Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

Stories from February 2, 2021

How teachers are answering the call for more civics education

How teachers are answering the call for more civics education

With a decadeslong de-emphasis on social studies and government education in American K-12 schools, do students these days know the power they hold as citizens? A local educator and two advocates joined host Angela Davis to talk about the future of civics education.
by Angela Davis 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!
Huge 2020 DFL money edge couldn’t tip Capitol control

Huge 2020 DFL money edge couldn’t tip Capitol control

Democrats and their allies spent record amounts of cash in the 2020 campaign, but Republicans still held their majority in the Minnesota Senate and gained seats in the House. 
by David H. Montgomery

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!

Zero to 10 inches for Twin Cities Thursday?

Extreme differences in snowfall totals Thursday for the Twin Cities.
by Paul Huttner

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!

Even as vaccines start to show promise, officials warn scams are preying on Minnesotans

Even as vaccines start to show promise at curbing COVID in long term care settings officials warn vaccination scams are preying on Minnesotans. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music 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!
Security plan for Chauvin trial could hit bumps at Capitol

Security plan for Chauvin trial could hit bumps at Capitol

A plan to step up a law enforcement presence around the Derek Chauvin trial in George Floyd’s death is advancing, although Republicans are uncomfortable with it.
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!
Author digs into family's 'Smalltime' mob operation, finds family secrets

Author digs into family's 'Smalltime' mob operation, finds family secrets

Russell Shorto's grandfather was a mob boss in the industrial town of Johnstown, Pa. Shorto writes about the family havoc that resulted from his grandfather's operation in his new memoir, “Smalltime.”
by Dave Davies

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!
Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, will step down as CEO

Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder, will step down as CEO

Amazon said Tuesday that Jeff Bezos is stepping down as CEO later this year, a role he’s had since he founded the company nearly 30 years ago.
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!
Why storytelling may be the best bet to inspire action on climate change

Why storytelling may be the best bet to inspire action on climate change

There’s been a strong scientific consensus for decades that humans are rapidly changing the Earth's climate. But facts and data haven't been enough to spur the urgent changes needed to prevent the most devastating impacts of climate change. So activists in Minnesota and elsewhere are instead turning to a different strategy, focused on sharing personal stories.
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!
Hunting group sues to force Wisconsin wolf season

Hunting group sues to force Wisconsin wolf season

A national hunting group filed a lawsuit Tuesday to force an immediate start to Wisconsin's wolf season before President Joe Biden's administration restores federal protections for the animals.
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 going on with all these coronavirus variants? An illustrated guide

What's going on with all these coronavirus variants? An illustrated guide

One day you're worrying about the regular old coronavirus. Then — seemingly out of the blue — there are variants. Worrisome variants! How did they come to be? And why are they likely more contagious?
by Michaeleen Doucleff and Meredith Rizzo

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 administration will ship COVID-19 vaccines directly to pharmacies

Biden administration will ship COVID-19 vaccines directly to pharmacies

The program will begin with about 1 million doses a week sent to thousands of retail pharmacies. The White House is stressing that equity of vaccine distribution is a key component of the effort.
by Benjamin Swasey

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!
Pete Buttigieg confirmed as transportation secretary

Pete Buttigieg confirmed as transportation secretary

The 39-year-old former South Bend, Ind. mayor is both the first openly gay man confirmed to a Cabinet position and the youngest member of President Joe Biden's Cabinet.
by Brian Naylor

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!
Why don’t Americans trust public health agencies?

Why don’t Americans trust public health agencies?

Public health departments have never been more important — or more maligned. Why don’t many Americans believe the public health officials who are trying to protect them from a pandemic?
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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!

Minn. House committee hears proposal for Rondo land bridge

The Rondo land bridge would span I-94 between Lexington Parkway and Dale Street, with room for green space, housing and businesses. The effort would rejoin a historically black community that was carved up by the interstate’s construction more than a half-century ago.
by Cathy Wurzer

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!
FBI: 2 agents killed, 3 wounded, suspect dead in Florida

FBI: 2 agents killed, 3 wounded, suspect dead in Florida

Two FBI agents were fatally shot and three wounded Tuesday while serving a federal search warrant in a child exploitation case in South Florida, authorities said.
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!
Former boyfriend charged in slaying of St. Paul family

Former boyfriend charged in slaying of St. Paul family

A 26-year-old St. Paul man is facing three murder counts after he admitted to police that he’d shot a woman and her two children on Saturday.
by Tim Nelson

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 Dems make case for conviction; Trump denies charges

