Stories from December 26, 2020

Sunday snow; potential winter storm on Tuesday
We’ll see some Sunday flakes, along with typical late-December temps. We have details on that, plus a look at the week ahead, including a potential winter storm for Tuesday into early Wednesday.
Barry Lopez, acclaimed author who tied people to place, dies at 75
Barry Lopez — who won a National Book Award in 1986 for “Arctic Dreams” — wrote about his travels to remote places. But his writings aren't just travelogues; they remind us of how precious life on Earth is, and of our responsibility to care for it. Lopez died Friday at age 75.
Gingerbread monolith delights San Francisco on Christmas Day
The three-sided, nearly 7-foot-tall gingerbread tower, held together by icing and decorated with a few gumdrops, delighted the city on Friday when word spread about its existence.
Unemployment benefits expire for millions as Trump refuses to sign relief bill
Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet lapsed overnight as President Donald Trump refused to sign an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill that had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections.
FBI at home of possible person of interest in Nashville bombing
Federal agents converged Saturday on the home of a possible person of interest in the explosion that rocked downtown Nashville as investigators scoured hundreds of tips and leads in the blast that pulverized city blocks on Christmas morning and damaged dozens of buildings.
Scientists have found some truly ancient ice, but now they want ice that's even older
Ice is usually ephemeral; it doesn't last that long before melting. But some ice on our planet has stayed frozen for millions of years. Scientists searching for it hope tiny bubbles of air trapped in the ice will give a snapshot of the atmosphere millions of years ago.
Temperatures are now returning to normal. If you’re hoping for more snow, you won’t have to wait very long. We have details on the Sunday snow, plus a bigger snowstorm that could hit us mid-week.
How worried should we be about the new U.K. coronavirus variant?
Mathematical modeling suggests that the mutations in this variant make the virus more transmissible. What does that mean for preventive measures — and the new vaccines?
We’ll be a few degrees warmer today, and winds will be light. Parts of western Minnesota have a dense fog advisory until mid-morning.
One-of-a-kind shelter helps traumatized dogs learn to trust humans again
The ASPCA's Behavioral Rehabilitation Center works with severely fearful dogs rescued from puppy mills and hoarders. The shelter has an 87 percent success rate in rehabilitating undersocialized dogs.
Dec. 26 update on COVID-19 in MN: New cases, positivity rate decrease slowly as deadly month continues
The average number of new COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions each day has been trending downward in Minnesota this month. The rolling seven-day average number of COVID deaths is slowly ebbing, too, but remains startlingly high: Nearly 55 a day.