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Stories from May 7, 2020

A new plan to address COVID-19 in long term care facilities

Total COVID-19 deaths in Minnesota topped 500 for the first time today. MPR News evening update for May 7, 2020. Hosted by Tim Nelson and Britta Greene.

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Freeze warnings; cool bias but warmer next week

Our cool bias continues through early next week. Saturday brings rain and snow showers to Minnesota for the fishing opener. Warmer air returns next week.
by Paul Huttner

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Ask the vet: Quarantine edition

Ask the vet: Quarantine edition

Have your pets been acting differently now that you've been quarantined at home? Like humans, animal friends can feel stressed and anxious, and can feed off our emotional state, too. And now that many of us are spending more time at home, changes to our pets’ routines can be hard. Hear what two veterinarians have to say about why your pet is behaving differently.
by Angela Davis and Karen Zamora

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We asked, you shared: Your favorite memories of watching movies on the big screen

We asked, you shared: Your favorite memories of watching movies on the big screen

Let’s face it: Most of us are spending more time in front of screens right now. But, watching movies at home isn’t the same as experiencing them in theaters surrounded by strangers. We asked film buffs to call in and share memories from their favorite theater screenings.
by Kerri Miller and Marcheta Fornoff

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Will antibodies after COVID-19 illness prevent reinfection?

Will antibodies after COVID-19 illness prevent reinfection?

Scientists don't know whether people who have been exposed to the coronavirus will be immune for life, or if it can infect us again and again, like the common cold.
by Richard Harris

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Legislature agrees on measures to make voting safer

Legislature agrees on measures to make voting safer

The Minnesota Senate passed a bill Thursday that unlocks $17 million in federal funding that will be used to protect polling places from the spread of the coronavirus.
by Brian Bakst

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Great River Energy to end North Dakota coal plant operations

Great River Energy to end North Dakota coal plant operations

Maple Grove-based Great River Energy says it will shut down a large coal-fired power plant in North Dakota and replace it with wind energy. 
by Dan Gunderson

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White House military aide tests positive for coronavirus

White House military aide tests positive for coronavirus

The results sparked immediate concerns about President Trump's possible exposure to COVID-19, but the president has tested negative.
by Barbara Sprunt

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Call to investigate poultry plant as Stearns County COVID-19 cases rise

Call to investigate poultry plant as Stearns County COVID-19 cases rise

Increased testing and outreach efforts in recent weeks have focused on two poultry processing plants in the county. But county and state officials say community transmission also has played a role in spreading the virus — perhaps even more than in Nobles County, where a meat-packing plant has also been a hot spot of COVID-19.
by Kirsti Marohn

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How COVID-19 will change the health care policy debate

How COVID-19 will change the health care policy debate

Health care in the U.S. is expensive, uneven and often inaccessible for the people who need it most. All of those things were true before the pandemic, but will COVID-19 push the debate over health care policy to the forefront?
by Kerri Miller and Elizabeth Dunbar

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U.S. field hospitals stand down, most without treating any COVID-19 patients

U.S. field hospitals stand down, most without treating any COVID-19 patients

Across the U.S., convention centers and empty fields were transformed into emergency field hospitals at a cost to federal taxpayers of more than $660 million. Most haven't treated a single patient.
by Joel Rose

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Daily dose of sweetness: These conductors are on a role for their students

Daily dose of sweetness: These conductors are on a role for their students

The Fergus Falls band director and St. Olaf College’s orchestra conductor both paid tribute to their students by playing or singing all the parts in their respective music videos.
by Nancy Yang

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Essay: A mother's day like no other - or is it?

Essay: A mother's day like no other - or is it?

This Sunday, this Mother’s Day — like so much over the past several months — will be different. For me, the pandemic brought my two adult daughters back to me after years away. For how long I do not know. I do not know much anymore about what comes next. How will we celebrate?
by Chris Graves

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Weekend forecast: Chilly, with rain and snow chances in some areas Saturday

Freezing temperatures are expected across much of Minnesota and western Wisconsin late Thursday night and early Friday morning. We have details on freeze warnings, plus a look at your chilly weekend weather and who may see some snowflakes.
by Ron Trenda

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Alas poor Yorick, how can the show go on?

Alas poor Yorick, how can the show go on?

