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Stories from December 16, 2020

‘We need our own people to provide info': Nonprofit promotes COVID awareness, testing in east St. Paul

‘We need our own people to provide info': Nonprofit promotes COVID awareness, testing in east St. Paul

Door-knocking campaign organized by Horn of Africa Community of USA leads to three days of testing this month at a neighborhood school. Youth group members and volunteers fanned out to apartments, halal butcher shops, mosques and restaurants to provide information and encourage testing.

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Decriminalization trend means 1 in 3 Americans now lives in a state where marijuana is legal

Decriminalization trend means 1 in 3 Americans now lives in a state where marijuana is legal

Kerri Miller spoke to a marijuana regulator and a drug policy researcher about decriminalizing marijuana and the steps some states are taking to address racial equity through changes to drug law. 
by Kerri Miller and Maja Beckstrom

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Alleged Boogaloo member pleads guilty to terrorism charge

Alleged Boogaloo member pleads guilty to terrorism charge

Prosecutors say Benjamin Ryan Teeter of Hampstead, N.C., traveled to Minneapolis during protests following the death of George Floyd. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
by The Associated Press

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Alaska woman has allergic reaction to COVID vaccine; health officials track safety

Alaska woman has allergic reaction to COVID vaccine; health officials track safety

As COVID-19 vaccinations roll out, health authorities are keeping close watch for any unexpected side effects. Doctors already knew to be on the lookout for severe allergic reactions like an Alaska health worker suffered after receiving the Pfizer vaccine Tuesday.
by The Associated Press

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Report: Native American women, girls suffer more violence

Report: Native American women, girls suffer more violence

A task force has found that Native American women and girls are far more likely than other Minnesota residents to be victims of homicide, go missing or experience others forms of violence.
by The Associated Press

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Walz turns back the COVID dial, but many still aren't happy

Walz turns back the COVID dial, with a plan to start reopening schools in mid January, but many are still unhappy and some say they’ll defy the orders. This is an evening news update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.

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How to have a more environmentally friendly holiday

How to have a more environmentally friendly holiday

The holidays are filled with beautifully wrapped gifts, colorful string lights and delicious food. Most of these items will end up in the trash and head straight for a landfill. Here’s a guide on how you can have a more sustainable holiday.
by Darian Leddy

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Appetites: Share the richness of holiday breads

Appetites: Share the richness of holiday breads

Has this been the year you refined your baking skills? If the pandemic has meant you've been perfecting your bread making, cookbook author Beth Dooley is back with us with some ideas for holiday breads.
by Tom Crann and Kyle Shiely

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How medical racism created vaccine distrust

How medical racism created vaccine distrust

Host Angela Davis talked with two doctors focused on racial equity in health care about the intersection of medicine and race, and what the medical community is doing to rebuild trust within communities of color.
by Angela Davis and Katie Moritz

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Minnesota elementary schools can reopen Jan. 18

Minnesota elementary schools can reopen Jan. 18

Gov. Tim Walz is giving elementary schools across the state the green light to reopen next month if they adopt a number of strategies to contain the spread of the coronavirus. It’s a shift from previous policy, which required districts to rely on county-level data about the level of virus transmission in their communities to guide their reopening plans.
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Pattern change ahead: From mild to wild Christmas week?

Pattern change ahead: From mild to wild on Christmas week? Much colder air and possible snow heading for Minnesota Christmas week.
by Paul Huttner

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Walz's newest COVID-19 order: 7 questions, answered

Walz's newest COVID-19 order: 7 questions, answered

Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday he is extending some of the restrictions on businesses and social gathering that went into effect ahead of Thanksgiving. Other restrictions will ease or be lifted. Here’s what you need to know.
by Dan Kraker

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From ‘schoolmarm’ to sentry: Mpls. teacher responds to George Floyd killing

