Stories from November 6, 2020

November started with record warmth in Minnesota. Next week the other weather shoe drops with a thud.
Coronavirus FAQs: Should I Purell my nostrils? Can Lysol disinfect the air?
Can rubbing hand sanitizer inside the nostrils help reduce infection? Can spraying Lysol in a room every hour or so disinfect the air? Plus: A primer on how to use hand sanitizer effectively.
A former Minneapolis police officer has been charged with federal civil rights violations along with multiple counts of extortion and acquiring drugs. Prosecutors say Ty Jindra abused his position as a Minneapolis police officer to obtain controlled substances, including meth, heroine and cocaine from September 2017 through October 2019.
A North Dakota child with the coronavirus has been confirmed to have a rare condition that causes inflammation in different parts of the body. State health officials say the child was discharged from the hospital and is resting at home.
Minnesota's US Attorney's office Friday announced new charges against two men who are part of an anti-government group, the Boogaloo Bois. This is an MPR News afternoon update for Nov. 6, 2020. Hosted by Nina Moini. Theme music by Gary Meister.
In historic move, Colorado voters decide to reintroduce gray wolves
The move challenges a long tradition of leaving wildlife management to governments, not the public. But the vote was narrow, reflecting many people's serious concerns about bringing wolves back.
High voter turnout a sign of fraud? Not really
Some charges circulating on social media say high voter turnout in specific areas of Minnesota is evidence of election fraud favoring Joe Biden. Actually, the turnout numbers are not unusual, and there were similar high turnouts in places where President Donald Trump won a big share of the vote.
During the pandemic, Minnesota school levy requests hit a 24-year low
Minnesota K-12 districts received low voter approval on school funding requests in an unprecedented presidential election year. Already cash-strapped schools are worried about the potential for more financial strain.
Walz names Robert Doty as Minnesota's chief tax collector
Gov. Tim Walz has promoted Robert Doty as Minnesota's next revenue commissioner. Doty is currently an assistant commissioner. He replaces Cynthia Bauerly, who stepped down last month after six years as Minnesota's chief tax collector, a longer tenure than any previous revenue commissioner.
A ‘weather roller coaster’ into November
November is off to a balmy start in Minnesota, after an October that cracked records for cold and snow.
Weekend forecast: Winds pick up; warm temps in most areas
Unusually warm temperatures will stay with us through the weekend. We have your weekend forecast details, including who may see some showers Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening.
New charges announced in ‘Boogaloo Bois’ case in Minneapolis
A superseding indictment alleges two men affiliated with the anti-government group wanted to provide fully automatic weapons to members of the militant group Hamas.
ChangeMakers: David Glass challenges appropriation of Native imagery, culture in sports
David Glass, 69, has been fighting for the dignity and rights of Indigenous communities for decades. He has been working with the National Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media for more than 30 years to lobby sports teams to drop racist and offensive names and to stop using depictions of Indigenous people as mascots.
What this election tells us about who we are as Americans
Kerri Miller reflects with listeners and an anthropologist about what the election and the vote reveal about our nation’s values. 
Survey: Trump wins white evangelicals, Catholics split
President Donald Trump won support from about 8 in 10 white evangelical Protestant voters in his race for reelection. That's according to the AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 110,000 voters nationwide. 
How a backyard chicken flock and a wild turkey taught a family about unity during a week of division
This year’s tumultuous election and the country’s growing division have led some people to worry that their relationships with friends and family members on opposite sides of partisan lines may never recover. One Minnesota family thinks the country could learn an important lesson from their backyard chicken flock.
Very warm weather continues through the weekend; sharply colder next week
The upcoming weather pattern is rather simple: our November heat wave will continue through the upcoming weekend with gusty southerly breezes, to be followed by dramatically colder temperatures beginning early next week. Periods of rain are likely during the transition from Sunday night into Monday.
Unemployment drops, but pandemic surge clouds hopes for recovery
U.S. employers added 638,000 jobs last month, as the unemployment rate dipped to 6.9 percent. A winter spike in coronavirus infections threatens to further weaken job growth.
CDC report: Officials knew coronavirus test was flawed but released it anyway
An unreleased CDC review obtained by NPR shows that lab officials knew an early coronavirus test kit had a high failure rate. They decided not to recall it and sent it to the nation's labs anyway.
Chief health officer Stephanie Smiley announced her resignation Thursday, saying she has a new job outside of state government and needs to focus on her health. Smiley is the second Wisconsin state health officer to resign in the past six months. This is an MPR News morning update for November 6, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
Record warmth likely Friday; very warm weekend, then much colder
Warmer air blowing into Minnesota from the south will treat the state to more unseasonable warmth for Friday and into the weekend. Temperatures will crash to below normal early next week.
'The wave is coming up upon us': Critical care doctors already feeling effects of COVID surge
As COVID-19 cases surge around the state, Minnesota hospitals are nearly full. Doctors working on the front lines of the pandemic say it’s just a matter of time before the system is in crisis.
Fact check: Trump fabricates election corruption
President Donald Trump has produced no evidence of systemic problems in voting or counting. In fact, the ballot-counting process across the country has been running smoothly for the most part, even with the U.S. in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden on cusp of presidency after gains in Pennsylvania
Democrat Joe Biden has overtaken President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and Georgia. That puts Biden on the cusp of winning the presidency since the election hinges on the outcome of tight contests in those battleground states. 
COVID-19 in MN: Record daily cases, deaths, tests; hospitalizations top 1K
Friday’s numbers offered a startling confirmation of the repeated warnings from public health authorities over the past month that the disease was spreading rampantly. One key state health official implored Minnesotans: “You have got to make changes.”
Longtime Rep. Jim Ramstad, a champion for addiction help, has died
Jim Ramstad, a nine-term Minnesota congressman who retired in 2009, died at age 74. He was known as a political moderate and a champion for people coping with alcoholism and addiction.