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Stories from August 13, 2020

Photos: Fans fill Target Field with their likenesses — and a little levity — during pandemic

Photos: Fans fill Target Field with their likenesses — and a little levity — during pandemic

Twins staff are installing fan-submitted cutouts to help this pandemic baseball season feel a little less lonely, if not a bit more bizarre.
by Tom Crann, Megan Burks and Christine T. Nguyen

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Activist faces felony charge in June Columbus statue toppling

Mike Forcia, with the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Indian Movement helped put a rope around the statue’s neck and led the group that pulled down the bronze figure, as Minnesota state troopers looked on. Also, the national battle over mail and absentee ballots will have a legal skirmish in St. Paul next month. This is an MPR News update for Thurs., Aug. 13. Hosted by Tim Nelson.
by Tim Nelson

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Audio postcard: In search of a rare primrose

Audio postcard: In search of a rare primrose

We have been getting periodic reports from Minnesota wildflower chasers Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo, telling us where to hunt for wildflowers this spring and summer. Their latest dispatch is from Helen Allison Savanna Scientific and Natural Area in East Bethel, Minnesota.

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A changing of the guard among Minnesota's climate leaders

A changing of the guard among Minnesota's climate leaders

Scientist Heidi Roop is replacing Mark Seeley at the University of Minnesota Department of Soil, Water, and Climate.
by Paul Huttner

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Activist charged in toppling of Minnesota Columbus statue

Activist charged in toppling of Minnesota Columbus statue

A Minnesota prosecutor charged an Indigenous activist with a felony on Friday in the toppling of a Christopher Columbus statue on state Capitol grounds during a rally weeks after the death of George Floyd.
by The Associated Press and Marianne Combs

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Trump campaign sues key Iowa counties over absentee mailings

Trump campaign sues key Iowa counties over absentee mailings

President Donald Trump's reelection campaign has sued two Democratic-leaning Iowa counties that are making it easy to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to invalidate tens of thousands of voters' absentee ballot applications.
by The Associated Press

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Trump says UAE to open diplomatic ties with Israel

Trump says UAE to open diplomatic ties with Israel

The United Arab Emirates and Israel have agreed to establish full diplomatic ties as part of a deal to halt the annexation of occupied land sought by the Palestinians for their future state, President Donald Trump said Thursday.
by The Associated Press

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Minnesota Supreme Court will review absentee ballot case

Minnesota Supreme Court will review absentee ballot case

Swift consideration of a legal challenge to revised rules is planned because absentee voting for the November election begins on Sept. 18.
by Brian Bakst

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Significant severe weather targets Minnesota

A strong cold front brings a severe weather and heavy rain risk through Friday followed by noticeably cooler weather.
by Nicole Mitchell

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What growing diversity in the state Legislature means for Minnesota politics

The current class of state lawmakers is the most diverse in Minnesota history, and it looks possible that November's elections will only further that trend. University of Minnesota political science professor Michael Minta joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to talk about what this could mean for state politics.
by Cathy Wurzer

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Trump's methane rollback that Big Oil doesn't want

Trump's methane rollback that Big Oil doesn't want

The rule would end Obama-era restrictions on emissions of methane, a potent climate-warming gas. The move could make it harder to argue that natural gas is a cleaner-burning fossil fuel than coal.
by Jeff Brady

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U.S. jobless claims fall below 1 million but remain high

U.S. jobless claims fall below 1 million but remain high

The Labor Department said that applications fell to 963,000, the second straight drop, from 1.2 million the previous week. The decline suggests that layoffs are slowing, though last week's figure is still above the pre-pandemic record of just under 700,000. 
by The Associated Press

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Severe weather targets northern Minnesota Thursday

Most of Thursday will be warm, humid and dry, but the evening turns active as severe weather starts making its way across northern Minnesota.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Republican-controlled Senate fires Walz commissioner

In a slap to DFL Gov. Tim Walz, the Republican-controlled Senate voted 34 to 32 Wednesday to reject the confirmation of Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Nancy Leppink — meaning she is out of a job.  Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said Leppink, who had led the agency since February 2019, had not done a good job. This is an MPR News morning update, hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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A new children's album celebrates kids who identify as transgender and nonbinary

A new children's album celebrates kids who identify as transgender and nonbinary

Noel King speaks to music therapist and musician Julie Be of the group Ants on a Log about a new all-star children's album that celebrates kids who are transgender and nonbinary.
by Noel King and Barry Gordemer

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Art Hounds celebrates new work by artists of all ages

Art Hounds celebrates new work by artists of all ages

Theater and visual works focus on the pandemic, artists of color and Black Lives Matter, from a stream by the Illusion Theater to a St. Paul artist’s portfolio available on Facebook. And the student-led StoryArk Festival takes place Sunday.
by Emily Bright

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COVID-19 and college: Professors say they worry about students and their families

COVID-19 and college: Professors say they worry about students and their families

Universities and colleges have different plans for returning to teaching this fall, and there are specific needs for many classroom settings. As faculty and instructors prepare to teach, they worry about their students and their families.
by Peter Cox

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Climate change, the environmental movement and racism

Climate change, the environmental movement and racism

Air pollution, severe weather and the economic upheaval brought on by climate change has a serious impact on people of color and their communities, yet their voices are often left out of policy responses and market solutions. Can there be a green movement that is inclusive and actively anti-racist?
by MPR News Staff

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Republican-controlled Senate fires Walz commissioner

Republican-controlled Senate fires Walz commissioner

Minnesota Senate Republicans took aim at DFL Gov. Tim Walz during the third special session of the summer by voting to fire Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Nancy Leppink.
by Tim Pugmire

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