pounds of meth in Minneapolis

All 13 of the Green Line’s St. Paul stations — from Raymond Avenue to Union Depot in Lowertown — will be closed for maintenance from 10 p.m. Friday, July 11, to 4 a.m. Monday, July 21.

The closure coincides with Minnesota United home games at Allianz Field on Saturday, July 12, and Wednesday, July 16, as well as the three-day Minnesota Yacht Club festival July 18-20 at Harriet Island Regional Park.

Green Line replacement buses will operate on a similar schedule as trains during the outage, stopping at or near affected stations.

For more information on how to take transit to the Yacht Club Festival, visit metrotransit.org/yachtclubfestival.

For real-time Minnesota travel and traffic information, go to 511mn.org.

“This information is essential to identify gaps, make smart investments, and create policies that help people build stable, secure lives,” said Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, the sponsor of both survey bills.

Immigrants who arrived in New York City on Aug. 10, 2022, waiting in front of Port Authority to be transported to homeless shelters. The number of new arrivals has declined greatly since then. (Photo by Adi Talwar)

Last year, the City Council passed two bills (Local Laws 73 and 74) to survey the health needs and work obstacles of migrants staying in the city’s shelters. However, City Hall is behind schedule in meeting the deadlines set out in the laws.

Local Law 73 requires the city to conduct “a workforce survey of migrants, including recent arrivals and asylum seekers,” while Local Law 74 will focus on their health needs.

According to both pieces of legislation, case managers and on-site shelter staff should have received the survey by Nov. 1, 2024, and distributed it to migrants staying at the sites.

“The results of the survey shall be provided to the commissioner of the office or agency designated by the mayor upon completion no later than May 31, 2025,” the laws read.

But the surveys had not been finalized yet as of July 10, city officials told City Limits. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is preparing the health survey while the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development is preparing the workforce survey, officials said.

Officials said the questionnaires are almost finished, and will start rolling out in the next few months, though did not provide a specific date. 

“The development of studies of this magnitude take[s] time and deliberate coordinat[ion] across multiple city agencies to ensure that the survey is accurate, rigorously distributed and yields the necessary and reliable results needed,” a DOHMH spokesperson said.

According to the legislation, a mayor’s office or a designated agency is responsible for creating the surveys, overseeing the dissemination process, and compiling the data, in coordination with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA).

When asked about the specific questions in the surveys, a spokesperson from the DOHMH didn’t give details, but said they will be based on the laws’ requirements.

Both the City Council and Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, the sponsor of the bills, said that their offices have contacted City Hall for the latest updates, but have received little information.

“The Council has made inquiries to understand the Administration’s current progress towards implementing Local Laws 73 and 74 of 2024,” a Council’s spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

“New York City has gained immense benefits from decades of successfully integrating immigrant New Yorkers and it is imperative that city government complies with Local Laws 73 and 74 to learn from this latest wave,” the spokesperson added.

Rivera’s office explained that the executive branch is responsible for administering the surveys, and said they have relied on the Council’s compliance unit for updates.

“I passed legislation to ensure we gather the critical data needed to understand how our city is supporting work permit applications, entrepreneurship, workforce development, and access to healthcare for our newest neighbors,” Councilmember Rivera said in a statement. “This information is essential to identify gaps, make smart investments, and create policies that help people build stable, secure lives.”

RELATED READING: Mayor Must Implement Council Laws Expanding Rental Vouchers, Appeals Court Rules

Since Spring 2022, around 237,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York, and more than 37,000 migrants are still being housed across 170 shelter sites.

Fewer than 100 new migrants entered the system during the week that ended June 22. That’s a major drop from two years ago, when the city saw an average of 4,000 new arrivals each week.

For months the city has been winding down its sprawling network of emergency shelters as a response to that decrease, incorporating most immigrants into the traditional Department of Homeless Services’ shelter system instead. Advocates have questioned whether people are still getting access to the specialized resources they need during the transition. 

