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Stories from December 31, 2020

Quiet weather as 2021 begins; top 5 weather events of 2020

We’re in for a quiet stretch of weather as we start 2021. I have details on that, plus a look at the top five Minnesota weather events of 2020.
by Ron Trenda

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Wisconsin hospital worker arrested for spoiled vaccine doses

Wisconsin hospital worker arrested for spoiled vaccine doses

Authorities have arrested a suburban Milwaukee pharmacist suspected of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing it from refrigeration for two nights.
by The Associated Press

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'This circle is about healing’: Gardener sees himself as caretaker of the energy at George Floyd’s Square

'This circle is about healing’: Gardener sees himself as caretaker of the energy at George Floyd’s Square

Jay Webb is a caretaker and organizer who worked on creating the garden around the “Black Power” fist sculpture at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. Webb gives his perspective about the emotional connections that take place in George Floyd’s Square, and the healing properties it provides.
by Laurel Bandy and William Domeier

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Prosecutors ask for delay in Floyd trial, citing COVID-19 concerns

Prosecutors ask for delay in Floyd trial, citing COVID-19 concerns

In a document filed Thursday, prosecutors are asking that the trial start on June 7, about three months later than its originally scheduled date, saying the delay is in the best interest of public health.
by Brandt Williams

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Comic: How your state gets power via the census (and what Trump wants to change)

Comic: How your state gets power via the census (and what Trump wants to change)

A little-known process determines your state's representation in Congress and the Electoral College. Trump wants to try to change it by excluding unauthorized immigrants for the first time in history.
by Connie Hanzhang Jin and Hansi Lo Wang

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Can vaccine myths spreading on social media be stopped? 

Can vaccine myths spreading on social media be stopped? 

Misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine is pervasive, both on social media and in conversations. Let’s separate fact from fiction. 
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Trio of books shows a Southeast Asia caught between world powers

Trio of books shows a Southeast Asia caught between world powers

Three regional experts agree there's no desire in Southeast Asia to pick Washington over Beijing. U.S. strategy should look through the lens of the region itself — not just focus on containing China.
by Nishant Dahiya

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'We will get through this': Doctor reflects on the impacts of COVID-19 in Indian Country

'We will get through this': Doctor reflects on the impacts of COVID-19 in Indian Country

Nine months into the coronavirus pandemic, Indigenous Americans have the highest COVID-19 mortality rates nationwide. That's made this an especially difficult year for Dr. Mary Owen, who leads the University of Minnesota Medical School's Center of American Indian and Minority Health in Duluth.
by Dan Gunderson

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'Like Uber Eats for therapy': South Mpls. man helps connect community to mental health care

'Like Uber Eats for therapy': South Mpls. man helps connect community to mental health care

When he saw footage of his hometown on fire the week following the police killing of George Floyd, Isak Douah jumped on a plane from Amsterdam, where he was studying fashion, to Minneapolis. All summer, he volunteered to work security at the intersection where Floyd died. Seeing the trauma there, he decided to develop a mobile app to connect people in his community to mental health care.
by Hamda Abdi, Helene Francis, Atticus Keezer-Dow and Olivia Sather

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Photos: The non-pandemic events that helped shape 2020 around the world

In a year overshadowed by COVID-19, the world saw plenty of other significant developments. Here are some glimpses of the protests, conflicts — and efforts at peace — that helped define 2020.
by Claire Harbage and Hannah Bloch

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Police shooting victim ID'd; MPD bodycam footage released

Police shooting victim ID'd; MPD bodycam footage released

Minneapolis police have released a short clip from an officer's body camera showing the deadly confrontation outside a gas station on the city's south side Wednesday evening. The victim has been identified as 23-year-old Dolal Idd. It was the first killing by Minneapolis police since George Floyd’s death on May 25 less than a mile away.
by Jon Collins and Brandt Williams

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The New Year starts off mild across Minnesota

The final day of 2020 ends with mostly dry skies and seasonably comfortable weather. Then the first week of 2021 starts very mild for January.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Nursing home residents celebrate vaccine rollout: 'Everyone should get it'

Nursing home residents celebrate vaccine rollout: 'Everyone should get it'

Thousands of nursing home residents across Minnesota began receiving their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine this week. On Wednesday afternoon, that included 94-year-old Shirley Bethke. She’s a resident of the Gardens of Episcopal Homes in St. Paul.
by Cathy Wurzer and Britta Greene

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Thursday brings a mix of sunshine and clouds

The last day of the year brings mostly dry skies and seasonably comfortable temperatures.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Health care workers try to bring COVID-19 patients joy, less isolation as life ends

