MPR News
A woman holds a vial and needle.

Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Vaccination upswing; pandemic picture solid

State public health leaders are expected to brief reporters at 2 p.m. The newest numbers follow a weekend that saw the number of reported vaccinations accelerate.
  • Sign upAnalysis of COVID-19 data in Minnesota
  • APM Research LabAll states on track to reach herd immunity within a year
House chamber during a special session

Tide turns on Minnesota legislative session

A more than 180-degree turn in the state’s finances will reshuffle debate over a new state budget. Here is a nuts-and-bolts look at the Minnesota Legislature for this week.
  • Budget turnaroundProjected $1.6B surplus shoves aside deficit
The inside of a courtroom with plastic barriers.

Will Chauvin trial start next week? Answer lies in higher court decision 

The Court of Appeals will hear arguments Monday on whether to add a third-degree murder charge against the former Minneapolis officer charged in George Floyd’s killing. Its ruling will determine whether Derek Chauvin’s trial begins March 8 as planned.
  • Appeals court to hear argumentsOn adding 3rd-degree murder charge against Chauvin
  • Full coverage from MPR NewsThe killing of George Floyd
Blue hands in gloves administers a shot into an arm.

How inequity gets built into America’s vaccination system

People eligible for the coronavirus vaccine say they are running up against barriers that are designed into the very systems meant to serve those most at risk of dying of the disease.
A photo illustration of hands that appear translucent.

600 Highwaymen create theater with two audience members and a phone

The Walker Art Center is presenting “A Thousand Ways,” which provides an experience many people have missed during the pandemic: a meaningful encounter with a stranger.

2-year-old girl missing in Minneapolis found safe after Amber Alert

A 2-year-old girl was located safe on Sunday night, after the SUV she was in was reported stolen in Minneapolis. The incident prompted an Amber Alert.
A woman in a coat stands for a portrait.

For some Latinos, Minnesota’s vaccine tool is more like a road to nowhere

Critics say the site asks too many questions, lacks translation, and prioritizes speed over equity. State officials say they're working on it.
  • Last monthNew vaccine tool will tell Minnesotans when they're eligible for COVID shots
  • APM Research LabLimited COVID vaccine data shows uneven access by race
  • Minnesota playing catch-upTo get seniors of color vaccinated
Senate Budget Committee Chair Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had sought an alternate proposal to include an increase in the federal minimum wage in President Biden's COVID-19 relief bill.

COVID-19 relief package heads to Senate as debate over minimum wage continues

The Senate will debate a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill and aim to pass it using a process that avoids a Republican filibuster. A battle over efforts to raise the minimum wage still splits Democrats.
  • Key aspectsOf the COVID-19 relief bill advancing in Congress
Technical difficulties and an overall uninspired program were the themes of this year's Golden Globes, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

'Nomadland' and Chadwick Boseman win big during a mostly snoozy Golden Globes

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association hamfistedly attempted to address its lack of Black members, and technical difficulties made things awkward.
CBS pro football analyst Irv Cross

Irv Cross, NFL player and TV sports pioneer, dies at 81

Irv Cross, the former NFL defensive back who became the first Black man to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television, died Sunday in Minnesota. He was 81.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 12-0, with one recusal, to recommend the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for people aged 18 and older.

CDC panel endorses Johnson & Johnson's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine

A panel of experts that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has given its blessing to a new one-shot vaccine for COVID-19. The move comes one day after the Food and Drug Administration authorized the vaccine for emergency use.
Former slave Felix Haywood, 92 years old when he was photographed in San Antonio in 1937, told an interviewer, "All we had to do was to walk, but walk south, and we'd be free as soon as we crossed the Rio Grande."

A chapter in U.S. history often ignored: The flight of runaway slaves to Mexico

As the U.S. Treasury considers putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill to honor her role in the northbound Underground Railroad, new attention is being paid to the often overlooked southbound route that brought enslaved people to freedom in Mexico.
Former President Donald Trump speaks

Trump calls for GOP unity, repeats lies about election loss

Taking the stage for the first time since leaving office, former President Donald Trump on Sunday called for Republican Party unity, even as he exacerbated intraparty divisions and trumpeted lies about the election.
Empty shelves at a Target in Burbank, Calif., on March 14, 2020. Many people across the U.S. are approaching the one-year anniversary of the moment they went into lockdown and realized life as they knew had changed.

People share 'the moment' they realized the pandemic was changing life as they knew it

It's been nearly a year since the World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro asked people to share the moment they realized COVID-19 was changing their lives.
People with extra weight — those that have a BMI of at least 30 — are at a greater risk of falling severely ill from COVID-19.

Obesity specialist says BMI is a 'good measure' for vaccine priority plans

As some cities and states offer vaccine appointments for people with a BMI of at least 30 — the medical benchmark for obesity — Dr. Fatima Stanford pushes back against the shame faced by those with the disease.
Protesters shout slogans during a protest

U.N. Human Rights Office says 18 killed in Myanmar crackdown

Security forces in Myanmar opened fire and made mass arrests Sunday as they sought to break up protests against the military’s seizure of power, and a U.N. human rights official said it had “credible information” that 18 people were killed and 30 were wounded.
Electrical grid transmission towers in Pasadena, Calif. Major power outages from extreme weather have risen dramatically in the past two decades.

It's not just Texas: The entire energy grid needs an upgrade for extreme weather

The U.S. power grid was designed for technology and weather that existed in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, says energy consultant Alison Silverstein. Now, she says, it needs to be updated for a future that includes climate change.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during the daily media briefing on July 23, 2020 in New York City. A second former aide from his administration has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment from Cuomo.

N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo apologizes for 'misinterpreted' comments amid sexual harassment claims

The governor said he will ask New York's attorney general and the state's chief judge to pick an independent investigator to review allegations against him brought by two former aides.
Power lines arc across the sky in front of autumn foliage.

Minnesota offering more energy assistance in wake of severe winter weather

The Minnesota Department of Commerce says qualifying households can now receive up to $1,200 in emergency energy assistance this year, up from the usual $600 maximum, in the wake of this month’s severe winter weather that drove up utility costs.
Fresh snow covers a highway

Snow reports from around Minnesota

Parts of central and western Minnesota saw more than a half-foot of snow on Sunday, as Saturday’s spring-like conditions were followed by a rapid return to winter to end February across much of the state.
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