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Stories from February 13, 2019

Northern lake ice loss threatens water, economies, culture

Northern lake ice loss threatens water, economies, culture

Nearly 15,000 lakes in the Northern Hemisphere already have only intermittent winter ice cover, a new study notes, and further loss of ice threatens freshwater availability, economies and culture in the world's north, including Minnesota and Wisconsin.
by Paul Huttner and Cody Nelson

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Voters OK money to build a school in Tyler, but not Worthington

Voters OK money to build a school in Tyler, but not Worthington

Both southwestern Minnesota school districts contended with opposition from Paul Dorr, a consultant who has helped kill school funding measures across the Midwest. The push to build a new intermediate school in Worthington, Minn., failed by 17 votes.
by Alex Baumhardt

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States weigh bills addressing Native deaths, disappearances

States weigh bills addressing Native deaths, disappearances

Lawmakers in at least seven states including Minnesota have introduced legislation to address the unsolved deaths and disappearances of numerous Native American women and girls.
by Associated Press

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Double duty: Senators juggle presidential bids and day jobs

Double duty: Senators juggle presidential bids and day jobs

Dysfunction in Washington makes it difficult for them to make plans. Republicans in control of the Senate are poised to force politically sensitive votes. And candidates must maintain a relentless travel schedule to build support in the early voting states.
by Associated Press

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FEMA Administrator Brock Long says he will step down

FEMA Administrator Brock Long says he will step down

In a surprise announcement, Long says it is time to go home to his family. An internal government watchdog said he had improperly used government vehicles to travel to his home in North Carolina.

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Bill would put more Minnesota-grown food into schools

Bill would put more Minnesota-grown food into schools

The bill seeks $2 million for a grant program to reimburse schools buying locally-grown foods. The legislation would be good for farmers, children and local economies, says its co-sponsor.
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Congress awaits final border bill with shutdown deadline looming

Congress awaits final border bill with shutdown deadline looming

House and Senate leaders aim to vote by the Friday deadline on a seven-bill spending package that includes a $1.375 billion in funding for 55 miles of fencing along the U.S. border with Mexico.
by Kelsey Snell and Susan Davis

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Felon voting bill moving in House; blocked in Senate

Felon voting bill moving in House; blocked in Senate

A bill that would allow people convicted of a felony who are no longer locked up or have never been incarcerated to vote in Minnesota cleared a committee in the state House Wednesday.
by Tim Pugmire

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BCA: Remains are of U of M student missing since 1970

BCA: Remains are of U of M student missing since 1970

Human remains found in an abandoned rural Minnesota home are those of 18-year-old Gloria Rieken who disappeared in Minneapolis in November 1970, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Wednesday.
by Tim Nelson

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Mpls. man pleads guilty to abusing daughters in 'horrific' case

Mpls. man pleads guilty to abusing daughters in 'horrific' case

The Minneapolis man arrested last year on charges he beat, raped and shackled his daughters pleaded guilty Wednesday. He could face up to 30 years in prison.
by Brandt Williams

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One year after Parkland, are Americans equipped to prevent school shootings?

One year after Parkland, are Americans equipped to prevent school shootings?

It's been one year since the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. What have we learned? Are we better equipped to prevent school shootings?
by Kerri Miller and Jeffrey Bissoy

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Parkland student survivors brace for 1st anniversary of school shooting

Parkland student survivors brace for 1st anniversary of school shooting

Since the shooting, young Parkland survivors have emerged as the driving force in calling for stricter gun laws in the U.S., through a series of marches, school walkouts and voter registration drives.
by Brakkton Booker

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Hungry deer may be changing how things sound in the forest

Hungry deer may be changing how things sound in the forest

Sound travels differently through open fields than the woods. When deer eat up bushes, small trees and other forest plants, it affects the transmission of bird calls and other natural sounds.
by Nell Greenfieldboyce

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NASA's Mars rover Opportunity is officially declared dead

NASA's Mars rover Opportunity is officially declared dead

NASA's six-wheeled rover landed on the red planet in January 2004 for what was billed as a 90-day mission. The plucky robot was still going until a dust storm on Mars last summer killed it.
by Joe Palca

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House advances bill to ban conversion therapy in Minnesota

After hours of testimony Wednesday a House committee Wednesday approved a bill that bans therapy on minors designed to change their sexual orientation.
by Briana Bierschbach

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Cold front Thursday; hints of a thaw late next week?

