Stories from September 10, 2021

A threat to a Twin Cities metro synagogue has led the house of worship to move to online services in the midst of the high holy days. Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park got word of the threat from the Anti Defamation League's Midwest office. Also, fires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are relatively calm with wetter, cooler weather on the way. This is the MPR News evening update for Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Hosted by Nina Moini. Theme music by Gary Meister.
20th anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks to be marked at events across Minnesota
The 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be marked at events across Minnesota on Saturday. The state's official 9/11 Day of Remembrance will take place on the Minnesota Capitol grounds in St. Paul.
Welcoming refugees as new neighbors in Minnesota
As Afghan refugees arrive in the U.S., host Angela Davis talks about how earlier waves of refugees made news homes in Minnesota and how to welcome our newest neighbors. 
 Biden’s vaccine mandates: What you need to know
President Joe Biden announced sweeping vaccine mandates this week that will affect more than 1.4 million workers in Minnesota. How the mandates will be enforced, however, is still being sorted out.
Dr. Leana Wen reflects on her memoir and the importance of public health
Dr. Leana Wen’s memoir is called “Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health.” She joined host Kerri Miller for a conversation about her memoir and how her personal story has shaped the public health leader she has become.
Search underway for new state legislative auditor
A panel of state lawmakers has outlined a timetable for replacing James Nobles, who is retiring as legislative auditor next month after decades on the job.
COVID-19 in MN: Baby steps out of the latest wave?
COVID-19 continues to hit Minnesota with a stiff, late-summer punch. The most recent Health Department report, though, offers another dose of mildly hopeful data suggesting the pandemic’s current surge may be ebbing.
Hearing set for Monday on Minneapolis police ballot question
Attorneys for former City Council member Don Samuels and others filed the motion late Wednesday, saying the council failed when it approved new ballot language Tuesday to solve the problems that led Judge Jamie Anderson to order the measure stricken from the ballot. 
Ten years later: Lessons from the Pagami Creek Fire
The Pagami Creek Fire in 2011 blew up into Minnesota’s biggest wildfire in over a century, burning more than 90,000 acres in the Superior National Forest. Ten years later, the forest has been reborn and lessons learned from Pagami now shape how rangers and firefighters respond to wilderness wildfires.
Summerlike Friday, cooler weekend; comfy temps next week
We’ll see mostly sunny, dry weather Friday. A weak cold front over the weekend will cool northern Minnesota on Saturday and the rest of us on Sunday. Isolated to scattered showers are possible. Next week will start out with seasonable temperatures and a better chance of rain.
It was shoes on, no boarding pass or ID. But airport security forever changed on 9/11
No boarding pass or ID was needed to go to the gate and 4-inch-blade knives were allowed on board planes. Now we take off shoes, can't have liquids over 3.4 oz and go through high-tech body scanners.
While the latest numbers offer some hope that the curve may be flattening, Minnesota is not out of the woods yet. Officials remain concerned about an increase in the number of cases among school-age children as the new school year begins. Compared to this time last year, both case rates and hospitalizations among this group are higher. This is an MPR News morning update for Friday, September 10, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
Sunny, warm Friday; cooling weekend
Sunny, warm weather for Friday. The weekend will bring a weak cold front with cooling temperatures and maybe isolated showers. Next week will start out with seasonable temperatures and a better chance of rain.
Cruise the hues: Minnesota's fall color season is back
COVID-19 put the brakes on a lot of fun stuff in the past year and a half. But it can’t stop the beauty of a Minnesota fall. The DNR has launched this year’s fall color finder. Here we go.
Survivors reflect on the day the Pagami Creek Fire exploded 10 years ago
Ten years ago this weekend, the Pagami Creek Fire exploded into the biggest wildfire Minnesota had seen in over a century. What had been burning slowly in the Boundary Waters for weeks became an inferno, sweeping across 16 miles of the wilderness in a single day, overtaking campers and Forest Service rangers caught in its path.