Stories from July 8, 2021

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Thursday the city will review its police pursuit policy after a chase that ended with an officer hitting and killing an innocent motorist. 
Fauci says current vaccines will stand up to the delta variant
All the data so far shows the vaccines are highly effective at preventing serious disease or hospitalization, Dr. Anthony Fauci said. Vaccination is also imperative to preventing mutations, he added.
Colder climates meant bigger bodies for ancient humans
Human ancestors got steadily larger over the last 1 million years. Our relatives living in colder places developed bigger bodies, a new study finds.
Gradually warmer into the weekend
Temperatures warm back into the more summery 80s this weekend. Southwest Minnesota picks up more welcome rainfall Friday.
Tom Swain has had a long career, including chief of staff to a Minnesota governor and mayor of a small Minnesota town. Now 100, he still has energy to burn — and he’s putting it into climate change.
Judge is asked to change 'trauma' wording in Chauvin memo
Prosecutors have asked the judge who handled former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial in George Floyd’s death to rewrite his sentencing order to delete suggestions that child witnesses did not suffer trauma.
Video of a fatal Minneapolis collision with a police car surfaces surfaces, as a prominent civil rights attorney steps into the matter. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.
Minnesota will get $50M in Purdue Pharma settlement
State Attorney General Keith Ellison said the settlement money, paid out over nine years, will be overseen by the state’s opioid epidemic response advisory council and will be used for addiction prevention, treatment and recovery.
Rare July frost: Record cold this morning up north
A cold and dry air mass across northeast Minnesota produced rare July frost in many locations.
As a child, he looked to Obama for proof he could be president. Now he's the U's first Somali American student-body president
Abdulaziz Mohamed hopes to use his experiences growing up as Black and Muslim in the predominantly white Stillwater area to better serve all students — especially those who often get left behind.
Come and get it: Food and drink festivals across Minnesota
Foodies and beer lovers have a lot to celebrate this summer with an abundance of festivals planned across the state. Here's where to find the good stuff.
Dry conditions might mean a good year for wild rice
Drought across Minnesota might mean an abundant harvest for a crop that grows in water. Minnesota has more acres of natural wild rice than any other state in the country.
Author Ashley C. Ford on her debut memoir, ‘Somebody’s Daughter’
Ashley C. Ford’s debut memoir, “Somebody’s Daughter,” takes readers on an emotional journey of her life growing up as a young Black girl in Indiana with a single mother, an absent father and a heavy family secret.
Floyd family attorney to represent Frazier family in fatal Mpls. police chase crash
Attorney Ben Crump, the attorney for the George Floyd family, says he is representing the family of a man who died in a crash with a police squad car in Minneapolis Tuesday. Separately, Mayor Jacob Frey said the city will review its police pursuit policy.
Fans banned at Olympics; Tokyo under state of emergency
Fans from aboard were banned months ago, and the new measures announced by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will clear venues around Tokyo — indoor and outdoor — of any fans at all.
Do I need to take precautions at hotels if I'm vaccinated?
Most fully vaccinated people won't need to take special precautions at hotels, but what you're comfortable with will depend on your situation. To help you decide your comfort level, one doctor suggests looking at infection and vaccination rates in the place you're visiting.
Tears, prayers mark end to search for Miami condo survivors
The painstaking search for survivors shifted to a recovery effort at midnight Wednesday after authorities said they had come to the agonizing conclusion that there was "no chance of life" in the rubble of the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside.
Friendship between a woman and a fox leads to transformation in 'Fox & I'
The very antithesis of a fox-taming tale, Catherine Raven's memoir shows us that we are surrounded by wild animals who make thoughtful decisions and experience joys and sorrows on their own terms.
Following a chilly start for parts of Minnesota, almost the entire state makes it into the 70s by the afternoon, with rain chances moving back in.
July 8 update on COVID-19 in MN: Death rate falls to early pandemic lows
The state averaged fewer than four deaths per day in the past reporting week, the lowest rate since early April 2020, in the pandemic’s earliest weeks. Data continues to show the disease is in check, although it still may have one or two moves left.
I-35W to close in south Minneapolis this weekend
Both directions of I-35W between Interstate 94 and Minnesota Highway 62 will close from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Next week, the ramp from eastbound I-94 to northbound I-35W will close.
Officials say they need at least until next spring to complete a wolf management plan. The state took over management of gray wolves when the federal government removed endangered species protections last year. This is an MPR News morning update for Thursday, July 8, 2021. Hosted by Phil Picardi. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
In Clearwater County, sheriff aims to keep peace amid Line 3 resistance
Some opponents of the Enbridge Line 3 project have complained of heavy-handed tactics by police, who've rounded up and arrested people holding marches and occupying construction sites. In Clearwater County, Sheriff Darin Halverson has taken a noticeably different approach.