Cold front Thursday; hints of a thaw late next week?

Meteorologists call it warm advection. Milder air blows in horizontally from Iowa overnight. Temperatures will actually rise into the 20s overnight instead of falling off as usual. The milder air rides in ahead of an Arctic front sailing south across Minnesota Thursday. The front hits the Twin Cities around midday. Gusty northwest winds and colder temperatures follow. A…
by Paul Huttner

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Can we have a nuanced debate about Israel?

After a Tweet by Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar set off a firestorm of anti-Semitic criticism, we wanted to advance the conversation. Is there a way to criticize Israel in a Washington political culture that leaves little room for nuance?
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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In allowing Line 3 appeal, Walz wades into most contentious issue yet

In allowing Line 3 appeal, Walz wades into most contentious issue yet

Just a month into the job, Gov. Tim Walz waded into one of the state's most contentious battlegrounds Tuesday with the announcement that he will continue an appeal of an oil pipeline project his predecessor began last year.
by Dan Kraker

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Monster sturgeon pulled from St. Croix may be biggest-ever Minnesota fish

Monster sturgeon pulled from St. Croix may be biggest-ever Minnesota fish

Darren Troseth pulled a 78-inch sturgeon out of the ice on the St. Croix River Saturday, 5 inches longer than the current state catch-and-release record set last year. Official word may come Wednesday from the DNR.
by Tim Nelson

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Thanks, snowbot! 3D-printed snowblower makes shovels obsolete

Thanks, snowbot! 3D-printed snowblower makes shovels obsolete

Meet the St. Paul resident who created a remote control snowblower -- complete with adjustable plow, chute and made almost completely out of 3D-printed plastic.
by Evan Frost

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50 years since Tommy James and the Shondells hit No. 1 with 'Crimson and Clover'

The song was released at a time when the band was trying to change its reputation as a bubblegum music act. They transformed their sound completely, embracing the psychedelia that was all the rage in the late 1960s.
by Cathy Wurzer

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2 students charged in school police clash in Owatonna

Two students have been charged following an altercation with police at Owatonna Senior High School this week that stemmed from racist comments made on social media.
by Associated Press

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Vonn's retirement signals end of an era for U.S. Ski Team

Vonn's retirement signals end of an era for U.S. Ski Team

"We had a solid group of people that were consistently winning or getting on the podium, making world championship and Olympic medals," Lindsey Vonn said. "And now we're gone."
by The Associated Press

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A purse, lost 65 years, provides a glimpse into the life of a 1954 teen

A purse, lost 65 years, provides a glimpse into the life of a 1954 teen

Martha Everett didn't mean to provide a time capsule to the people of Jeffersonville, Ind. She simply lost her purse, which has now been found. It contains the artifacts of a lost generation of high school teenagers: lipstick ('made in New York', it said), wrappers of Juicy Fruit gum, the school's basketball schedule, a ribbon for the mile relay, bus schedule, a mirror, her Social Security card, a note asking her to the prom.
by Bob Collins

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Americans lost $143 million in online relationship scams last year

Americans lost $143 million in online relationship scams last year

The Federal Trade Commission says Americans who fell for online romance scams reported losing a median $2,600 each -- far more than other types of scams.

