Stories from December 19, 2020

Searching for flakes? We have details on who will see some snow Sunday night and Monday morning. We’ll also have temperature trends for the coming week. Your warmest coat will feel good on Thursday!
Congress stuck, again, in quest to pass COVID relief
Congressional leaders returned to familiar ground Saturday, digging in on opposite sides of a stalemate over a coronavirus relief package they all say is badly needed to help struggling Americans.
Biden introduces his climate team, says 'no time to waste'
Just as the United States has needed a unified, national response to COVID-19, it needs one for dealing with climate change, President-elect Joe Biden said Saturday as he rolled out key members of his environmental team.
General sorry for 'miscommunication' over vaccine shipments to states
The Army general in charge of getting COVID-19 vaccines across the United States apologized on Saturday for “miscommunication” with states over the number of doses to be delivered in the early stages of distribution.
Trump downplays Russia connection in first comments on cyberattack
Contradicting his secretary of state and other top officials, President Donald Trump on Saturday suggested without evidence that China — not Russia — may be behind the cyberattack against the United States and tried to minimize its impact.
U.K. nixes Christmas gatherings, shuts London shops over virus
Families must cancel their Christmas gatherings and most shops have to close in London and much of southern England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Saturday as he imposed a new, stricter level of coronavirus restrictions on the region to curb rapidly spreading infections.
AP: States spent more than $7 billion competing for supplies in early days of pandemic
The analysis shows how much states were spending during a chaotic spring when inadequate national stockpiles left states scrambling for hard-to-get supplies. Much of the buying happened outside normal competitive bidding procedures.
We have a few mild days on tap, but then our temperatures will plummet. We have details on that, plus a look at snow chances and ice safety.
StoryCorps: RBG told this plaintiff in a gender equality case that 'it's all right to be a hero'
Sharron Cohen was the plaintiff in a case that eventually fell to a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And Cohen says that years later, Ginsberg encouraged her to embrace her part in the landmark case. "She stepped up and hugged me and said, 'It's all right to be a hero.' "
Pompeo: Russia 'pretty clearly' behind massive SolarWinds cyberattack
The secretary of state became the highest-ranking Trump administration official to blame Russia for the vast hack that hit at least half a dozen federal agencies.
Missing your loved ones over the holidays? International students offer a few lessons
For many people, this is the first year they'll spend the holidays and other milestones apart from family, due to COVID-19. That's something students studying in the U.S. from overseas know all about.
Dec. 19 update on COVID-19 in MN: December now Minnesota's deadliest month of pandemic
Despite some hopeful trends in new cases and hospitalizations, the Health Department reported 57 more COVID-19 deaths on Saturday — pushing December’s death toll to 1,187 with more than 10 days left to go. It’s now Minnesota’s deadliest month of the pandemic.
Minn. Sen. Jerry Relph dies of COVID-19 complications
State Sen. Jerry Relph died Friday following a month-long hospitalization. He tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a post-election party with other Republican senators in November. 
As Hanukkah ends, rabbi focuses on the power of light in a dark year
In a year of darkness, Rabbi Shloime Greene says the lights of the menorah take on even greater significance. That’s why he organized drive-through menorah lightings in three southern Minnesota cities.
'A ray of hope': Vaccines should roll out soon in Minnesota long-term care facilities
As Minnesota health care workers receive the initial doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, residents of long-term care facilities are next in line to start receiving those shots — perhaps by the end of the month.