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Stories from April 8, 2021

How the Spokesman-Recorder is covering the Chauvin trial from the Black perspective

How the Spokesman-Recorder is covering the Chauvin trial from the Black perspective

The Spokesman-Recorder was founded on the mission of telling stories from the Black perspective in Minnesota. Now its small team of journalists have taken on covering the Derek Chauvin trial.
by Ari Shapiro

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CDC director declares racism a 'serious public health threat'

CDC director declares racism a 'serious public health threat'

"The pandemic illuminated inequities that have existed for generations and revealed for all of America a known, but often unaddressed, epidemic impacting public health: racism," Walensky said.
by Laurel Wamsley

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Police: 1 killed, 4 wounded in shooting at Texas business

Police say one person was killed and four people were wound in a shooting at a cabinet-making business in Bryan, Texas. Police said the shooter is not in custody. 
by The Associated Press

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Medical experts weigh in as focus moves to George Floyd's cause of death

Medical experts weigh in as focus moves to George Floyd's cause of death. Also, Minneapolis police say three stabbings were random, had one assailant. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.

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Gulf builds in MN Legislature over public safety plans

Gulf builds in MN Legislature over public safety plans

In the shadow of the Derek Chauvin trial, Minnesota lawmakers are debating more changes to police accountability. They’re far from agreement.
by Brian Bakst

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Even with prospect of aid, Minnesota school budgets in dire shape

Even with prospect of aid, Minnesota school budgets in dire shape

The coronavirus hasn’t just upended classrooms around the state — it’s wreaking havoc on district budgets, which are largely determined by enrollment. State and federal lawmakers are considering and passing billions of new dollars in education funding, but Minnesota districts are still laying off staff and closing schools.
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Community activists reflect on the Chauvin trial

Community activists reflect on the Chauvin trial

Host Angela Davis talks to an activist and a community journalist about police procedures and other issues raised in the second week of testimony in the Chauvin trial. 
by Angela Davis and Maja Beckstrom

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Minnesota woman charged in attack on U.S. Capitol

Minnesota woman charged in attack on U.S. Capitol

FBI agents arrested a Rochester, Minn., woman Thursday on charges connected to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
by The Associated Press

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Is the blue wall of silence starting to crack?

Is the blue wall of silence starting to crack?

After Minneapolis Chief Medaria Arradondo took the rare step of testifying against former officer Derek Chauvin, some experts are wondering if the long-held police code of silence may be crumbling.
by Kerri Miller, Kelly Gordon and Marcheta Fornoff

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Fresh unrest in Northern Ireland sparks comparisons to 'The Troubles'

Fresh unrest in Northern Ireland sparks comparisons to 'The Troubles'

The latest violence erupted amid anger from Protestant unionists concerned they're being isolated from the U.K. and pushed into a union with the Republic of Ireland due to post-Brexit trade rules.
by Scott Neuman

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Biden tightens some gun controls, says much more needed

Biden tightens some gun controls, says much more needed

President Joe Biden, in his first gun control measures since taking office, announced a half-dozen executive actions Thursday aimed at addressing a proliferation of gun violence across the nation that he called an “epidemic and an international embarrassment."
by The Associated Press

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Parting Thoughts: Remembering Manuel Cervantes

A beloved member of the St. Paul community passed away last week. Manuel Cervantes was a longtime workers’ compensation appeals court judge and served as city attorney. His brother Ricardo Cervantes spoke with MPR News Host Phil Picardi about Manuel’s life.
by Phil Picardi

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Periods of rain through Friday

Showers continue across Minnesota Thursday and Friday, then finally clear out Saturday.  Temperatures stay cooler for most of the state.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Green Bay pastor appointed to serve the Diocese of Duluth

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth could finally have a new bishop in place next month following the 2019 death of its longtime leader and the resignation of his chosen replacement.
by The Associated Press

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Explainer: Questioning blurs meaning of 'lawful but awful'

Explainer: Questioning blurs meaning of 'lawful but awful'

The phrase typically refers to police shootings when the officer is found to have reasonably feared for their life and fired. Legal observers say Derek Chauvin's defense will have a hard time making that case.
by The Associated Press

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Explainer: Did mask hamper Chauvin's image at murder trial?

