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Stories from March 14, 2019

Civil rights organization announces dismissal of founder

Civil rights organization announces dismissal of founder

The Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, a nationally known nonprofit that monitors hate organizations, said Thursday it had fired co-founder Morris Dees, who once won a lawsuit that bankrupted a leading Ku Klux Klan group.
by The Associated Press

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Minnesota House votes to expand state's indoor vaping ban

Minnesota House votes to expand state's indoor vaping ban

The bill would restrict the use of e-cigarettes wherever tobacco smoking is currently banned under the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act, which covers most public buildings and workplaces.
by Associated Press

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Blizzard brings whiteout, floods across MN, causing highway closures

Blizzard brings whiteout, floods across MN, causing highway closures

In northern Minnesota on Thursday afternoon, whiteout conditions forced the closure of a long stretch of U.S. Highway 75. At the same time, on the same highway at the other end of the state, floodwaters encroached on the driving lanes.
by MPR News Staff

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Advocates pushing mental health parity, funding bills at Capitol

Mental health advocates in Minnesota are pushing a range of bills in the Legislature this year, including eliminating the use of solitary confinement in prison and making sure insurers cover mental health care and physical health care equally.
by Alisa Roth

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Butterball recalls ground turkey after 4 salmonella cases

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services said Thursday the four patients have the same strain of salmonella and are linked to the Butterball ground turkey products being recalled.
by Associated Press

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Flood insurance 101: How to get covered as Minnesota waters rise

Flood insurance 101: How to get covered as Minnesota waters rise

Springtime means flooding in Minnesota. Here are some basics on the insurance policy that can become a financial lifesaver for homeowners and renters.
by Cody Nelson

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House votes almost unanimously for public release of Mueller report

House votes almost unanimously for public release of Mueller report

While it was a largely symbolic vote, it represents growing bipartisan pressure on the Justice Department to disclose as much as possible about the Mueller investigation.
by Miles Parks

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As barns collapse, farmers lose cows, income, sleep

As barns collapse, farmers lose cows, income, sleep

Minnesota's heavy snowfalls have led to dozens of barn collapses, forcing dairy farmers to sell herds, find new shelter and cope with yet one more financial stressor.
by Catharine Richert

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Wind-solar pairing cuts equipment costs, increases output

Wind-solar pairing cuts equipment costs, increases output

A trailblazing wind-solar hybrid project in western Minnesota could be a preview of what's to come as renewable developers look for new ways to bolster projects.
by Associated Press

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U.K. Parliament votes to postpone Brexit

U.K. Parliament votes to postpone Brexit

Parliament approved a government plan to ask the European Union for an extension until June 30. European leaders will consider the request at a summit next week in Brussels.
by Laurel Wamsley

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Lack of affordable housing squeezing ever more Minnesotans

Lack of affordable housing squeezing ever more Minnesotans

A new study indicates the shortfall in affordable housing is growing, squeezing an additional 26,000 households in 2017 compared to two years before.
by Martin Moylan

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The Five with Liliana Percy Ruiz: Radical Candor, Free Solo and a movie theater with personality

Normally, senior producer Stephanie Curtis recommends five things to see, do, read or experience. But this week, we asked Liliana Percy Ruiz, executive producer at "On Being" and host of the podcast "This Movie Changed Me," to fill in.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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How Etsy is offsetting carbon from its shipping

How Etsy is offsetting carbon from its shipping

The online retailer says it's the first company of its kind to pay for carbon offsets for all its shipping.
by Paul Huttner

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U.S. moves to lift remaining gray wolf protections

U.S. moves to lift remaining gray wolf protections

Gray wolves in the U.S. would be stripped of federal protection and subject to hunting and trapping in more states under a proposal released Thursday that declares the predators recovered following a decades-long restoration effort.
by Associated Press

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The surviving members of the Monkees perform at Mystic Lake Casino on Thursday night

The duo's tour has been getting good reviews, with the two musicians — now in their mid-seventies — performing a mix of old favorites and more recent tunes. The show also includes tributes to Peter Tork, who died last month, and Davy Jones, who passed away in 2012.
by Cathy Wurzer

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Students file lawsuit against colleges in bribery scandal

Students file lawsuit against colleges in bribery scandal

Two college students have filed a lawsuit against the University of Southern California, Yale University and other colleges where prosecutors say parents paid bribes to ensure their children's admission.
by Associated Press

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Baseball rearranges the deck chairs

Baseball rearranges the deck chairs

Baseball doesn't quite understand -- or isn't willing to understand -- why many people have given up on it.
by Bob Collins

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Sen. Birch Bayh, author of Title IX law, dies at age 91

