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A woman points at a card a man is holding.

Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Vaccinations, cases, ICU needs all climbing

The disease metrics are headed the wrong way, but the vaccination trend has hit a new high. Can the state vaccinate enough Minnesotans quickly enough to hold off a big surge in the disease as variants get a stronger foothold in the state?
  • Have you been tested for COVID-19?We want to hear from you
  • Sign upAnalysis of COVID-19 data in Minnesota
  • APM Research LabTracking the vaccination progress in the U.S.
A man behind a desk speaks.

Chauvin trial: Police restraint on Floyd 'tipped him over the edge,' medical examiner says

Hennepin County Medical Examiner Dr. Andrew Baker stood by his finding that George Floyd’s death was a homicide, telling jurors in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial the police restraint was more than Floyd could take given his underlying conditions.
  • 🎧Training, use of force and watching from Cup Foods
  • 📺Key moments from the trial this week
  • Spokesman-RecorderHow the MN paper is covering the trial from the Black perspective
A close-up of a person loading a syringe with a vaccine.

As vaccine eligibility expands, one southern MN health department recalibrates

Human Services of Faribault and Martin Counties, a two-county public health department in southern Minnesota, requested 300 doses of vaccine to administer this week. But they’re struggling to fill appointment slots — and dealing with no-shows. So they’re asking the state Health Department to reallocate next week’s share.
  • 'Love your neighbor' and get the shotWhite evangelical leaders push COVID vaccines
  • 'I don’t need the vaccine'GOP worries threaten virus fight
  • How to Talk to vaccine skeptics so they might actually hear you
Youn Yuh-jung plays a grandmother in the Oscar-nominated film Minari. She's the first Korean actor to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

'I feel like I'm an Olympian': Youn Yuh-jung on her historic Oscar nomination

The celebrated Korean actress plays a loving, mischievous grandma in “Minari” — a role that has earned her newfound fame in the U.S. She says the character brought back memories of her great-grandmother.
People sit around a table working on a laptop.

'Our hearts are heavy': COVID-19 deaths of tribal elders leave a void

Native Americans have the highest COVID-19 mortality rate of any population in the U.S. And for tribes working to revitalize language and culture, the loss of elders to COVID-19 leaves an especially painful void.
  • 'The Year of the Plague'The pandemic, through a storyteller’s eyes
  • The color of coronavirusCOVID-19 deaths by race and ethnicity in the U.S.
For many people, the pandemic has made it harder to exercise, and easier to gain weight and delay routine checkups. All of these factors raise the risk of heart disease.

Heart disease is still a killer. Here's how to reverse it

The pandemic has made it harder to exercise and easier to gain weight and delay routine checkups — bad habits that can prime your body for heart disease. These tips can help you get back on track.
Tables are spread across a large room.

Even with prospect of aid, Minnesota school budgets in dire shape

The coronavirus hasn’t just upended classrooms around the state — it’s wreaking havoc on district budgets, which are largely determined by enrollment. State and federal lawmakers are considering and passing billions of new dollars in education funding, but Minnesota districts are still laying off staff and closing schools.
  • COVID drives home schooling surgePublic school enrollment drops in MN
  • As schools reopen in MNCOVID-19 cases climb
  • MPR News with Kerri MillerWhy stress causes teachers to leave the classroom
President Biden looks on after speaking during an event about gun violence prevention in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 8.

Biden wants new ban on assault-style weapons. What lessons were learned from the '90s?

Advocates face steep odds getting a new ban through Congress. If they can succeed, they hope to avoid a repeat of past mistakes that left the original law open to loopholes.
A woman smiles and talks.

Minnesota Republicans elect Carnahan to third term as party chair

Minnesota Republican Party members have elected Jennifer Carnahan to a third two-year term as state party chair.
A mob storms the U.S. Capitol.

‘Clear the Capitol,’ Pence pleaded on Jan. 6; new details of riot response are revealed

New details from the deadly riot of Jan. 6 are in a previously undisclosed document prepared by the Pentagon for internal use. It adds another layer of understanding about the state of fear and panic while the insurrection played out.
Soldiers fire a 41-round gun salute

U.K. military gun salutes honor Prince Philip; funeral to be held April 17

Coordinated gun salutes echoed across the United Kingdom on Saturday to honor the late Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II. A small funeral is set for April 17 at Windsor Castle.
Chinese and U.S. table tennis players train together in April 1971 in Beijing. April 10 marks the 50th anniversary of what became known as pingpong diplomacy between the two nations.

50 years later, the legacy of U.S.-China 'pingpong diplomacy' faces challenges

April 10 marks the 50th anniversary of when U.S. table tennis players first visited China in a diplomatic breakthrough. But today, the political winds have shifted — in both countries.
Plumes of ash rise from a volcano

St. Vincent awaits new volcanic explosions as help arrives

Extremely heavy ashfall rained down across the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent on Saturday, a day after a powerful explosion at La Soufriere volcano uprooted the lives of thousands of people who evacuated their homes under government orders.
Mary Mills and her mother, Joyce Carter Mills, came to StoryCorps in February 2020 to talk about Mary's childhood. "You were the mom every other kid wanted," Mary told Joyce.

StoryCorps: With 'the mom every other kid wanted,' she was an only child but never alone

Growing up, Mary Mills saw her mom, Joyce Carter Mills, spread her joy and love to other kids in the neighborhood. "No other parents were that fun," Mary said. "Everybody wanted to be at our house."
A needle goes into an arm.

COVID vaccine FAQs: What's up with side effects? Should you still double-mask?

So you've successfully scored a COVID-19 vaccination — or at least an appointment. Congrats! Now what about potential short-term side effects like fever, fatigue and muscle aches? And do you have to keep up that double-masking?
Heinz, the country's largest ketchup supplier, promised to up ketchup production by 25% to make up for the shortage.

Heinz promises to catch up to demand amid ketchup packet shortage

The pandemic is causing another new, yet uniquely American, shortage — ketchup. Heinz says it will increase its production by 25 percent to meet the demand for packets of the popular condiment.
Science tells us we all tend to be more self-conscious than necessary in new social situations. For many, the thought of returning to "normal" is anxiety-inducing.

Do we even know how to socialize anymore?

The pandemic has reshaped social routines — and some people are worried about returning to a pre-coronavirus world of water-cooler talk and packed social schedules.
Trump supporters gather outside the U.S. Capitol building.

Third Minnesotan charged in connection with U.S. Capitol attack

The FBI says 26-year-old Jonah Elijah Westbury of Lindstrom, Minn., was arrested Friday morning.
Doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will drop by 86% next week after one of the company's manufacturers  released a stockpile and those have been distributed.

Why there will be fewer Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines next week

A dip of 86 percent in doses to be distributed to states follows a surge that occurred after one of J&J's third party manufacturers was finally able to release a stockpile.
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., here at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, confirms he's under investigation by the Justice Department but denies the allegations tied to the inquiry.

House Ethics Committee investigating GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida

The investigation follows a series of allegations against the Florida congressman, including illegal drug use and sexual misconduct.
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