Stories from September 8, 2021

Best weather weeks of the year ahead for Minnesota?
Sunny mild days and pleasantly cool nights. This time of year can be the best in Minnesota.
Hmong Cultural Center Museum hit with white supremacist vandalism
Police are investigating after vandals damaged the front of the Hmong Cultural Center Museum in St. Paul early Wednesday morning and spray painted a slogan associated with a white supremacist group.
The state's highest profile Republican gets into the governor's race and school bus woes continue and school transportation woes continue as districts are forced to get creative. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.
Appetites: The art of charcuterie gets a boost from Instagram
Kelsey Basset has always loved making charcuterie boards, and after enough encouragement from friends and family, she decided to launch The Board Loon and sell her creations online.
Managing the pandemic that never seems to end
Remember June, when we talked about “post-pandemic” life? Now it’s fall, and we’re back to masks and rising COVID-19 cases. Host Angela Davis talked with an infectious disease doctor and a therapist about managing the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic.
Ramsey County ends felony prosecutions from low-level stops
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said Wednesday he will no longer prosecute cases that stem solely from traffic stops unrelated to public safety such as for a broken tail light or expired tabs, ending a practice he said disproportionately affects people of color.
COVID-19 surge in the U.S.: The summer of hope ends in gloom
The summer that was supposed to mark America's independence from COVID-19 is instead drawing to a close with the U.S. more firmly under the tyranny of the virus, with deaths per day back up to where they were last March.
Writer Maggie Nelson asks what it means to feel free
In “On Freedom's” allusive, blunt, funny essays, the author of “The Argonauts” and “The Art of Cruelty” tries to imagine freedom as it exists in the contemporary contexts of art, sex, drugs, and climate.
Report: Solar could power 40% of U.S. electricity by 2035
A new federal report say solar energy has the potential to power up to 40 percent of the nation's electricity within 15 years — a 10-fold increase over current solar output. But it would require massive changes in U.S. policy and billions of dollars in federal investment to modernize the nation's electric grid.
Minnesota is back in a drier trend, with only limited rain chances into early next week. Meanwhile, temperatures go from slightly below average midweek, to 80s by the end of the week.
Virginia cuts Confederate Gen. Robert Lee statue into pieces
A crowd erupted in cheers and song Wednesday as work crews hoisted an enormous statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee off the giant pedestal where it has towered over Virginia’s capital city for more than a century.
Alabama's first Black poet laureate takes a personal approach to 'Reparations'
Ashley M. Jones is Alabama's youngest and first Black poet laureate. Her new book “Reparations Now!” discusses America's history of Black oppression, and asks for more than monetary repairs.
Winds stay breezy Wednesday, and most of the state sees sunshine, with the exception of wet weather in the Arrowhead.
GOP's Gazelka makes it official: He's running for governor
GOP state Sen. Paul Gazelka formally announced his run for governor Wednesday, saying Minnesota’s future was at a “crossroads” as he took aim at DFL Gov. Tim Walz.
Trial of 20 men accused in 2015 Paris attacks begins
In a custom-built secure complex embedded within a 13th-century courthouse, France on Wednesday began the trial of 20 men accused in the Islamic State group’s 2015 attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead and hundreds injured.
A judge has struck down ballot language that would replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a new agency, saying the wording was misleading and unworkable. The City Council drafted new language, which was submitted to the county minutes before the deadline. This is an MPR News morning update for Wednesday, September 8, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
Kernza farmers see a market for earth-friendly grain
Production of Kernza is growing in Minnesota and a Kernza cereal will be on store shelves starting this week. The perennial grain has been in development for decades and has several environmental benefits.