Health care workers try to bring COVID-19 patients joy, less isolation as life ends

Medical staff are liaisons to the sick and dying for relatives not allowed at bedsides. The emotional toil at one Montana hospital is a case study of what caregivers are grappling with across the U.S.
by Nick Mott

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Minneapolis police fatally shoot man during stop

Minneapolis police say an officer shot and killed a man Wednesday evening at a gas station near 36th Street East and Cedar Avenue in south Minneapolis. At about 6:15 p.m., officers confronted a man believed to be a “felony suspect” during a traffic stop, and shots were “exchanged,” police spokesperson John Elder told reporters. This is an MPR News morning update for Thursday, December 31, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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A 2020 surprise: Fewer absentee ballots rejections than expected

A 2020 surprise: Fewer absentee ballots rejections than expected

With many more people voting by mail this fall, election officials feared that millions of ballots would be rejected in the general election. Instead, rejection rates went down across the country.
by Pam Fessler

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U.S. likely will miss goal of vaccinating 20 million by the new year

U.S. likely will miss goal of vaccinating 20 million by the new year

Leaders of the nation's federal vaccine effort, called Operation Warp Speed, said the U.S. has deployed around 14 million vaccine doses as of Wednesday with just 2.1 million Americans vaccinated.
by Jaclyn Diaz

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Dec. 31 update on COVID-19 in MN: A glimmer of hope at the end of a brutal year

Dec. 31 update on COVID-19 in MN: A glimmer of hope at the end of a brutal year

Minnesota is seeing signs of improvement heading into the new year, after two months of spikes in new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The COVID-19 death count, however, remains awful. December has been the state’s deadliest month, by far, in the pandemic. Thursday’s data from the Health Department showed those trends staying much the same.
by MPR News Staff

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COVID-19 fight becomes personal for St. Louis County administrator

COVID-19 fight becomes personal for St. Louis County administrator

Kevin Gray has been overseeing St. Louis County’s response to COVID-19 since the spring. That fight became personal when the pandemic hit his family.
by Dan Kraker

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DOJ national security boss is moving on — but cyber, China threats aren't

DOJ national security boss is moving on — but cyber, China threats aren't

John Demers looks back on his latest stretch in the Justice Department in an exclusive interview with NPR. Cyber threats from Russia and China will remain a big problem, he warns.
by Ryan Lucas

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Indigenous organizations collaborate to feed their most vulnerable

Indigenous organizations collaborate to feed their most vulnerable

Three Indigenous groups collaborated to feed traditional meals to their most vulnerable community members over the holidays. Volunteers prepped, cooked, packaged and delivered over 400 meals on Christmas Eve. The effort comes as 1 in 8 Minnesotans face food insecurity during the pandemic.
by Kathryn Styer Martinez

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St. Joseph's Hospital staffers hope history of serving people in need will continue

St. Joseph's Hospital staffers hope history of serving people in need will continue

The end of 2020 brings with it the end of Minnesota’s oldest hospital. Roman Catholic nuns founded St. Joseph’s in downtown St. Paul in 1853. But after 167 years, Fairview Health Services is shutting it down amid financial pressure. Plans call for the building to become a community wellness hub focused on social services and preventative care. Many who worked at St. Joseph’s say they’re sad to see it go.
by Matt Sepic

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Some 500 coronavirus vaccine doses intentionally destroyed, hospital says

Some 500 coronavirus vaccine doses intentionally destroyed, hospital says

Officials at the Wisconsin medical center first suspected a now-former employee inadvertently left the Moderna drugs out of cold storage. But an investigation concludes they were deliberately removed.
by Vanessa Romo

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Minneapolis police fatally shoot man during stop

Minneapolis police fatally shoot man during stop

Minneapolis police say an officer shot and killed a man described as a felony suspect Wednesday evening in south Minneapolis. No officers were injured. Chief Medaria Arradondo said he intends to release police body cam footage on Thursday.
by Jon Collins

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At 38th and Chicago, Agape Movement turns ‘street energy into community energy’

At 38th and Chicago, Agape Movement turns ‘street energy into community energy’

Since the summer’s unrest, a local nonprofit has been working to “bridge the gap between the community and law enforcement” in south Minneapolis. 
by Anton Jahn-Vavrus, Pablo Giebink Valbuena and Ilyas Bouzouina

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106-year-old COVID survivor receives vaccine in central Minnesota

106-year-old COVID survivor receives vaccine in central Minnesota

At Carris Health Care Center and Therapy Suites in Willmar, Minn., 20 residents received initial doses on Tuesday. The first to receive a vaccine was Harriet Lobbins. She recovered after having COVID-19 in mid-November.
by Kirsti Marohn

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