Explainer: Did mask hamper Chauvin's image at murder trial?

The face mask that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been required to wear during his trial in George Floyd's death has hidden his reaction to testimony. That includes any sympathy or remorse that legal experts say can make a difference to jurors.
by The Associated Press

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More rain for Minnesota Thursday

Showers and storms continue to move across Minnesota Thursday, and another large temperature contrast sets up with much milder weather southeast.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Are some COVID-19 vaccines more effective than others?

Are some COVID-19 vaccines more effective than others?

COVID-19 vaccines rolling out around the world weren't compared to each other in studies, so it's hard to tell how they might differ in effectiveness. But experts say they're alike on what matters most: preventing hospitalizations and deaths.
by The Associated Press

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Chauvin trial: Use-of-force expert calls Chauvin's restraint unwarranted

Wednesday began with a prosecution use-of-force expert concluding that Chauvin's restraint of Floyd constituted an unwarranted use of deadly force.  Jody Stiger noted that Floyd's subdued position — handcuffed, prone and pinned face down on the street — created the danger of positional asphyxia even without the pressure of Chauvin's knee on Floyd's neck. Adding the body weight increased the likelihood of death, he added.  This is an MPR News morning update for Thursday, April 8, 2021. Hosted by Phil Picardi. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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Ambition, alchemy and searching for way to fit in 'Gold Diggers'

Ambition, alchemy and searching for way to fit in 'Gold Diggers'

Sanjena Sathian's novel follows a Georgia teenager, son of Indian immigrants, as he struggles with balancing his own ambitions and those of his parents, and finding his own way to be brown in America.
by Ilana Masad

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Chauvin trial: Breathing expert pinpoints moment when 'the life goes out of his body’

Chauvin trial: Breathing expert pinpoints moment when 'the life goes out of his body’

Dr. Martin Tobin, a pulmonologist, told the court Thursday that George Floyd died from a low level of oxygen, due to “shallow breathing.” He also testified that a healthy person experiencing the same restraint Floyd did “would have died.”
by Brandt Williams, Riham Feshir, Jon Collins and Matt Sepic

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April 8 on COVID-19 in MN: Active cases, hospitalizations trending higher

April 8 on COVID-19 in MN: Active cases, hospitalizations trending higher

Active cases and hospitalizations are trending at their highest levels in months, but the vaccination effort is solid. The state may have half the adult population vaccinated within the next two weeks.
by MPR News Staff

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Play ball! Largest state gathering in a year set for Target Field

Play ball! Largest state gathering in a year set for Target Field

The Minnesota Twins will welcome thousands of fans back to Target Field on Thursday for their home opener. But some experts say that with cases up significantly in Minnesota and the B.1.1.7 variant rapidly spreading now is not the time to gather in large groups.
by Mark Zdechlik

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Art Hounds celebrate Black storytelling

Art Hounds celebrate Black storytelling

The 30th Black Storytelling Festival livestreams several events. The History Theatre makes available online “Diesel Heart — Part 2” about Melvin Carter Jr.’s work as a police officer. And the Twin Cities Jazz Festival marks a full year of weekly livestreamed local jazz.
by Emily Bright

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Feds charge Minnesota man tied to violent boogaloo movement

Feds charge Minnesota man tied to violent boogaloo movement

A Minnesota man whom authorities describe as a self-proclaimed member of the anti-government "boogaloo" movement and had an interest in killing police is charged with illegal possession of a machine gun. Twenty-seven-year-old Michael Dahlager, of St. Cloud, was ordered to remain in custody until a detention hearing Friday.
by The Associated Press

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