House Dems make case for conviction; Trump denies charges

House Democrats say Donald Trump endangered the lives of all members of Congress when he aimed a mob of supporters "like a loaded cannon" at the U.S. Capitol. They made the argument in a legal brief Tuesday that makes their most detailed case yet for why the former president should be convicted and permanently barred from office.
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!
A wintry mix targets Minnesota Thursday, then brutal cold

A wintry mix targets Minnesota Thursday, then brutal cold

Temperatures stay above average through Wednesday, then a strong winter storm brings rain, snow, and ice, followed by what may be Minnesota’s coldest weather all winter.
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!
'Finding My Voice': Hibbing native's YA novel reissue connects with new generation of readers

'Finding My Voice': Hibbing native's YA novel reissue connects with new generation of readers

One of the first Asian American young adult novels, “Finding My Voice,” is getting a third run this year since its first publication in 1992. But, the messages about racism, identity and family continue to resonate with readers who remember picking up the book years ago.
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!

Tuesday starts foggy, then stays cloudy

Mild temperatures continue Tuesday despite limited sunshine during the day.
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!
Hundreds of Myanmar lawmakers under house arrest after coup

Hundreds of Myanmar lawmakers under house arrest after coup

Hundreds of members of Myanmar's Parliament were under house arrest Tuesday, confined to their government housing complex and guarded by soldiers a day after the military seized power in a coup and detained senior politicians including the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
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!

Minnesota changes vaccination strategy

State health officials say they're prepared to distribute 35,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses this week to Minnesotans 65 and older. An announcement from Gov. Tim Walz’s office Monday morning calls the plan an "all of the above" approach that will offer shots at clinics, community vaccination sites and hospitals around Minnesota. This is an MPR News morning update for Monday, Feb. 2, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meiste

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!
Does wearing two masks provide more protection?

Does wearing two masks provide more protection?

Health experts recommend a single cloth mask with multiple layers, but doubling up on masks could offer added protection in certain situations.
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!
Biden signs 3 immigration executive orders; activists want more

Biden signs 3 immigration executive orders; activists want more

President Joe Biden signed three executive orders on Tuesday that he said would lead to a more "fair, orderly, humane" immigration system, including one that would begin the difficult process of reuniting migrant children separated from their parents after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
by Franco Ordoñez

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!
How poverty makes workers less productive

How poverty makes workers less productive

A new study adds to the growing mountain of evidence that says that poverty impairs people's ability to think.
by Greg Rosalsky

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!
Feb. 2 update on COVID-19 in MN: Vaccinating all 65 and older may take months

Feb. 2 update on COVID-19 in MN: Vaccinating all 65 and older may take months

“We are getting Minnesotans vaccinated safely and quickly as supplies come to us,” Kris Ehresmann, the state’s infectious disease director told reporters Tuesday. But “we just don’t have enough vaccine and everyone is going to have to be patient.”
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!
After slow start, Minnesota long-term care centers get more vaccinations

After slow start, Minnesota long-term care centers get more vaccinations

A federal COVID-19 vaccine program for Minnesota’s most vulnerable people is going more slowly than expected. Walgreens and CVS are part of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program to vaccinate residents and staff in a majority of the long-term care facilities.
by Peter Cox

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!
'Halfway Home' makes case that the formerly incarcerated are never truly free

'Halfway Home' makes case that the formerly incarcerated are never truly free

Sociologist, criminologist, and former jail chaplain Reuben Jonathan Miller says "no other marginalized group ... experience[s] [the] profound level of legal exclusion" that those once imprisoned do.
by Ericka Taylor

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!
Federal scientists confirm virtual tie for hottest year on record

Federal scientists confirm virtual tie for hottest year on record

The average global temperatures in 2020 and 2016 were within a few hundredths of a degree. The Earth is about 2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer now than it was in the middle of the 20th century.
by Rebecca Hersher

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!
GOP's McConnell blasts 'loony lies' by Ga. Rep. Greene

GOP's McConnell blasts 'loony lies' by Ga. Rep. Greene

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell is blasting newly elected Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling the far-right Georgia Republican’s embrace of conspiracy theories and “loony lies” a “cancer for the Republican Party.”
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!
Super Bowl week helps 'shine a light' on human trafficking

Super Bowl week helps 'shine a light' on human trafficking

High-profile events that draw out-of-town visitors are natural targets for human traffickers. The Super Bowl is no exception. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is among NFL players who have joined the International Justice Mission organization to help fight the atrocities.
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!