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Stories from June 25, 2020

GOP launches inquiry on police response to protests, riots in Twin Cities

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, said he wants to know what happened. The unrest killed at least one person and left millions of dollars in property damage. It also prompted an announcement by Minneapolis City Council members to launch an effort to end the police department. This is an MPR News evening update for June 25, 2020. Hosted by Megan Burks and Tim Nelson. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
by Megan Burks and Tim Nelson

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'Bear our pain': The plea for more Black mental health workers

'Bear our pain': The plea for more Black mental health workers

Unrest over social injustice spotlights the acute need for, and the high historical barriers to, mental health treatment for Black people facing layers of emotional pain.
by Yuki Noguchi

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Attorney General Barr says DOJ acts independent of Trump interests

Attorney General Barr says DOJ acts independent of Trump interests

In a wide-ranging NPR interview, William Barr defended the Justice Department amid accusations of political interference, including recently in the case of ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn.
by Alana Wise and Miles Parks

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Storms move across Minnesota Thursday night

Showers and storms moving into Minnesota spread across the state, bringing a stormy night.  Wet weather moves out quickly Friday, then the weekend stays relatively quiet.
by Nicole Mitchell

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NASCAR completes noose investigation; can't determine how it got into driver's garage

NASCAR completes noose investigation; can't determine how it got into driver's garage

NASCAR President Steve Phelps acknowledged the investigation's findings prompt another question — how could the noose have gone unnoticed by so many people in October 2019 and this past Sunday morning. The noose wasn't reported to a NASCAR official until late Sunday.
by Tom Goldman

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Funding for key Minneapolis police initiative falls through

Funding for key Minneapolis police initiative falls through

Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said earlier this month that his department was going to engage the services of a Chicago company that markets a data-driven early intervention system to identify problematic officers. The department was working on funding with the Minneapolis Foundation, which has now backed out.
by The Associated Press

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Gov. Walz releases federal coronavirus funding

Gov. Walz releases federal coronavirus funding

Money from the federal CARES Act to aid local governments was held up when the Legislature couldn’t agree during the special session.
by David H. Montgomery

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Epic in an epidemic? How to do summer safely in the COVID-19 era

Epic in an epidemic? How to do summer safely in the COVID-19 era

Minnesotans are stepping out of their homes and into the warm weather as COVID-19 rules ease. The disease, though, is still with us. Here’s how to make sure you don’t become part of the pandemic.
by Sara Porter

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Four ways COVID-19 has hit different parts of Minnesota

Four ways COVID-19 has hit different parts of Minnesota

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched all but one of Minnesota’s 87 counties — but it hasn’t hit all parts of the state equally. Here’s a breakdown of the cumulative cases per capita in each of Minnesota’s major regions.
by David H. Montgomery

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Disney changing Splash Mountain, ride tied to Jim Crow film

Disney changing Splash Mountain, ride tied to Jim Crow film

The Splash Mountain ride at Disney parks in California and Florida is being recast. Disney officials said the ride would no longer be tied to the 1946 movie, “Song of the South," which many view as racist. Instead, the revamped ride will be inspired by the 2009 Disney film, “The Princess and the Frog," which has an African-American female lead.
by The Associated Press

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State utility regulators reaffirm support for Line 3

State utility regulators reaffirm support for Line 3

By a 4-1 vote Thursday, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission denied petitions from several tribes and environmental groups requesting that the commission reconsider its approval of the controversial proposed oil pipeline across northern Minnesota. Those groups are now expected to file challenges at the Minnesota Court of Appeals. 
by Dan Kraker

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Astrophysicist Mario Livio weighs in on science denial then and now

Astrophysicist Mario Livio weighs in on science denial then and now

Science denial has shown up throughout history. We talk with an author who researched the life of Galileo Galilei, the challenges he faced and how it compares to science denial happening today.
by Kerri Miller, Kelly Gordon and Breann Schossow

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Nearly $1.4 billion in coronavirus relief payments sent to dead people

Nearly $1.4 billion in coronavirus relief payments sent to dead people

The improper payments happened due to confusion over whether dead people should receive the payments from the IRS, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.
by Tim Mak

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How interracial couples are navigating conversations about race

