MPR News

A man talks to a woman holding paperwork.

In Cook County, volunteers help vaccinate a grateful public

Cook County, at the tip of Minnesota's North Shore, has the highest vaccination rate in the state. Nearly everyone in the county who is 65 or older has gotten their first COVID-19 shot. Several factors have contributed to Cook County’s success, including a small army of volunteers that’s played a critical role in getting the county vaccinated.

Fencing, barricades around the Hennepin County Government Center

Protesters criticize Minneapolis' fortifications on eve of Chauvin trial

The former police officer charged with killing George Floyd is scheduled to go on trial in Minneapolis next week amid heavy security.

People sit at table and fill out paperwork.

Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Vaccination pace climbs; key metrics stable

After weeks of flat or falling data, the seven-day rolling average for new vaccinations is now running at a new high of more than 36,000 a day. Meanwhile, new and active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are holding fairly steady in a good way.

A students walks in a hall with taped arrows on the floor.

Some MN school districts will bring older learners back later than Walz wanted

Minnesota’s three largest districts have announced plans to return middle and high school students to in-person learning. But many students won’t transition to new in-person schedules until after spring break.

A dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Official: Merck to help produce rival J&J's COVID-19 vaccine

Drugmaker Merck & Co. will help produce rival Johnson & Johnson’s newly approved coronavirus vaccine in an effort to expand supply more quickly, a Biden administration official confirmed Tuesday.

A man wearing a face mask kneels while disinfecting a tool.

Deal brewing on quick tax relief bill in Minnesota

A portion of Minnesota’s budget surplus could be used to shield businesses and those who were unemployed during the pandemic avoid a tax punch. Funding for summer school is also in the mix.

Iowa company wants to store carbon dioxide under North Dakota

An Iowa company is leading a $2 billion effort to capture carbon dioxide from Midwestern ethanol plants and pipe it to North Dakota where it would be buried deep underground.

Civil rights icon Vernon Jordan speaks at an event honoring Josie Johnson.

Vernon Jordan, activist, former Clinton adviser, has died

Vernon Jordan, who rose from humble beginnings in the segregated South to become a champion of civil rights before reinventing himself as a Washington insider and corporate influencer, has died, according to a statement from his daughter. He was 85.

Leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is surrounded by journalists

U.S. sets sanctions over Russia opposition leader's poisoning

The Biden administration announced sanctions of Russian officials and businesses Tuesday related to the poisoning and jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whose detention drew tens of thousands of protesters out into the streets of Russian cities this winter.

Computer-generated unfolding sequence of sealed letter DB-1538. New research describes how "virtual unfolding" was used to read the contents of sealed letter-packets from 17th-century Europe without physically opening them.

Reading a letter that's been sealed for more than 300 years — without opening it

A signed, sealed, but not delivered letter from 1697 has finally been read with the help of a high-tech scan that looked inside without breaking its seal.

Children's Museum Previews Exhibition On Dr. Seuss

6 Dr. Seuss books won't be published for racist images

Six Dr. Seuss books — including "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street" and "If I Ran the Zoo" — will stop being published because of racist and insensitive imagery, the business that preserves and protects the author's legacy said Tuesday.

Customer leaves Target.

Target powers through pandemic; sales growth explodes in 2020

Target extended its strong streak through the holiday quarter and sales grew by more than $15 billion in a pandemic year, exceeding the company's annual sales growth over the past 11 years combined.

The U.S. Supreme Court, where conservatives have a 6-3 majority, is to consider a case that could gut the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

High noon for the future of the Voting Rights Act at the Supreme Court

In 2013, the court gutted a key provision of the law, citing that Section 2 of the act still bars discrimination in voting nationwide. Now, Section 2 is in the conservative court's crosshairs.

FBI Director Christopher Wray, pictured in May 2019, is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Watch live: FBI Director Wray testifies before Congress for 1st time since Capitol attack

Christopher Wray is expected to face a barrage of questions about the FBI's response to domestic violent extremists and the Jan. 6 insurrection. Watch the Senate Judiciary hearing live.

False conspiracy theories have always been a part of U.S. history, but experts say they're spreading faster and wider than ever before.

'Through the looking glass': Conspiracy theories spread faster and wider than ever

While false conspiracies aren't new, experts say their reach is spreading – accelerated by social media, encouraged by former President Donald Trump, and weaponized in a way that is unprecedented.

If you've been putting off routine medical care over the past year, now's the time to catch up, doctors say. The consequences of missing some key screenings and health follow-ups can be lethal.

5 medical appointments you should stop putting off

If you've been delaying routine medical care in the past year, now's the time to catch up, doctors say. The consequences of missing some key screenings and health checkups can be lethal.

As a researcher at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, Alice Mukora says she understands the need to enroll diverse populations in Alzheimer's research. But that would be more likely to happen, she notes, if people of color had better experiences getting Alzheimer's care.

'Providers don't even listen': Barriers to Alzheimer's care when you're not white

Nonwhite Americans looking for care for a loved one are much more likely than whites to encounter discrimination, language barriers and providers who lack cultural competence, a new report finds.

Biden listens as N.Y. Gov. Cuomo speaks during a virtual meeting.

Cuomo allegations leave Democrats grappling with response

The Democratic governor is struggling through a sexual harassment scandal that’s testing the limits of his party’s support as Democrats grapple with their first political crisis of the post-Trump era. So far, few Democrats have come to Cuomo’s rescue.

A display case shows a number of handguns.

Number of handgun permits to carry nearly doubles in Minnesota

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says there were 96,554 permits to carry issued in 2020. That's the highest amount of permits issued since Minnesota’s Personal Protection Act was enacted in 2003.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee during his confirmation hearing in February.

Lifelong educator, Miguel Cardona, confirmed as education secretary

The former fourth grade teacher, principal and state education commissioner will take the reins at the U.S. Department of Education as the fight intensifies over school reopening.