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Stories from February 12, 2021

'I am a child!' Pepper spray reflects policing of Black kids

'I am a child!' Pepper spray reflects policing of Black kids

A police officer using pepper spray against a handcuffed 9-year-old Black girl in New York shows that Black children are not exempt from law enforcement mistreatment of Black people. One study found Black children and teenagers were six times as likely to die from police gunfire as white children.
by The Associated Press

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Minnesota Gov. Walz' COVID-19 extends COVID-19 emergency order

Gov. Tim Walz will once again extend his emergency powers to coordinate Minnesota's response to the pandemic because he said Republicans who control the state Senate do not support measures like mask-wearing mandates. This is the MPR News afternoon update for Feb. 12, 2021. Hosted by Kathryn Styer Martinez. Music by Gary Meister.
by Kathryn Styer Martinez

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Can frozen food spread the coronavirus?

Can frozen food spread the coronavirus?

At a news conference this week, the World Health Organization made a surprising statement: The coronavirus could possibly transmit on frozen packages of food.
by Michaeleen Doucleff

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Conversations aim for criminal justice reform, Black healing

Conversations aim for criminal justice reform, Black healing

Joi Lewis and Brittany Lewis are leading an effort called “Time of Reckoning,” a series of community engagement sessions about the criminal justice system that aims to center Black voices and solve problems.
by Angela Davis and Elizabeth Dunbar

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Biden administration aims to close Guantanamo Bay prison

Biden administration aims to close Guantanamo Bay prison

Since 2002, the prison has housed members of Al-Qaida and the Taliban. At its peak, Guantanamo Bay had almost 680 people detained at the installation.
by Dustin Jones

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The Capitol siege: The arrested and their stories

The Capitol siege: The arrested and their stories

More than 230 people have been charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. NPR is looking at the cases. Each provides clues to questions surrounding the attack: Who joined the mob? What did they do? And why?
by NPR Staff

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Minneapolis to reopen George Floyd intersection after Chauvin trial

Minneapolis to reopen George Floyd intersection after Chauvin trial

Minneapolis leaders said Friday the city will work closely with residents and businesses to maintain a memorial for Floyd at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, but emphasized that the streets must be reopened and cannot remain an “autonomous zone.”
by MPR News Staff

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CDC offers clearest guidance yet for reopening schools

CDC offers clearest guidance yet for reopening schools

The updated guidelines make key changes to earlier language, including a new color-coded chart that divides school reopening options into four zones, based on the level of community transmission.
by Cory Turner, Anya Kamenetz and Tamara Keith

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White House aide suspended for threatening reporter

White House aide suspended for threatening reporter

White House deputy press secretary T.J. Ducklo has been suspended for a week without pay after he reportedly issued a sexist and profane threat to a journalist seeking to cover his relationship with another reporter.
by The Associated Press

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Man given 5 years for firebombing in George Floyd aftermath

A Long Lake, Minn., man has been sentenced to five years in prison for firebombing a Dakota County courthouse in the civil unrest that followed the death of George Floyd last year.
by The Associated Press

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Weekend forecast: Arctic cold and dangerous wind chills

Hang in there. The arctic cold will be with us this weekend, but some much kinder weather is on tap for later next week. We have the details.
by Ron Trenda

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6-month delay in census redistricting data could throw elections into chaos

6-month delay in census redistricting data could throw elections into chaos

To do more quality checks on the data needed for redrawing voting maps, the Census Bureau is now planning for a release by Sept. 30. The delay puts pressure on states facing tight election deadlines.
by Hansi Lo Wang

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Appeals court dismisses prosecutors’ request to postpone Chauvin trial

Appeals court dismisses prosecutors’ request to postpone Chauvin trial

In a setback for prosecutors, a state appeals court has declined to reconsider a lower court's decision to separate the case of former officer Derek Chauvin from the three other former officers charged in George Floyd's killing and delay the trial. Chauvin’s trial is set to begin March 8 as scheduled.
by Jon Collins

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A frigid week in Minnesota

It was a week of bitterly cold temperatures around the state. St. Louis County in northeastern Minnesota saw several days of thermometer readings below minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.   MPR News host Phil Picardi talked with retired University of Minnesota climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley about the cold, and what to expect this weekend.
by Phil Picardi

