Stories from February 24, 2021

The medium-range temperature outlooks for much of March continue to trend much milder than average.
South Dakota AG faces impeachment, calls to resign over new evidence in fatal crash
Interrogation videos released Tuesday raise questions about Jason Ravnsborg's conduct in the Sept. 12 car crash, with investigators saying at one point that the victim's glasses were found in his car.
Razor wire and chain link are going up ahead of the Derek Chauvin trial, as preparations move into high gear in Minneapolis. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.
High-end medical provider let ineligible people skip COVID vaccine line
Concierge health care provider One Medical has been allowing ineligible people to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Staff questioned what they saw as inappropriate, internal documents obtained by NPR show.
Hunters and trappers blow past Wisconsin's wolf kill target
Hunters and trappers have blown past Wisconsin's wolf kill target, forcing an early end to the hunting season and angering animal rights activists and conservationists. 
Businesses that tapped pandemic loan program now find it may cost them
Unless the Legislature steps in, thousands of Minnesota businesses might owe taxes on the federal loans they used to keep employees on the payroll during the pandemic.
NBCA says it has 'concern' about T-wolves' coaching change
The leadership of the National Basketball Coaches Association spoke out Wednesday about its “concern and level of disappointment” with the way the Minnesota Timberwolves went about their coaching change earlier this week.
Tim O'Brien on late-in-life fatherhood and the things he carried from Vietnam
Now 74, Tim O'Brien didn't become a father until his late 50s. He reflects on writing, mortality and his experiences in Vietnam in the new documentary, “The War and Peace of Tim O'Brien.”
A botched execution leads to a search for answers in 'Two Truths and a Lie'
Ellen McGarrahan was a young reporter for The Miami Herald, when she witnessed an execution that went horribly wrong. She revisits the case of Jesse Tafero in an intense new true crime book.
Minnesota Supreme Court hands victory to PolyMet copper mine
The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday reversed an appeals court's rejection of a critical air emissions permit for the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine and sent the case back for further proceedings.
Man shot by law enforcement in Isanti County identified
The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the man fatally shot by law enforcement in Isanti County last weekend. The medical examiner says 27-year-old Dominic Lucas Koch of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, died of multiple gunshot wounds Sunday.
Drunken driving charge against Bruce Springsteen dropped
The government dropped drunken driving and reckless driving charges against Bruce Springsteen on Wednesday stemming from an incident in November, admitting that the rocker's blood-alcohol level was so low that it didn't warrant the charges.
Are the pandemic’s darkest days ahead? We get a second opinion.
No one has a crystal ball about what comes next in the pandemic. Some epidemiologists, including University of Minnesota’s Michael Osterholm, are nervous about the possibility of another surge triggered by the COVID-19 variants. But not all experts agree that’s inevitable.
Federal grand jury hearing evidence in death of George Floyd
Several witnesses have been subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury considering charges against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is already facing state murder charges in the death of George Floyd, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Enbridge Line 3 divides Indigenous lands, people
Conflict is growing among Indigenous communities along the nearly 400-mile path of Enbridge's Line 3 project. As it cuts across the Fond du Lac reservation, treaty lands of several other bands of Ojibwe and the headwaters of the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota, it has brought not just jobs but controversy and discord into the most intimate spheres of spirituality, family and community.
Another round of light snow targets Minnesota Wednesday evening, but overall precipitation remains limited this week and temperatures stay mild.
New evidence shows fertile soil gone from Midwestern farms
One-third of the cropland in the upper Midwest has entirely lost its fertile topsoil, according to a new study. Other scientists doubt that figure, but agree that soil loss is a big problem.
FDA says J&J 1-dose shot prevents COVID; final decision soon
Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine protects against COVID-19, according to an analysis by U.S. regulators Wednesday that sets the stage for a final decision on a new and easier-to-use shot to help tame the pandemic.
As one round of precipitation clears out Wednesday morning, another area of light snow targets the state by evening.
Woods faces hard recovery from serious injuries in car crash
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center's chief medical officer says Tiger Woods shattered tibia and fibula bones in his right leg in multiple locations, with additional injuries in the ankle and foot. A statement on Woods’ Twitter account said he was awake, responsive and recovering.
A state appeals court says it will fast-track a request from the Minnesota Attorney General's office to consider reinstating a third-degree murder charge against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. The court has scheduled a virtual hearing for oral arguments on the matter at 1 p.m. Monday. This is an MPR News morning update for Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
House passes the Equality Act: Here's what it would do
The House of Representatives has voted to pass the Equality Act, a bill that would ban discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It would also substantially expand the areas to which those discrimination protections apply.
On 'The Kitchen Front,' 4 women cook their way to victory
In Jennifer Ryan's new novel, set in England in 1942, four women from different backgrounds compete in a cooking contest with a possibly life-changing prize: The chance to cohost a BBC cooking show.
Feb. 24 update on COVID-19 in MN: Vaccination focus stays on people 65 and older
Minnesota will not expand eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines until at least 70 percent of residents age 65 and older get a first dose, a threshold officials expect to reach by the end of March, Gov. Tim Walz’s office said late Wednesday.
Kathleen Hall Jamieson on the resilience of American democracy
Kathleen Hall Jamieson spoke — virtually — at a University of Minnesota Humphrey School event about the resilience of American institutions and our public and private communications.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, beat poet and small-press publisher, dies at 101
In 1956, Ferlinghetti published the first edition of Allen Ginsberg's “Howl.” According to one critic, his greatest accomplishments were fighting censorship and starting a small-press revolution.
Do 'tight' cultures fare better in the pandemic than 'loose' cultures?
That's the question posted by a study in The Lancet Planetary Health. In case you're wondering, the United States is characterized as "loose." And Singapore is "tight."
New York grand jury votes not to indict Rochester, N.Y., officers in Daniel Prude case
"We concluded that there was sufficient evidence surrounding Mr. Prude's death to warrant presenting the case to a grand jury, and we presented the most comprehensive case possible," officials said.
Southern Baptists oust 2 churches over LGBTQ inclusion
The Southern Baptist Convention has ousted two churches over policies deemed to be too inclusive of LGBTQ people and two more for employing pastors convicted of sex offenses.