Even in an industry built on engaging people’s imaginations, it’s hard to picture what theater and other live performances will look like post-pandemic. Theaters and musicians say concerns about keeping audiences and performers safe will slow a return to normalcy.
by Euan Kerr

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Sounds of self-quarantine: Minnesota musicians share how they're doing and a song

Sounds of self-quarantine: Minnesota musicians share how they're doing and a song

Throughout this pandemic, MPR News has been asking Minnesota musicians to send us a song and an update on how they’re doing. Take a scroll and listen to some of the artists we’ve heard from so far.
by Cathy Wurzer and MPR News Staff

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Southern Minnesota under a freeze warning as cold air spreads

Colder air moves across Minnesota Thursday, pushing temperatures below freezing for even southern parts of the state by Friday morning. A weekend weather system will bring light rain and possibly snow.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Trump administration buries detailed CDC advice on reopening

Trump administration buries detailed CDC advice on reopening

The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was supposed to be published last Friday. A CDC employee tells The Associated Press that agency officials were told the report "would never see the light of day." The Trump administration has been closely controlling the CDC's release of information during the coronavirus pandemic.
by The Associated Press

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Face masks make a political statement in era of coronavirus

Face masks make a political statement in era of coronavirus

The mask is increasingly a visual shorthand for a debate pitting those willing to follow health officials' guidance over the coronavirus and cover their faces against those who feel it violates their freedom or buys into a threat they think is overblown.
by The Associated Press

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Three arrested in St. Paul LRT station attack

Video of the incident was posted on social media. It shows a young man kicking a woman in the face.
by Tim Nelson

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3.2 million more are out of work as jobless claims keep piling up

3.2 million more are out of work as jobless claims keep piling up

Another 3.2 million people filed for benefits, bringing the total number of jobs lost during the pandemic to 33.5 million. The government is expected to report a huge jump in unemployment Friday.
by Jim Zarroli

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Cold air starts moving across Minnesota Thursday

Thursday brings the initial taste of some very cold weather that will settle across Minnesota, while dry air continues to elevate the fire risk across the state.
by Nicole Mitchell

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U.S. coronavirus testing still falls short. How's your state doing?

U.S. coronavirus testing still falls short. How's your state doing?

New estimates say the U.S. needs to triple its testing. But how much testing does each state need? Here's how states compare to each other, and to targets experts say they should hit.
by Rob Stein, Carmel Wroth and Alyson Hurt

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MN Senate staffer tests positive for COVID-19

The staff member had helped with contact tracing. MPR News morning update for May 7, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Music in this episode from Blue Dot Sessions – Open Flames & Li Fonte.

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Snowbirds returning to Minnesota find quarantine, wariness — and home

Snowbirds returning to Minnesota find quarantine, wariness — and home

Snowbirds — residents who winter in warmer climes — are making their annual migration back to Minnesota by the thousands. Some are worried about staying healthy during the trip home. And in northern Minnesota, some residents worry that snowbirds could inadvertently bring the virus with them.
by Dan Kraker

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May 7 update on COVID-19 in MN: Deaths top 500, on pace for 1K by June

May 7 update on COVID-19 in MN: Deaths top 500, on pace for 1K by June

Gov. Tim Walz and state health officials Thursday detailed a new “battle plan” to safeguard Minnesotans living in long-term care facilities. They also braced Minnesotans to expect more cases and deaths, and noted the disease is falling harder on people of color.
by MPR News Staff

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Art Hounds: St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour moves online

Art Hounds: St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour moves online

Plus, Art Hounds recommend Leslie Vincent's jazz album and a portrait series of families staying at home.
by Marianne Combs

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Deficit leaves lawmakers with painful math problem

Deficit leaves lawmakers with painful math problem

Now that Minnesota lawmakers have a better idea of the budget problem they're facing, some want to take decisive action quickly to start closing the $2.4 billion projected deficit. But they also don’t know how federal assistance will shake out or how long the pandemic — and the economic fallout — will last.
by Brian Bakst

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The First Family of Radio: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's Historic Broadcasts

The First Family of Radio: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's Historic Broadcasts

This APM Reports documentary, "The First Family of Radio: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's Historic Broadcasts," features rarely heard archival audio and explores how the Roosevelts revolutionized political communication in America.
by MPR News Staff

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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discharged from hospital

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discharged from hospital

Ginsburg, who was treated for a gallbladder infection, was released on Wednesday. Monday through Wednesday, she participated remotely in the first Supreme Court hearings not held in person.
by Hannah Hagemann

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Make that at-home trim a little less hairy with a virtual salon visit

Make that at-home trim a little less hairy with a virtual salon visit

Hunkered down but still hair conscious? Stylists and barbers are now guiding people through DIY cuts via video chat. The in-demand service provides otherwise laid-off workers with some income.
by Kat Lonsdorf

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