Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

Stories from December 29, 2020

Minneapolis announces changes to police misconduct investigations

Minneapolis announces changes to police misconduct investigations

The city of Minneapolis is beefing up its investigations into allegations of police misconduct in an effort to ensure that officers who are fired by the department don’t get their jobs back. But proponents for police reform say the changes don’t go far enough.
by Jon Collins and The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Mpls. mayor promises better investigations of complaints against cops

Mayor Jacob Frey announced Tuesday that civilian and internal affairs complaints against police officers will now be more thoroughly investigated. An MPR News investigation found that about half of fired Minnesota police officers get their jobs back through the state arbitration system. This is the MPR News afternoon update for Dec. 29, 2020. Hosted by Dan Kraker. Theme music by Gary Meister.
by Dan Kraker

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Mpls. council member says it's time to reopen George Floyd's Square

Mpls. council member says it's time to reopen George Floyd's Square

Minneapolis City Council member Andrea Jenkins, who represents the area where George Floyd was killed, says she wants the intersection reopened to the public.
by Riham Feshir

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
First reported U.S. case of COVID-19 variant found in Colorado

First reported U.S. case of COVID-19 variant found in Colorado

The first reported U.S. case of the COVID-19 variant that’s been seen in the United Kingdom has been discovered in Colorado. The state’s Gov. Jared Polis and health officials announced Tuesday that the case was found in a man in his 20s who's in isolation and has no travel history.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Feds decline charges against officers in Tamir Rice case

Feds decline charges against officers in Tamir Rice case

The Justice Department says it cannot bring federal criminal charges against two Cleveland police officers for the 2014 fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, whose death became a national symbol in the Black Lives Matter movement.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
In the midst of a pandemic, an adoptee connects with her birth father

In the midst of a pandemic, an adoptee connects with her birth father

Just as Susan McCrea was getting to know her birth father, the pandemic hit. But despite a virus that prevented her from spending more time with her relatives in person, she says she's never felt more connected — to her roots, and to her family, old and new. 
by Catharine Richert

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
MPR News' Photos of the Year: 2020

MPR News' Photos of the Year: 2020

There was no shortage of photographs to be made this year. Our photographers worked through an unprecedented year to bring you the moments that made 2020 in Minnesota.
by Evan Frost and Christine T. Nguyen

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
New U.S. dietary guidelines: No candy, cake for kids under 2

New U.S. dietary guidelines: No candy, cake for kids under 2

The first U.S. government dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers recommend feeding only breast milk for at least six months and giving no added sugar to children younger than 2.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
What’s in the new pandemic relief bill?

What’s in the new pandemic relief bill?

Congress passed a new stimulus package and President Trump signed it into law. MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke to an economist and political scientist about why it took so long and whether it’s enough to keep pandemic battered workers and small businesses afloat through winter.
by Kerri Miller

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Wiser resolutions? Lessons from COVID's unfulfilled ones

Wiser resolutions? Lessons from COVID's unfulfilled ones

Remember those early-quarantine resolutions? Those of us lucky enough to have down time imagined tackling big projects and learning new skills. Often those things didn't get done because, well, 2020. Experts say that's to be expected.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
MPR News reporters reflect on covering a pandemic

MPR News reporters reflect on covering a pandemic

The pandemic presented a range of challenges for journalists in 2020. Guest host and reporter Brandt Williams talks with several fellow MPR News reporters who reported on various aspects of the pandemic and take your suggestions for what stories we should cover in the new year.
by Brandt Williams and Katie Moritz

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
U.S. home prices rise at fastest pace in more than 6 years

U.S. home prices rise at fastest pace in more than 6 years

U.S. home prices jumped in October by the most in more than six years as a pandemic-fueled buying rush drives the number of available properties for sale to record lows.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
6.3 earthquake kills 7 in Croatia, leaves others missing

6.3 earthquake kills 7 in Croatia, leaves others missing

Officials said a 12-year-old girl died in Petrinja, a town of some 25,000 people. Croatia's state broadcaster reported that another six people were killed in nearby villages. Authorities say at least 26 people were hospitalized with injuries and many more remain unaccounted for.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
New book details Prince's life 'on and off the record'

New book details Prince's life 'on and off the record'

Neal Karlen’s new memoir "This Thing Called Life: Prince’s Odyssey On and Off the Record," details a complicated relationship with a complex man.
by Euan Kerr

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
A winter storm hits Minnesota with up to 6 inches of snow

A winter storm hits Minnesota with up to 6 inches of snow

A winter storm brings snow across the state Tuesday into early Wednesday, with the highest accumulations in southern Minnesota.  Most of the state is under a winter weather advisory. The second half of the week turns much quieter, with a seasonable start to the new year.
by Nicole Mitchell