Although there are no penalties or sanctions for City Hall missing the laws’ legally stipulated deadlines, the Council said it hopes to understand the issues that affected implementation. When asked, a DOHMH spokesperson said that “there have not been any issues with carrying out this law or conducting surveys.”

According to the law, the mayor and Council speaker must receive a final report on the workforce and health surveys by Sept. 30, 2025. This report must include recommendations on policies and investments to support the economic well-being and success of migrants, as well as ways to identify and anticipate their health needs.

“We aim to submit this report by the local law deadline, September 2025,” a DOHM spokesperson said.

Rivera says the information is vital now as immigrants face increased federal enforcement and deportation risks.

“As the federal government pursues a radical anti-immigrant agenda that is expediting removals, denying constitutional rights, and disrupting lives and communities, we are counting on the Adams administration to administer these surveys and deliver a comprehensive report,” Rivera said. 

“It is our responsibility to meet this moment with effective, and innovative policies that honor that legacy and ensure that all New Yorkers can thrive,” she added.

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Daniel@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post City Behind Schedule on Surveys of Migrants in Shelter appeared first on City Limits.

By JOHN HANNA, Associated Press

The U.S. has closed its southern border again to livestock imports, saying a flesh-eating parasite has moved further north in Mexico than previously reported.

Mexico’s president was critical Thursday, suggesting that the U.S. is exaggerating the threat to its beef industry from the parasite, the New World screwworm fly. The female flies lay eggs in wounds on warm-blooded animals, hatching larvae that are unusual among flies for feeding on live flesh and fluids instead of dead material.

American officials worry that if the fly reaches Texas, its flesh-eating maggots could cause large economic losses, something that happened decades ago. The U.S. largely eradicated the pest in the 1970s by breeding and releasing sterile male flies to breed with wild females, and the fly had been contained in Panama for years until it was discovered in southern Mexico late last year.

The U.S. closed its southern border in May to imports of live cattle, horses and bison but announced June 30 that it would allow three ports of entry to reopen this month and another two by Sept. 15. However, since then, an infestation from the fly has been reported 185 miles northeast of Mexico City, about 160 miles further north than previously reported cases. That was about 370 miles from the Texas border.

“The United States has promised to be vigilant,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement Wednesday announcing the border closing. “Thanks to the aggressive monitoring by USDA staff in the U.S. and in Mexico, we have been able to take quick and decisive action to respond to the spread of this deadly pest.”

Related Articles

DACA recipient among those at Alligator Alcatraz, attorney says

Ford recalls over 850,000 cars in the US due to potential fuel pump failure

Freed from ICE detention, Mahmoud Khalil files $20 million claim against Trump administration

Man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump wants to represent himself in Florida case

Judge will consider Abrego Garcia’s request to try to avoid deportation before his trial

In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum said authorities there were following all established protocols to deal with the northernmost case. Mexican authorities said the country has 392 infected animals, down nearly 19% since June 24.

“From our point of view, they took a totally exaggerated decision to closing the border again,” Sheinbaum said. “Everything that scientifically should be done is being done.”

Three weeks ago, Rollins announced plans for combating the parasite that include spending nearly $30 million on new sites for breeding and dispersing sterile male flies. Once released in the wild, those males would mate with females, causing them to lay eggs that won’t hatch so that the fly population would die out.

The USDA hopes a new fly factory will be operating in southern Mexico by July 2026 to supplement fly breeding at an existing complex in Panama. The agency also plans to open a site in southern Texas for holding sterile flies imported from Panama, so they can be released along the border if necessary.

Also Thursday, U.S. Reps. Tony Gonzalez, of Texas, and Kat McCammack, of Florida, urged the Trump administration to quickly approve the use of existing anti-parasite treatments for New World screwworm fly infestations in livestock. They said labeling requirements currently prevent it.

By JONEL ALECCIA, Associated Press

A new federal estimate shows a rise in prediabetes among American adolescents, a finding that is spurring concerns about the health of U.S. children — and the way Trump administration health officials are conducting research and communicating information, experts said.

