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Stories from September 6, 2019

Minnesota's top education official pledges to tackle 'pernicious' achievement gap

Minnesota's top education official pledges to tackle 'pernicious' achievement gap

For decades, Minnesota education leaders have vowed to close gaps between white students and students of color. Minnesota’s Education Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker said she's focusing on a number of strategies to make Minnesota's education system more equitable.
by Tom Crann, Kyle Shiely and Megan Burks

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Wisconsin tribe joins groups opposed to Superior gas plant

The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is worried that the Nemadji Trail Energy Center would damage local wetlands, contribute to climate change and promote hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
by The Associated Press

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Minnesota still ranks low in more holistic look at school achievement data

Minnesota still ranks low in more holistic look at school achievement data

The secondary school achievement index takes into account math and reading scores, on-time graduation rates and the number of students doing well on Advance Placement tests. With all that taken into account, Minnesota is still in the bottom third of states.
by Tom Crann and Kyle Shiely

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Minnesota's presidential primary to cost nearly $12 million

Minnesota's presidential primary to cost nearly $12 million

After surveying county officials around Minnesota, Secretary of State Steve Simon said Friday the cost of administering the 2020 presidential primary will be $11.9 million.
by Tim Pugmire

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Should your high school student take a gap year?

Should your high school student take a gap year?

Even though Malia Obama did it, and schools like Harvard and Princeton encourage it, only about 3 percent of American students take a gap year between high school and college. But interest in the idea is growing.
by Manda Lillie and Angela Davis

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Cube Critics Talk Liberty and clowns

Movies about life in Milwaukee and in small town Maine occupy Cube Critics Euan Kerr and Stephanie Curtis this week.
by Euan Kerr and Stephanie Curtis

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There's little research or regulation on vape products sickening Minnesotans

There's little research or regulation on vape products sickening Minnesotans

It’s unclear what’s behind a rash of serious lung issues that appear to be caused by vaping. But a dearth of research and regulation around the products appears to be part of the problem.
by Cody Nelson

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What happens when Americans lose faith in institutions?

What happens when Americans lose faith in institutions?

Political scientist Julia Azari writes that while American institutions are at the root of today’s political crisis, there are reasons to stay hopeful about U.S. democracy.
by Kerri Miller and Marcheta Fornoff

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Minnesota health officials confirm first death tied to vaping

Minnesota health officials confirm first death tied to vaping

A hospitalized patient older than 65 with an underlying lung disease died from a severe lung injury tied to “vaping illicit THC products,” the Minnesota Department of Health said Friday. This may be the fifth such death in the United States.
by MPR News Staff

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Is Facebook too big? State attorneys general want to know

Is Facebook too big? State attorneys general want to know

Attorneys general from eight states and the District of Columbia have launched a probe into Facebook and its market dominance. The Justice Department has also launched an antitrust review of big tech.
by Jennifer Liberto

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Minnesota first responders no longer headed to North Carolina

Gov. Tim Walz had authorized the emergency response when North Carolina asked for assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid agreement between all 50 states.
by The Associated Press

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Monticello plant guards reach deal to settle lockout

Monticello plant guards reach deal to settle lockout

The agreement opens the door for security workers at the nuclear power plant in central Minnesota to return to work early next week. Replacement guards have been guarding the facility in the meantime.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Can hail come before rain?

One MPR News listener wanted to know. The short answer? Yes, it can.
by Cathy Wurzer

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For health workers struggling with addiction, why are treatment options limited?

For health workers struggling with addiction, why are treatment options limited?

Doctors and nurses are often barred from turning to FDA-approved medications that research shows to be the most effective way to quit. Critics of that policy say stigma is undermining best practice
by Selena Simmons-Duffin

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Audio postcard: Searching for Great Plains ladies’-tresses orchid

Audio postcard: Searching for Great Plains ladies’-tresses orchid

The wildflower season in Minnesota is drawing to a close, but flower spotters Kelly Povo and Phyllis Root report there are still blooms to be found.
by Cathy Wurzer

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The Who performs at the Xcel Energy Center on Friday night

The two surviving members of the original Who lineup, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, will be backed by an orchestra.
by Cathy Wurzer

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A gateway to Greek mythology

“I rarely use the word ‘beautiful’ for fiction,” said bookseller Lillian Schmid. “But this is just really a beautiful novel.”
by Tracy Mumford