From ‘schoolmarm’ to sentry: Mpls. teacher responds to George Floyd killing

A teacher who’s spent 22 years holding teenagers in line at Roosevelt High School in south Minneapolis threw out all the rules when this summer’s social justice uprising arrived in her backyard. 
by Megan Burks

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Another major snowstorm misses Minnesota

Temperatures have returned above average across Minnesota and now stay mild into next week.  Meanwhile, the pattern that has limited our precipitation for the last month continues.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Report: Mpls. police disciplinary records detail pattern of mismanagement

Journalist Tony Webster and the Minnesota Reformer analyzed Minneapolis police disciplinary records and found the system for managing officer performance and misconduct has contributed to the difficulty city officials complain about when they want to fire bad cops.
by Cathy Wurzer and Tim Nelson

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Dozens arrested in Minneapolis carjacking crackdown

Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office collaborated in a three-day campaign, which included use of a State Patrol helicopter.
by Tim Nelson

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Scores of private charitable foundations got Paycheck Protection Program money

Scores of private charitable foundations got Paycheck Protection Program money

Scores of private charitable foundations linked to some of the nation's wealthiest people received money from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. Critics say they didn't need a taxpayer subsidy.
by Sacha Pfeiffer

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VocalEssence pushes forward with annual Christmas concert

VocalEssence pushes forward with annual Christmas concert

Like so many holiday traditions, VocalEssence’s annual “Welcome Christmas” concert looks very different this year. Associate conductor Phillip Shoultz spoke with Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer about the production.
by Cathy Wurzer

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Above average temperatures return Wednesday

Milder weather returns Wednesday, along with another light snow chance across northern Minnesota. 
by Nicole Mitchell

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'I'm going to be able to hug my mom again': COVID vaccine arrives first for Native nations in Minn.

'I'm going to be able to hug my mom again': COVID vaccine arrives first for Native nations in Minn.

As the coronavirus vaccine makes its way to states and tribal nations across the country, health care workers on reservations across Minnesota were among the first to be vaccinated. The director of the federal Indian Health Service visited the White Earth Nation Tuesday to see the vaccine distribution in action.
by Dan Gunderson

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Walz to extend in-person dining pause through holidays

Gov. Tim Walz is expected to lay out the next steps in the state’s COVID-19 response Wednesday, with an eye toward mitigating what has become the rampant spread of the pandemic across Minnesota. This is an MPR News morning update for Wednesday, December 16, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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Walz extends curbs on bars, eateries; grade schools OK'd to reopen

Walz extends curbs on bars, eateries; grade schools OK'd to reopen

“It would be so much easier if none of this was happening … if the neighbors weren't dying. But that's not reality,” Gov. Tim Walz told reporters after announcing restrictions on indoor bar and restaurant service would continue through Jan. 10.
by Brian Bakst and MPR News Staff

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Light shows, virtual ballets and yes, Dickens: A pandemic guide to holiday festivities

Light shows, virtual ballets and yes, Dickens: A pandemic guide to holiday festivities

There will be no in-person “Christmas Carol” at the Guthrie Theater this year, and Clara and the nutcracker will only be visiting the Land of Sweets in our dreams (or on our screens). While 2020’s celebrations may be at a distance, there are still plenty of opportunities for festive holiday activities. Here are a few ideas.
by Madison Moroder and MPR News Staff

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Climate One series year-end review: Climate change in a year of many crises

Climate One series year-end review: Climate change in a year of many crises

For the first time ever, climate change helped to galvanize a record number of voters to elect Joe Biden to the Presidency. How has the focus on climate change shifted in a year shaped by multiple social and economic crises? In this special episode, host Greg Dalton looks back at the climate stories of 2020.
by MPR News Staff

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Census estimates U.S. population as high as 336 million ahead of actual count

Census estimates U.S. population as high as 336 million ahead of actual count

The Census Bureau has yet to release the 2020 census results, which are undergoing quality checks. Based on government records, it estimates the population has grown by as much as 8.7 percent since 2010.
by Hansi Lo Wang

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