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Stories from February 12, 2019

Debate reopens over future of health care in Minnesota

Debate reopens over future of health care in Minnesota

As legislative committees approved a plan to extend what's known as the "reinsurance" program to hold down health insurance rates, critics worried it would reduce pressure on state leaders to find a broader solution.
by Brian Bakst

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Dam! The 'ice cowboy' is on your roof, doesn't like what he sees

Dam! The 'ice cowboy' is on your roof, doesn't like what he sees

The snow and cold are bringing back a well-known scourge of Midwestern winters: the roof ice dam. And when Jake Weber comes down the ladder and tells you it's bad -- it's bad.
by Tim Nelson

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The Twin Cities will feel like Kansas in 61 years

The Twin Cities will feel like Kansas in 61 years

While the underlying science isn't new, the publication of new "climatic analogs" for 540 urban areas in North America aims to illustrate for the general public how significantly altered the climate will be without significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
by Cody Nelson

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National debt hits new milestone, topping $22 trillion

National debt hits new milestone, topping $22 trillion

The Treasury Department's daily statement showed Tuesday that total outstanding public debt stands at $22.01 trillion. It stood at $19.95 trillion when President Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2017.
by Associated Press

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Rule could limit college response to off-campus sex assaults

Rule could limit college response to off-campus sex assaults

For now, federal guidelines urge colleges to take action against any sexual misconduct that disrupts a student's education, regardless of where it took place.
by Associated Press

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Suspect in 25-year-old Minneapolis murder case jailed

Police say an online DNA testing website helped investigators identify the suspected killer of Jeanne Ann Childs.
by Brandt Williams

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Pop-up law clinics to serve rural immigrants

Pop-up law clinics to serve rural immigrants

Immigrant communities in rural parts of Minnesota have seen increased arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
by Riham Feshir

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Hastings assistant principal charged with embezzlement

Prosecutors allege Joshua McLay used more than $13,900 of district money to pay for travel expenses and tickets for several people to attend college football games.
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Heading south: Warming to change how U.S. cities feel in 2080

Heading south: Warming to change how U.S. cities feel in 2080

The climate in New York City in 60 years could feel like Arkansas now. Chicago could seem like Kansas City and San Francisco could get a Southern California climate if global warming pollution continues at the current pace, a new study finds.
by Associated Press

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Soul-searching after Parkland, Dick's CEO embraces tougher stance on guns

Soul-searching after Parkland, Dick's CEO embraces tougher stance on guns

Ed Stack is a gun owner who was a longtime Republican donor. A year after Dick's Sporting Goods became an unlikely corporate face of gun control, it sees the fallout from its policy and lobbying.
by Alina Selyukh

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To prevent pregnancy-related-depression, at-risk women advised to get counseling

To prevent pregnancy-related-depression, at-risk women advised to get counseling

An influential expert panel recommends pregnant women at risk of depression get referred to counseling to prevent the illness. But for many women and their doctors, it may be easier said than done.
by Patti Neighmond

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By the numb-ers: This winter in Minnesota

By the numb-ers: This winter in Minnesota

The recent snowfall in Minnesota has set some records and produced some impressive looking statistics, here's a look at the impact.
by Tim Nelson

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Racist comments lead to lockdown at Owatonna High

Officials in the southern Minnesota school district ordered a lockdown Monday after an incident prompted by what the superintendent described as racist comments posted on social media.
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Trump calls for Omar to resign over Israel tweets

Trump calls for Omar to resign over Israel tweets

Freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar has apologized for tweets suggesting that members of Congress support Israel because they are being paid to do so. But President Trump on Tuesday called her apology "lame" and said she should resign from Congress or at least not be allowed to serve on committees.
by Associated Press

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Trump says he's not 'happy' with budget deal, but thinks shutdown unlikely

Trump says he's not 'happy' with budget deal, but thinks shutdown unlikely

Congressional negotiators are close to a budget deal, but it provides less than what the president wants for a border wall, and it limits the number of people immigration officials can arrest.

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New play looks at the lives touched by Emmett Till's death

New play looks at the lives touched by Emmett Till's death

Now playing at Penumbra, "benevolence" uses FBI transcripts and other records to explore a case that galvanized the civil rights movement.
by Marianne Combs

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Anti-smoking bills on the move at the MN Capitol

A Minnesota House committee advanced three anti-smoking bills Tuesday including a proposed statewide increase for purchasing tobacco products to age 21.
by Tim Pugmire

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Parkland family reflects on a year of anguish and activism

Parkland family reflects on a year of anguish and activism

"Everybody should consider what it would mean to lose their child, their spouse," says Philip Schentrup. His daughter Carmen was among the 17 students and staff killed in Parkland, Fla., last year.
by Melissa Block

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ChangeMakers: James Badue-El, lifting up the locked up

ChangeMakers: James Badue-El, lifting up the locked up

James Badue-El is the criminal justice state chair for the Minneapolis NAACP where he works to reduce prison recidivism.
by Evan Frost

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Minneota basketball player apologizes for free-throw trick

As the story is told, when a foul was called sending a Minneota player to the line in a game two weeks ago, senior Thomas Hennen went to the line to shoot the free throws, even though he wasn't the player fouled.
by Bob Collins

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Schools closed, roads a mess as another round of snow blankets Minnesota

Schools closed, roads a mess as another round of snow blankets Minnesota

Just accept that you'll be late to work again if you decide to head in. This storm is expected to dump 2 to 5 inches of snow in the Twin Cities, while southeastern Minnesota could get between 6 and 10 inches.
by Tim Nelson and Nancy Yang

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Budget deal allows far less money than Trump wanted for wall

Republicans settled for a figure of nearly $1.4 billion, according to congressional aides. The funding measure is through the fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30.
by The Associated Press

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Are there eco-friendly alternatives to road salt?