Sen. Birch Bayh, author of Title IX law, dies at age 91

"It was clear that the greatest danger or damage being done to women was the inequality of higher education," Bayh said in a 2012 interview. "If you give a person an education, whether it's a boy or girl, young woman or young man, they will have the tools necessary to make a life for families and themselves."
by The Associated Press

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Mpls. mayor marks new partnership with Red Lake Nation on trip to reservation

Mpls. mayor marks new partnership with Red Lake Nation on trip to reservation

It's rare for city governments to partner directly with tribes, who typically work with the federal government. That's changing, at least between the city of Minneapolis and the Red Lake Nation.
by Max Nesterak

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When civility is used as a cudgel against people of color

When civility is used as a cudgel against people of color

For people of color, "civility" is often a means of containing them, preventing social mobility and preserving the status quo.
by Karen Grigsby Bates

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GOP senators appear ready to block Trump border declaration

GOP senators appear ready to block Trump border declaration

Since the Democratic-controlled House approved the measure last month, the Senate vote would force Trump to use a veto to protect his presidential campaign's "Build the Wall" mantra over objections from his own party.
by The Associated Press

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Beto O'Rourke announces his run for president in 2020

Beto O'Rourke announces his run for president in 2020

He has the potential to occupy a unique place in the still-forming 2020 Democratic primary field. He has gotten some support from the progressive wing of the party, but has centrist appeal and a history of bipartisanship too. And he has the younger, newer face some in the party are eager for and has also gone toe-to-toe with President Trump.

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You don’t have to be rich to be too involved in college admission

Dr. McGreggor Crowley, who once was on the selection battleground at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, speaks a truth that many people don't want to acknowledge in the wake of the scandal this week that the rich and famous are buying their kids' way into elite schools: you don't have to be rich and famous to be overinvested in the college selection process.
by Bob Collins

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They made prom possible for girls in need. Now, it's their last dance

They made prom possible for girls in need. Now, it's their last dance

Operation Glass Slipper has delivered prom dresses to some 10,000 Twin Cities girls who otherwise could not have afforded one. But after more than a decade, it's become too much for the small band of volunteers.
by Nancy Yang

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NW Minn. counties make innovative bet on recycling

NW Minn. counties make innovative bet on recycling

A group of northwestern Minnesota counties is betting it will be cheaper in the long term to recycle and then burn the remaining trash they generate, rather than simply burying the trash.
by Dan Gunderson

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Blizzard warnings in NW Minnesota; rain, flood watch for Twin Cities

Blizzard warnings in NW Minnesota; rain, flood watch for Twin Cities

Eastern Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro area, will have periods of rain Thursday with a few embedded storms possible. Blizzard warnings are out for northwestern Minnesota plus Traverse and Big Stone counties in western Minnesota.
by Ron Trenda

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Rochester fitness club turns off cable news in the name of health

It was a puzzling moment for me a few years ago at Mayo Clinic when I walked into a waiting room, only to see Fox News on the TV. You either love the channel or hate it -- just like MSNBC -- but it's inarguable that businesses who insist on a channel for political partisans risk alienating customers who are not of that faith. Businesses taking sides seems bad for business.
by Bob Collins

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How to recite Pi on Pi Day

3.14. It's "Pi Day". Perhaps you've heard. We look forward to this day so much because Vi Hart hates Pi Day, and annually rails about it with a video.
by Bob Collins

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What’s on MPR News – 3/14/19

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

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'The Trial of Lizzie Borden' adds fodder to the murder case's mystery

'The Trial of Lizzie Borden' adds fodder to the murder case's mystery

Who killed the Bordens more than 100 years ago remains unsolved. Like a lawyer, author Cara Robertson lays the facts and evidence before us, occasionally pointing towards the biases of the day.
by Ilana Masad

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Former GOP congressman shares inside look at life in Washington

Former GOP congressman shares inside look at life in Washington

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen reflects on politics and policy with retired MPR host Gary Eichten.

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Where will your plastic trash go now that China doesn't want it?

Where will your plastic trash go now that China doesn't want it?

Last year, China drastically cut back its imports of plastic waste to recycle. Now the U.S. and other wealthy nations must figure out what to do with their discards.
by Christopher Joyce

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Overlooked ingredients in medicines can sometimes trigger side effects

Overlooked ingredients in medicines can sometimes trigger side effects

Drugmakers add inactive ingredients to stabilize medications and sometimes to help the body absorb the active ingredients. But the inactive constituents can cause side effects in rare cases.
by Richard Harris

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Public regularly denied access to police officer videos

Public regularly denied access to police officer videos

Police videos are considered public records in nearly every state, but vague laws and exemptions often give police chiefs and prosecutors wide discretion to determine when to release them.
by Associated Press

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