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Gun rights and revolution

Gun rights and revolution

Gun rights supporters worry Democratic control in Washington will mean new restrictions, and extremist groups are exploiting those fears to fuel their recruitment efforts. 
by Brandt Williams and Kelly Gordon

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Coldest Valentine's Day in nearly a century for parts of Minnesota

Temperatures stay dangerously cold over the weekend, with widespread wind chills of 30 to 50 below zero. We finally break the cold grip next week, when temperatures slowly warm beginning Monday.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Mori is gone but gender issues remain for Tokyo Olympics

Mori is gone but gender issues remain for Tokyo Olympics

Yoshiro Mori resigned as the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee on Friday after sexist comments made last week in which he said women "talk too much."
by The Associated Press

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Talking Volumes: Talking Race 2021 season guide

Talking Volumes: Talking Race 2021 season guide

Minnesota Public Radio and the Star Tribune are proud to announce a special Talking Volumes series of virtual events centered around the topic of race in America. Join MPR News journalists Kerri Miller and Brandt Williams as they host engaging conversations with authors throughout the month of March.

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Minnesota sees subzero weather all of Friday

Almost all of Minnesota will spend the entire day Friday with subzero temperatures, and the roads continue to have slick spots thanks to areas of light snow.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Biden administration to allow 25,000 asylum-seekers into U.S.

Biden administration to allow 25,000 asylum-seekers into U.S.

The Biden administration on Friday announced plans for tens of thousands of asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico for their next immigration court hearings to be allowed into the United States while their cases proceed.
by The Associated Press

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Walz to increase number of people allowed at private gatherings

In January, Gov. Tim Walz allowed gatherings to resume, with strict limits on how many people could attend: 10 people indoors and three households, or 15 people outdoors. Now, Walz is prepared to raise the limit on indoor gatherings to 50. This is an MPR News morning update for Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. Hosted by Phil Picardi. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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Trump lawyers argue impeachment based on 'hatred,' not facts

Trump lawyers argue impeachment based on 'hatred,' not facts

Donald Trump’s impeachment lawyers accused Democrats of waging a campaign of “hatred” against the former president as they sped through their defense of his actions and fiery words before the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, hurtling the Senate toward a final vote in his historic trial.
by The Associated Press

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What to watch as Trump's lawyers deliver impeachment defense

What to watch as Trump's lawyers deliver impeachment defense

Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers plan to argue their client's innocence on multiple fronts. Their main arguments include that the trial is unconstitutional, that the insurrectionists who broke into the Capitol did so on their own accord and that Trump's rhetoric to supporters was common political speech protected under the First Amendment.
by The Associated Press

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Water, electric utilities watch unpaid bills pile up during the pandemic

Water, electric utilities watch unpaid bills pile up during the pandemic

As subzero temperatures persist across Minnesota, utilities are watching unpaid heating bills pile up. Because of the pandemic’s impact on personal finances, most utilities have not disconnected customers for about a year despite unpaid bills. Moorhead officials have a plan to start collecting the mounting customer debt.
by Dan Gunderson

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Politicians encouraged to learn Spanish, not just fake it during campaigns

Politicians encouraged to learn Spanish, not just fake it during campaigns

The advocacy group Voto Latino is stressing the need for year-round, bilingual engagement with Latino constituents. They're also calling out feeble attempts many candidates make to speak Spanish.
by Juana Summers

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Walz OKs more guests at weddings, private gatherings as COVID ebbs

Walz OKs more guests at weddings, private gatherings as COVID ebbs

People planning wedding receptions and other group celebrations got some good news Friday when Gov. Tim Walz raised his limit on the number of people who can attend private indoor gatherings from 10 to 50. 
by Mark Zdechlik

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AP source: NHL adding game-day rapid COVID-19 testing

AP source: NHL adding game-day rapid COVID-19 testing

The Minnesota Wild were cleared to resume practicing Friday following a 10-day pause. The team still has 12 players on the COVID-19 list.
by The Associated Press

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Trial highlights: 'We were invited' and a quick defense

Trial highlights: 'We were invited' and a quick defense

Donald Trump incited a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, put his own vice president in danger and later expressed solidarity with rioters who attempted to overturn the 2020 election in his name. That's what Democrats argued Thursday as they wrapped up their impeachment case against the former president. 
by The Associated Press

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