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Another legislative session looms on Zoom

Minnesota legislators return to action next Tuesday to begin putting together a massive two-year state budget under the restrictions of COVID-19 protocols at the Capitol that took hold last March. This is an MPR News morning update for Tuesday, December 29, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

'It gives us a little more time': Austin restaurants get boost with help from hometown Hormel

Hormel Foods has been buying meals by the hundreds from local restaurants during the pandemic. It’s part of a program the company has established to thank its employees with the occasional lunch and support the economy in Austin.
by Hannah Yang

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Dec. 29 update on COVID-19 in MN: 36 deaths; new daily cases fall below 1K

Dec. 29 update on COVID-19 in MN: 36 deaths; new daily cases fall below 1K

It was the first time since early October that new daily case counts fell below 1,000, but it came on low testing, making it difficult to draw any conclusions. Meanwhile, the death toll continues to climb.
by MPR News Staff

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Religion, abortion, guns and race. Just the start of a new Supreme Court menu

Religion, abortion, guns and race. Just the start of a new Supreme Court menu

Conservatives now have a 6-to-3 majority — a vote to spare on any given issue. Experts expect the new majority to move aggressively on an agenda more conservative than any seen since the 1930s.
by Nina Totenberg

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Trump's $2,000 checks stalls in Senate as GOP blocks vote

Trump's $2,000 checks stalls in Senate as GOP blocks vote

With Republican senators deeply split over new spending, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked a swift vote proposed by Democrats. But the next steps are highly uncertain, and it's quite possible no bill passes. The Democratic-led House has already approved the larger checks.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
As state COVID-19 relief goes out, some will miss out

As state COVID-19 relief goes out, some will miss out

The way the relief program was designed means that some restaurants won’t qualify for initial checks because their sales didn’t drop steeply enough, despite their falloff in revenue due to state restrictions.
by Brian Bakst

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Little Falls bus driver who delivered meals now awaits students' return

Little Falls bus driver who delivered meals now awaits students' return

Back in March, when COVID-19 forced schools to shut down, Melanie Van Alst delivered meals — and sometimes homework — to homebound students who attend Little Falls Community Schools. But in November, when COVID-19 cases spiked in the region, the district switched to distance learning, and bus drivers were no longer needed.
by Kirsti Marohn

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Another legislative session looms on Zoom

Another legislative session looms on Zoom

Lawmakers have been working remotely for months due to the pandemic, but the increased workload of a budget session presents new challenges that still need to be worked out, including how members of the public can interact with lawmakers.
by Tim Pugmire

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
U.S. announces new rules for drones and their operators

U.S. announces new rules for drones and their operators

Drones represent the fastest-growing segment in the entire transportation sector. Companies such as Amazon, Walmart, and UPS have started testing drones to deliver goods to customers.
by Jaclyn Diaz

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
A Brief History of Women in Bars: A Minnesota Story in Three Rounds

A Brief History of Women in Bars: A Minnesota Story in Three Rounds

The 18th Amendment marked the start of Prohibition and the 19th Amendment granted many women the right to vote. In this new documentary, Katie Thornton looks at how the state’s temperance movement set the stage for its women’s suffrage movement.
by MPR News Staff

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Columbus, Ohio, officer who shot and killed Andre Hill is fired

Columbus, Ohio, officer who shot and killed Andre Hill is fired

"This is what accountability looks like," Police Chief Tom Quinlan said Monday. "Mr. [Adam] Coy will now have to answer to the state investigators for the death of Andre Hill."
by Vanessa Romo

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
South Mpls. poet stirs the imagination with poem about police reform

South Mpls. poet stirs the imagination with poem about police reform

Junauda Petrus is an activist, experimental performance artist and filmmaker. Petrus wrote the poem "Give The Police Department to the Grandmothers" after Michael Brown was fatally shot by a Ferguson, Mo., police officer in 2014. 
by Maya Edmonds and Freya Hauer

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Biden faults 'roadblocks' as his team manages transition from Trump

Biden faults 'roadblocks' as his team manages transition from Trump

The president-elect says his advisers have encountered some obstacles as they try to get a sense of the national security and budget postures of the nation ahead of Inauguration Day.
by Philip Ewing

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Line 3 opponents file federal suit to try to block the pipeline

Line 3 opponents file federal suit to try to block the pipeline

Two nonprofit groups and two Ojibwe bands have filed a lawsuit in federal court trying to halt construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project.
by Dan Kraker

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
House rejects Trump's defense bill veto in highly unusual vote

House rejects Trump's defense bill veto in highly unusual vote

Members of Congress voted to override President Donald Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, which had passed overwhelmingly in both parties. The Senate's next moves are unclear.
by Philip Ewing

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!