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Highway closures, sports traffic top Twin Cities weekend road woes

Highway closures, sports traffic top Twin Cities weekend road woes

Mix together construction closures on I-94 and I-494 with Twins, Vikings and Minnesota United games and you’ve got a recipe for some still life on Twin Cities roads this weekend. Here’s the breakdown.
by MPR News Staff

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Tepid U.S. jobs report adds to economic jitters

Tepid U.S. jobs report adds to economic jitters

The Labor Department says U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in August, less than private analysts had expected. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent.
by Scott Horsley

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Officers ID'd in Brooklyn Center fatal shooting

Officers ID'd in Brooklyn Center fatal shooting

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified three officers involved in a fatal shooting that killed 21-year-old Kobe Dimock-Heisler.
by Alisa Roth and Riham Feshir

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Trump plan for home loans rattles watchdogs

Trump plan for home loans rattles watchdogs

The administration unveiled a plan to reprivatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that has lending advocates worried. But any changes are likely to be gradual.
by Chris Arnold

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In 2 essay collections, writers with disabilities tell their own stories

In 2 essay collections, writers with disabilities tell their own stories

In the anthologies, writers with disabilities show that the reactions, attitudes and systems of our society can be far more harmful than anything their own bodies throw at them.
by Ilana Masad

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GOP retirements spike, diminishing hope of retaking House majority in 2020

GOP retirements spike, diminishing hope of retaking House majority in 2020

Experiencing life in the minority and increasing concerns about the GOP's prospects for retaking control are prompting more departures. Suburban areas remain the key political battlegrounds.
by Deirdre Walsh

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Mr Never Wrong: Storm spat underscores Trump's mindset

Mr Never Wrong: Storm spat underscores Trump's mindset

President Donald Trump's relentless justifications of his erroneous warnings that Hurricane Dorian was threatening Alabama on Sunday, which created days of ridicule and skepticism, are just the latest example of the president's lifelong reluctance to admit an error, no matter how innocuous.
by The Associated Press

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Hurricane Dorian blows just off North Carolina

Hurricane Dorian blows just off North Carolina

Hurricane Dorian continues to scrape the North Carolina coast just offshore, with the worst weather hitting the Outer banks.
by The Associated Press

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In 'Dear Haiti, Love Alaine,' Haiti comes alive as a character

In 'Dear Haiti, Love Alaine,' Haiti comes alive as a character

Sisters Maika and Maritza Moulite tackle heavy issues in this novel about a girl who gets sent to live with her aunt in Haiti, and discovers more than she bargained for about the women of her family.
by Alethea Kontis

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At Walker, a black artist's complex look at beauty, stereotypes, racism

At Walker, a black artist's complex look at beauty, stereotypes, racism

Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates uses his huge collections of objects to create reflection spaces that are sometimes disquieting. That’s clear at his new show in Minneapolis.
by Euan Kerr

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Iowa bets, Minnesota holds on sports gambling

Iowa bets, Minnesota holds on sports gambling

The start of another NFL season has many fans in Minnesota wondering when the state might legalize sports betting. An attempt failed earlier this year, but supporters say they’ll try again next year.
by Tim Pugmire

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Robert Mugabe, veteran president of Zimbabwe, dead at 95

Robert Mugabe, veteran president of Zimbabwe, dead at 95

Mugabe led the nation formerly known as Rhodesia from its independence from Britain in 1980 until 2017. He was once seen as a hero, but his leadership grew increasingly authoritarian.
by Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

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Owner of dive boat where 34 died seeks to head off lawsuits

Owner of dive boat where 34 died seeks to head off lawsuits

The owners of the dive boat where 34 people perished in a fire off Southern California filed a lawsuit Thursday to head off potentially costly litigation, a move condemned by some observers as disrespectful to the families of the dead.
by The Associated Press

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Dad: St. Paul firefighter killed in home served in Iraq, Afghanistan

Dad: St. Paul firefighter killed in home served in Iraq, Afghanistan

The father of the military veteran and St. Paul fire paramedic found dead in his east St. Paul home Monday says his son had post traumatic stress disorder after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, and was compassionate on the job.
by Nina Moini

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Edina mom says elementary school staff 'strip-searched' her son

The mother of a former Countryside Elementary student claims in a lawsuit that staff subjected the second-grader to a "body cavity strip-search."
by Matt Sepic

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