In 2023, nearly 1 in 3 U.S. youngsters ages 12 to 17 had prediabetes, according to recently released data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is far higher than a previous estimate that the condition affects about 1 in 5 kids.

There’s no question that prediabetes in U.S. youth is a serious concern. The condition puts them at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, plus heart disease, stroke and other metabolic problems.

But scientists who study and treat diabetes noted that CDC officials released only a 600-word online summary of their new findings — not the raw data nor a peer-reviewed published paper describing how they arrived at the new figure. The agency also changed the methodology used to calculate the higher estimate without a detailed explanation.

That underscores questions about the accuracy of information being released by America’s top public health agency following widespread staff cuts in recent months, experts said.

“For any of the national health organizations now being decimated by firings (and) layoffs, I am going to be skeptical of data updates until there is transparency and clarity on the source of the data and analysis,” said Christopher Gardner, an expert in diabetes and nutrition at Stanford University.

Related Articles

RFK Jr. is scaring parents into asking doctors for early shots

UN says if US funding for HIV programs is not replaced, millions more will die by 2029

Layoffs hit UMN Extension food educators as MN grapples with Trump’s budget

Men under 40 are most at risk for testicular cancer. Few know it

The biggest gender-affirming care center for trans kids in the US is closing, prompting protests

The new analysis used “the latest science and technologies” and “the most updated methodology as science is continually evolving,” said Melissa Dibble, a CDC spokesperson.

“These new data highlight the magnitude of prediabetes among adolescents and serve as a critical wake-up call for the nation,” Dibble said in a statement.

The new analysis relied on the long-running National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which collects information on demographic and health indicators via interviews, examinations and laboratory testing.

Prediabetes is a precursor to diabetes, a disease in which sugar builds up in the blood. Prediabetes is characterized by slightly elevated blood sugar levels, indicating that a person may progress to developing Type 2 diabetes.

The researchers collected data about blood sugar levels in U.S. youth — but they also changed the methodology used to analyze the information, dramatically increasing the estimate of how common prediabetes is.

The new analysis concludes that about 8.4 million U.S. adolescents — or nearly 33% — have prediabetes. That’s up from an estimate of 18% published in a 2020 peer-reviewed paper, which used the previous methodology. If the new methodology had been applied to that 2005-2016 data, the estimate would have been about 28%.

The increase from 28% to nearly 33% is not statistically significant, even though it reflects an apparent rise in prediabetes among kids, said Steven Kahn, a diabetes researcher at the UW Medicine in Seattle and editor-in-chief of the journal Diabetes Care. He said it’s concerning that CDC officials provided such limited information about the new analysis. Such findings typically have been published in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report or submitted to a scientific journal for peer review and publication.

“I would like to believe it doesn’t diminish the quality of CDC data,” said Kahn. “However, because there’s no raw data to look at, none of us can look at it to better understand where these numbers are derived from and what they really mean.”

Dr. Samar Hafida, an endocrinologist and representative for the American Diabetes Association, said the new analysis “wasn’t very transparent,” but she noted that the CDC’s updated estimate generally squares with what doctors are seeing — an increase in youth with obesity and elevated blood sugar levels that put them at risk for serious future health problems.

“It could be that maybe the number slightly inflated, but I would hesitate to dismiss it,” she said.

It remains unclear what proportion of kids with prediabetes will go on to develop the disease, noted Dr. Dana Dabelea, a researcher who studies pediatric diabetes at the University of Colorado. Blood sugar levels can rise in response to developmental changes during puberty and then resolve later, she said.

Still, confirmed rates of obesity and diabetes among kids are rising.

The diabetes association recommends that children and adolescents should be screened for Type 2 diabetes starting at age 10 if they are overweight or have obesity or another risk factor for the disease. Focusing on healthy diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors is key, noted Hafida.

“It’s still a call to action,” she said. “There will likely be a surge in early onset Type 2 diabetes that we are not prepared to deal with.”

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.