Are there eco-friendly alternatives to road salt?

The chloride in road salt corrodes vehicles and bridges and can be harmful to pets -- and it has an outsize impact on water quality in the rivers, lakes and streams that capture its runoff. So now, public works agencies and homeowners alike are on the lookout for safer alternatives. A single answer has proven elusive.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Walz's Commerce Dept. to renew Line 3 appeal

Walz's Commerce Dept. to renew Line 3 appeal

Last summer, state utility regulators approved the controversial $2.6 billion pipeline replacement project. Former Gov. Mark Dayton's administration appealed that decision. Walz announced Tuesday his administration will file its own challenge.
by Dan Kraker

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Apple Valley hockey coach decks referee

Hockey rage has struck -- literally -- a referee in Breezy Point.
by Bob Collins

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Sure you’re stuck in traffic, but at least you’re not in Boston

For reasons that remain unclear -- there weren't that many accidents -- rush hour traffic in the Twin Cities last evening was a nightmare, particularly the stretch of I-35W southbound where someone once thought it a fine idea to design an offramp to I-94 westbound that intersected two other ramps. The more we pave over the Twin Cities with highways, the worse the traffic seems to get, and we don't even get bragging rights out of the deal for our horrible traffic.
by Bob Collins

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Former astronaut in U.S. Senate bid

Mark Kelly, the former astronaut, announced today he's running for the U.S. Senate, and in the process schooled politicians on how to make a political ad for a campaign announcement.
by Bob Collins

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Fake patriot attacks media at Trump rally

Appropriately, the man was wearing a brown shirt.
by Bob Collins

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What’s on MPR News – 2/12/19

Here are the stories, topics, and guests you'll hear today on MPR News.
by Bob Collins

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Real life informs a tense trip in 'Lost Children Archive'

Real life informs a tense trip in 'Lost Children Archive'

Valeria Luiselli's twist on the great American road trip novel follows a family with two children on a grim odyssey through the Southwest, a vision of a country blighted by industry and prejudice.
by Heller McAlpin

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A neuroscientist explores the biology of addiction in 'Never Enough'

A neuroscientist explores the biology of addiction in 'Never Enough'

Growing up, Judith Grisel struggled with alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. Now as a neuroscientist, she's working to understand the biological basis of addiction. Her new book is "Never Enough."
by Terry Gross

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'How to Disappear' condemns online visibility without truly exploring it

'How to Disappear' condemns online visibility without truly exploring it

Akiko Busch sets out to argue against visibility, "the common currency of our time." But she neglects to expose why she dislikes social media and networked culture.
by Lily Meyer

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A historical documentary: 'The Freed People'

A historical documentary: 'The Freed People'

On Abraham Lincoln's birthday, a documentary from the Humankind series.
by MPR News Staff

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Twitter dustup, apology not firsts for Rep. Ilhan Omar

Twitter dustup, apology not firsts for Rep. Ilhan Omar

Monday's dustup isn't the first time Rep. Omar has come under scrutiny for her Twitter posts. She apologized just last month over a 2012 tweet in which she wrote, "Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel."
by Associated Press

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Days from another shutdown, here's what the negotiators are facing

Days from another shutdown, here's what the negotiators are facing

Bipartisan negotiators are working on a border security funding deal -- but both sides are still sorting out what kind of "wall" or "barrier" is in and whether President Trump will sign it.
by Sean McMinn and Susan Davis

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American travelers seek cheaper prescription drugs in Mexico and beyond

American travelers seek cheaper prescription drugs in Mexico and beyond

Faced with high U.S. prices for prescription drugs, some Americans cross the border to buy insulin pens and other meds. At least one insurer reimburses flights to the border to make such purchases easy.
by Bram Sable-Smith

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Reading to celebrate Robert Bly's 60 years of poetry

Reading to celebrate Robert Bly's 60 years of poetry

The celebrated poet, now 92, is not expected to attend. But hundreds of others are.
by Euan Kerr

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Sweden's cashless experiment: Is it too much too fast?

Sweden's cashless experiment: Is it too much too fast?

In Sweden, few people use cash anymore. Most people pay by card, online or with digital apps, and that trend is spurring a new debate on whether going cashless is fair for everyone.
by Maddy Savage

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Prosecutors seek new sentence in Laquan McDonald case

Prosecutors seek new sentence in Laquan McDonald case

Prosecutors on Monday asked Illinois' highest court to review the less than seven year prison sentence for the white Chicago police officer who fatally shot black teenager Laquan McDonald -- an unusual move in what was already a rare case.
by Associated Press

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