How interracial couples are navigating conversations about race

In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and calls for racial equity, how are interracial couples and multiracial families navigating conversations about race and their identity? 
by Angela Davis and Katie Moritz

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Have questions about voting? A law professor tells you 'What you need to know'

Have questions about voting? A law professor tells you 'What you need to know'

In a new book, Kim Wehle explains voting basics. She tells NPR, "if we don't go to the polls to protect democracy itself, it could fail. And I believe that's what's on the ballot in November."
by Rachel Martin

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New lawsuit targets Minnesota's copper-nickel mining rules

New lawsuit targets Minnesota's copper-nickel mining rules

The rules, written in 1993, should be updated to ban mining in the same watershed as the BWCAW, Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters said.

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The Dixie Chicks officially change their name to The Chicks

The Dixie Chicks officially change their name to The Chicks

Grammy-winning country group The Dixie Chicks have dropped the word Dixie from their name, now going by The Chicks. The group made of Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines and Emily Strayer posted a statement on their website saying they wanted to meet “this moment.”
by The Associated Press

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Texas governor hits 'pause' on further reopening, amid COVID-19 surge

Texas governor hits 'pause' on further reopening, amid COVID-19 surge

Gov. Greg Abbott said the temporary measure will help the state "corral the spread" of COVID-19 in Texas, which has seen a sharp rise in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks.
by Laurel Wamsley

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Western Minnesota sees severe weather Thursday

A storm will bring showers, storms and possible severe weather across Minnesota through Friday. Meanwhile, hotter weather returns, keeping temperatures mostly above average through next week.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Agassiz dropped from Fargo-Moorhead greenway project over racist writings

"Unbeknownst to anyone on our project team, Louis Agassiz was a proponent of scientific racism and wrote prolifically on issues of white supremacy in the 1800's," the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments said. It's working on a new name.
by The Associated Press

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Parties — not protests — are causing spikes in coronavirus

Parties — not protests — are causing spikes in coronavirus

Erika Lautenbach, director of the Whatcom County Health Department in Washington state, says protests against police violence aren't among the catalysts for the spread of COVID-19.
by Christianna Silva

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Hot and stormy weather returns

Hot weather returns across much of Minnesota Thursday, and the heat will help fuel severe storms as a weather system begins to push across the state.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Who would be the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine?

Who would be the first to get a COVID-19 vaccine?

First in line are probably people in the country where the first effective vaccine is developed. About a dozen vaccines are in various stages of testing worldwide. Distribution within a country will vary. A system being developed by U.S. officials would likely prioritize people most at risk of severe complications from COVID-19.
by The Associated Press

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SCSU to require masks in campus buildings

The university says the policy will be in place at least through fall semester. MPR News morning update for June 25, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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Review: In 'Athlete A,' an abuse scandal at USA Gymnastics

Review: In 'Athlete A,' an abuse scandal at USA Gymnastics

Few Olympic athletes have been more celebrated in recent years than USA gymnasts. But after "Athlete A," you may never again watch America's pursuit for gold with quite the same enthusiasm.
by The Associated Press

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Art Hounds: Sam Zimmerman's North Shore paintings

Art Hounds: Sam Zimmerman's North Shore paintings

Plus, Art Hounds recommend a Lanesboro-based podcast and the documentary 'Stories I Didn't Know'
by Marianne Combs

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June 25 update on COVID-19 in MN: 1,406 deaths; hospitalizations, ICU cases flat

June 25 update on COVID-19 in MN: 1,406 deaths; hospitalizations, ICU cases flat

The newest counts come a day after officials expressed concerns that many people — especially young adults — aren’t doing enough to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 as they return to social spaces.
by MPR News Staff

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St. Paul council leans toward approving tenant protections this summer

St. Paul council leans toward approving tenant protections this summer

With financial pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic mounting for many Minnesota families, the St. Paul City Council is considering new tenant protections.
by Nina Moini

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PRX special: A Sudden Loss — A memorial to lives lost to COVID-19

PRX special: A Sudden Loss — A memorial to lives lost to COVID-19

More than 120,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. Public radio hosts, past and present, read short eulogies of just some of these people lost to the coronavirus pandemic in the last several months.
by MPR News Staff

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