Stories from August 9, 2021

A Minnesota man has been charged with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide for crashing his car while driving drunk, resulting in the deaths of two passengers, one of whom was the son of the University of Minnesota men’s hockey coach.
What Monday's IPCC report means for Minnesota
Monday’s latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report says climate change is already driving our weather and climate extremes.
COVID is shutting down some major events nationwide as the Minnesota State Fair approaches and Delta variant cases grow. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.
Walz to lead November trade trip to Europe
Gov. Tim Walz says he will go to England and Finland later this year to promote trade with Minnesota. It’ll be his second trade trip.
Amid surge of visitors, resort country struggles to find workers
A severe labor shortage has forced some businesses to boost wages, scale back services or reduce hours during the peak of a busy summer tourist season.
Should Minnesota prepare for climate migration? 
It’s been a summer of drought, wildfires and heatwaves in Minnesota. But it’s been worse out west. That’s why some Californians are moving here. MPR News guest host Dan Kraker talks about climate migration within the United States.
Should Minnesota prepare for climate migration? 
It’s been a summer of drought, wildfires and heatwaves in Minnesota. But it’s been worse out west. That’s why some Californians are moving here. MPR News guest host Dan Kraker talks about climate migration within the United States.
NASA wants you to spend a year simulating life on Mars, for science
Would you like to spend a year pretending to live on Mars in a 1,700-square-foot space shared with three other people, in the interest of helping a future space mission? Good news: NASA is hiring.
Delta is surging as students get ready to go back to school. Here are 5 things to know
Minnesota students are returning to classrooms in a little less than one month. Here are five things families, teachers and administrators need to know about keeping their students healthy and safe now that COVID-19 cases are on the rise.
Following another chance for showers and storms late Monday into Tuesday, Minnesota goes back into a warm and dry pattern.
The music festival, which returned this summer in Brainerd, Minn., with live in-person performances, has canceled its season and all related activities after two artists tested positive for COVID-19. The concerts had been scheduled to run through Aug. 22.
The investigation continues into a Saturday plane crash that killed three people in Carver County. The plane crashed and burst into flames at about 5:40 p.m. Saturday near a home in Victoria, Minn. All three people aboard the plane died; no one on the ground was injured. This is an MPR News morning update for Monday, August 9, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
Canada begins allowing vaccinated U.S. citizens to visit again
U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents must be both fully vaccinated and test negative for COVID-19 within three days to get across one of the world's longest and busiest land borders. Travelers also must fill out a detailed on application on the arriveCAN app before crossing.
At the eye of the COVID-19 storm
An MPR News examination of more than 9,000 pages of documents shows who was putting pressure on DFL Gov. Tim Walz during the COVID-19 emergency and how the administration reacted. The governor’s handling of the crisis is sure to be an issue in next year’s campaign.
All might not end too well in Mona Awad's new novel
In “All's Well,” a theater professor in chronic pain, ignored by doctors, believes putting on one of Shakespeare's least popular plays will renew her — and then three mystery men offer her a cure.
Why reports of menstrual changes after COVID vaccine are tough to study
Some people have reported getting a lighter or heavier period after getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Cause for concern? Doctors say no. Could it be a temporary side effect? That's harder to determine.
New Native-led grant program targets philanthropy inequity
Nationwide, less than 0.3 percent of philanthropy goes to Native American groups. A Duluth-based foundation is taking aim at that inequity with a new project that's designed to support the work of Native people who are already working to help their communities.