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Sports betting bill emerges but effort a longshot

Sports betting bill emerges but effort a longshot

Two Republican lawmakers pitch a plan to legalize sports betting, but tribal support is crucial to the effort.
by Brian Bakst

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Minnesota Senate panel approves cameras to watch over residents in nursing homes

The measure would establish guidelines for cameras in residents' rooms and also requires residents or their representatives to notify the facility within two weeks that a webcam is present. The Minnesota House is considering similar legislation.
by Matt Sepic

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ChangeMakers: Michelle Walker, getting kids ready to learn

ChangeMakers: Michelle Walker, getting kids ready to learn

Michelle Walker, 45, is executive director of Generation Next. The nonprofit works to help children get ready for school, from kindergarten to college.
by Christine T. Nguyen

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MN Supreme Court overturns firing of cop who slapped Somali teen

Nathan Kinsey was fired in 2016 because of the confrontation, which was videotaped and spread by social media. The city said he didn't report his use of force.
by Bob Collins

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Opportunity dies an honorable death

Opportunity dies an honorable death

Almost 15 years to the day it first took its steps on Mars, the rover Opportunity is being declared dead today.
by Bob Collins

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Study: Rising concern that synthetic opioids contaminate other drugs, too

Study: Rising concern that synthetic opioids contaminate other drugs, too

While the state and nation are seeing fewer deaths tied to heroin overdoses, synthetic opioids like fentanyl are contributing to more deaths and there are concerns they're appearing in other non-opioid drug supplies.
by Jon Collins

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Snow brings loads of work for clearing crews

Snow brings loads of work for clearing crews

For Minnesota's public works departments and private snow removal companies, this winter's record-breaking precipitation has meant brisk business, long hours and trying to figure out what to do with those piles of snow.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Kaepernick too hot for Black History Month in Wisconsin

For the second straight session, black members of the Assembly are blasting white Republicans because a resolution marking the month forces the white version of Black History Month.
by Bob Collins

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No school? No problem for the snowbound in Amery

The kids in Amery, Wis., had a snow day yesterday but there was no time off for them, not when the coaches of their hockey team suggested they put the time to good use.
by Bob Collins

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A woman’s car stalled on the tracks in Hastings, and a train was coming

A woman’s car stalled on the tracks in Hastings, and a train was coming

All over the Twin Cities in the last few days, strangers have been pushing people out of snowbanks and snowdrifts and getting no attention for it. So perhaps if the Dakota County sheriff can find three heroes, they can represent all of you who got no recognition for being the better part of us.
by Bob Collins

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What’s on MPR News – 2/13/19

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

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'American Spy' is a unique spin on the Cold War thriller

'American Spy' is a unique spin on the Cold War thriller

Lauren Wilkinson's debut novel follows the life and career of an African American FBI agent who's recruited by the CIA to aid in the overthrow of a charismatic African leader.
by Michael Schaub

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Aspirations come up against economic hardship in 'Sounds Like Titanic'

Aspirations come up against economic hardship in 'Sounds Like Titanic'

In Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman's debut, she doesn't shrink from the systemic issues of an unfair economic system, but her personal story, with its unexpected twists, makes this memoir memorable.
by Martha Anne Toll

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History Forum: The history of fake news in the U.S.

History Forum: The history of fake news in the U.S.

Professor Michelle Nickerson tells us about the centuries-long history of "fake news" in the United States.
by MPR News Staff

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Appetites: Old grains are new again

Appetites: Old grains are new again

If you've been trying to move meat off the center of your plate in favor of some more healthy alternatives, Beth Dooley has some suggestions.
by MPR News Staff

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McConnell plans to bring Green New Deal to Senate vote

McConnell plans to bring Green New Deal to Senate vote

The Senate majority leader wants to put the massive progressive climate change framework to a vote. Its Democratic sponsor is not pleased by the move from the top Senate Republican.
by Danielle Kurtzleben

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North Dakota to sue feds over pipeline protest police costs

North Dakota to sue feds over pipeline protest police costs

North Dakota will sue the federal government to try to recoup the $38 million it spent policing the prolonged protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline — a tactic one expert believes has little chance of success.
by Associated Press

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To protect imperiled salmon, fish advocates want to shoot some gulls

To protect imperiled salmon, fish advocates want to shoot some gulls

Biologists think gulls are eating more juvenile salmon than they thought, and fish advocates are proposing to kill problem gulls. But opponents say dam modification is what's needed to protect salmon.
by Courtney Flatt

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