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People sit in wheelchairs in a room.

Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Falling numbers amid concerns about vaccine supply

Minnesota health officials reported another 37 COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, pushing the overall pandemic death toll close to 5,900. But averaged over the past week, the number of new cases and deaths reported each day continues to decline.
  • Looking at the numbersCOVID in Minnesota Today
  • Walz, governors complain aboutPace of COVID vaccine shipments
A sticker reads "I got mine. Victory vaccine over COVID-19"

Are you 65 or older? What you need to know about getting your COVID-19 vaccine

The state says health care providers are now allowed to vaccinate people 65 and older, and those who have underlying health conditions — if they have extra doses. The announcement appears to be the first step in following new federal guidance on who should be next in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • ThursdayState expands vaccination pool
  • What to knowMinnesota's vaccine distribution plan
People sit on the ground in front of a large building.

With heavy security in place, pro-Trump rally draws small group at Minnesota Capitol

A protest to support President Donald Trump at the Minnesota Capitol on Saturday drew only a handful of people. It came as authorities in state capitals across the country are on alert for possible violence ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week.
  • FridayTop safety official: No credible threat at Minnesota Capitol
National Guard troops assemble outside of the U.S. Capitol

Guard troops pour into Washington as states answer the call

By the busload and planeload, National Guard troops were pouring into the nation's capital on Saturday, as governors answered the urgent pleas of U.S. defense officials for more troops to help safeguard Washington.
  • RelatedMan arrested near U.S. Capitol with loaded handgun, 500 rounds of ammunition
A woman puts supplies into a paper bag.

'Two pandemics’: Drug overdoses spike, stretching help even further

When all the data is in, 2020 is likely to be the deadliest year in American history for drug overdoses. Preliminary federal and state numbers show that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for people who use drugs to stay alive and healthy. It's also taxing the advocates and organizations who work to keep them safe. 
  • ExplainerWhy Minnesota has a big problem with opioid overdoses
  • In depthMinnesota's opioid epidemic

Police: Stray bullet kills man working in garage at home in Willmar

Police in Willmar, Minn., are searching for the source of a stray bullet that struck and killed a man while he was working in his garage on Friday night.
A memorial for U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was killed by rioters in the Jan. 6 attack, is set up near the U.S. Capitol.

House lawmakers open investigation into Capitol attack

Lawmakers want to know what the intelligence community and federal law enforcement knew about the threats of violence and whether that information was shared with the right people.

MN researchers found less-lethal weapons used in Floyd protests led to serious head, eye injuries

Researchers studying injuries sustained by protesters and bystanders in the Twin Cities following the killing of George Floyd say “less-lethal” projectile weapons like rubber bullets are not appropriate for crowd control. 
President-elect Joe Biden, joined by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris

Biden outlines 'Day One' agenda of executive actions

Following his inauguration, Biden will end Trump's restriction on immigration to the U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries, move to rejoin the Paris climate accord and mandate mask-wearing on federal property and during interstate travel.
Martin Luther King, Jr

'I may not get there with you': An eyewitness account of MLK's final days

Clara Jean Ester was a college student in 1968 when she saw Martin Luther King Jr. give his final speech. A day later, Ester was at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., when he was assassinated.
  • APM ReportsKing's Last March
  • From 2019MLK's legacy through the eyes of young people
  • 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere'Martin Luther King Jr. in Minnesota

Man who held hostage believed to be from Missouri

Police in a Twin Cities suburb say they don't know why a man who held a young boy hostage before killing himself was in Minnesota or the community.
When it comes to New Year's goal setting, mental health experts say 2021 is the year to try a calmer, gentler approach to health.

Broken New Year's resolutions already? It's OK to give yourself a break

It's a trying time right now, and mental health experts say it's OK to give yourself a break on New Year's resolutions. They offer advice for a kinder, gentler approach to goal-setting in 2021.
Isle Royale wolves

Pandemic interrupts longtime Isle Royale wolf, moose study

Since 1959, a research team has spent most of each winter observing the interplay between wolves and moose at Lake Superior's Isle Royale National Park. But this year's mission has been scrapped to protect the scientists and support personnel from possible exposure to the coronavirus.
President Trump speaks to supporters on Jan. 6 before pro-Trump extremists launched a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump's role in encouraging the siege over false claims of election fraud has hardened divisions in the party as he leaves office.

Republicans wonder how, and if, they can pull the party back together

The Republican fault lines go in every direction: between the grassroots and the establishment, between big donors and aspiring presidential candidates, between House and Senate leaders — and between Republicans who voted for impeachment and those who opposed it.
In Focus: Disparities and distrust in BIPOC health care

In Focus: Disparities and distrust in BIPOC health care

Minnesota consistently lands on lists of states with the best health care. But if you’re Indigenous or a person of color, you’re not included in the high marks the state receives in metrics like health care access or public health outcomes. Join MPR News host Angela Davis for our latest In Focus event, a conversation with advocates and health care providers working to address racial disparities in health care.

Trump administration carries out 13th and final execution

The Trump administration early Saturday carried out its 13th federal execution since July, an unprecedented run that concluded just five days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden — an opponent of the federal death penalty.
“The Magical Language of Others” by E.J. Koh. 

Ask a bookseller: 'The Magical Language of Others' gives a compassionate look at mother-daughter relationships

Amanda Toronto of Word Bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y., says she can’t stop thinking about a memoir she read recently: “The Magical Language of Others” by poet and translator E.J. Koh. 
Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves

More NBA games off, as league continues struggles with virus

Another three NBA games were postponed Friday, including one in Minnesota only a couple hours before game time, as the league’s struggle with increasing coronavirus numbers continued. Among the Wolves with COVID-19 issues: Karl-Anthony Towns, who said he tested positive.
A judge stands in an apartment and reads from a binder to people on a bed.

‘A moment that almost didn’t happen’: St. Paul man with cancer becomes citizen at home

With the country still reeling from an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and on edge ahead of a precarious transition of power, many are reflecting on what it means to be American. Against that backdrop, many immigrants and refugees remain clear-eyed about the country's promise, including a St. Paul couple who became citizens Friday, under unusual circumstances.
  • 'He helped hundreds start new life'Karen community leader dies from COVID-19
Medical personnel prone a COVID-19 patient last November at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles.

Pandemic shortens U.S. life expectancy, study concludes

The deaths caused by the pandemic appear to be shortening overall life expectancy in the U.S. by 1.13 years, which would be the largest single decline in at least 40 years.
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