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Briefly

Hagedorn to host radio town hall

MANKATO — Congressman Jim Hagedorn of southern Minnesota will host a radio town hall discussion with constituents on Saturday to address concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Topics are expected to include expanded funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, access to testing, best practices for reopening the economy and more.

The town hall will air live on KMHL-AM (Marshall), KSUM-AM (Fairmont), KTOE-AM (Mankato), KFOW-AM (Owatonna) and KNXR-FM (Rochester) and will be hosted by Ashley Hanley.

Hagedorn will be joined on the call by Congressman Gregory F. Murphy, M.D., of North Carolina.

The town hall will be held from 8-9 a.m. To ask questions, call (507) 625-1420.

Senators: Farm loans available

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith have announced that farmers in Minnesota and across the country are now eligible for additional disaster loan relief under the most recent coronavirus relief package passed unanimously by the Senate.

Under the bill, agricultural enterprises will become eligible for the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Emergency Economic Assistance Grant programs. These changes will allow farmers to be eligible for low-interest loans from the federal government, as well as grants of up to $10,000, to help farmers get through the coronavirus pandemic.

Kutcher helped set up testing deal

IOWA CITY (AP) — Iowa’s governor said Thursday that the state’s $26 million contract with Utah companies to increase coronavirus testing was developed after she got unsolicited advice from the actor Ashton Kutcher.

Gov. Kim Reynolds said that she recently called Kutcher, an Iowa native known for starring in movies and television shows, to ask whether he would record a public service announcement related to the pandemic.

She said Kutcher asked whether she was familiar with a Utah program launched this month to increase testing that looked promising. Kutcher had a friend involved in one of the companies participating, and offered to connect him with the governor.

Reynolds said that she spoke with Kutcher’s connection, and her aides followed up with Utah government officials. “We were able to start that conversation and ramp it up relatively quickly,” she said.

Last week, Iowa signed a $26 million contract with Nomi Health, a Utah startup, to purchase 540,000 coronavirus tests. Nomi Health’s partners include tech and health companies Qualtrics, Domo and Co-Diagnostics Inc.

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