Stories from October 8, 2021

The White House authorizes the National Archives to share documents with Jan. 6 panel
Separately, the select committee investigating the Capitol riot indicated that former Trump strategist Steve Bannon is not planning to comply with the subpoena it issued to him.
COVID-19 is making it harder to check how accurate the 2020 census was
A final round of door knocking for a follow-up survey is now set to last until early 2022, raising concerns about whether the bureau can determine which groups were undercounted in the 2020 census.
Biden is first president to mark Indigenous Peoples' Day
President Joe Biden on Friday issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, lending the most significant boost yet to efforts to refocus the federal holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus toward an appreciation of Native peoples.
From 80 to frosty in a week?
Big weather changes may be on the way next week.
Long-term care CEOs: Pandemic pushing staff shortages to crisis levels
Minnesota long-term care leaders say they have 23,000 open positions and that the shortage has never been worse. That’s forcing some care facilities to restrict admissions. "We can't admit people if we don't have the staff to take care of them," one CEO says.
WhatsApp outage left Minnesota man with limited access to family in Honduras
When an outage knocked Facebook and its various affiliate sites out for several hours earlier this week, it also took down WhatsApp, the main source of communication for a majority of people in Latin America.
Greater Minnesota hospitals are struggling to keep up with demand amid the latest COVID-19 surge. The number of active COVID cases in the state continues to rise, and now tops 25,000 for the first time since last December.  This is an MPR News evening update for Oct. 8, 2021. Hosted by Nina Moini. Our theme music is by Gary Meister. 
Halloween events in Minnesota and their COVID precautions
From costume contests looking for the best mask-wearing ghoul, to concerts that’ll have you shaking in your boots once you have your temperature checked, we’ve got you covered on some of the spookiest events happening across the state, and what you need in order to attend them. 
Twins host winter clothing drive Saturday for Afghan refugees
Donations collected at the event by Target Field will aid Afghan families housed at military bases in Wisconsin and Indiana. Organizers are specifically requesting winter gear for children and adults.
Highway project threatens Hmong farmland in Dakota County
Land ownership and access is a major barrier for farmers of color in Minnesota. A Hmong farming group in the process of buying its land is already worried about a potential loss to construction.
The benefits of intergenerational friendship
MPR News host Angela Davis and MPR News reporter Nina Moini met years ago while working in TV. They’re 20 years apart in age — but alike in so many other ways. Angela and Nina share their warm friendship with listeners and are joined by a researcher who digs into the benefits of having much older or younger friends.
COVID-19 in MN: New, active cases climb as care systems feel the stress
Minnesota remains stuck at or near highs for 2021 as COVID-19 stays entrenched in every county. State hospital leaders say the care system is stressed, short-staffed and struggling to meet the needs of rapidly rising numbers of COVID-19 and other patients.
A wetter pattern is settling in across Minnesota, causing everything from areas of fog to rain showers. Over the weekend, an area of low pressure brings even heavier rain, a severe weather risk, and eventually ushers in cooler temperatures.
After a relatively quiet week so far, Friday is shaping up to be a much more active day, with an area of rain east, then more rain moving in from the west.
Nearly 70 percent of nursing homes in the state say they are limiting new resident admissions because of an inability to fill staff positions. That's according to a new survey from Care Providers of Minnesota and LeadingAge Minnesota, two organizations that represent long-term care facilities in the state. This is an MPR News morning update for Friday, October 8, 2021. Hosted by Phil Picardi. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
Journalists from Philippines, Russia get Nobel Peace Prize
Journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their fight for freedom of expression in countries where media outlets have faced persistent attacks.
'Invisible Child' tells the story of childhood homelessness in America
While the book is very much the tale of young Dasani Coates, Andrea Elliott uses her story and that of her family to examine the many who find themselves in similarly impossible circumstances.
Hiring slows sharply, and it's raising new concerns about the economy
Forecasters say the U.S. added just 194,000 jobs last month, even lower than the lackluster showing in August. The unemployment rate fell to 4.8 percent.
What's behind up-and-coming Duluth's sluggish population growth?
There's been a lot of positive buzz around Duluth recently — tourist numbers are soaring, the city's outdoor scene has gotten lots of national press. Yet despite all that enthusiasm, the population has barely budged in 20 years, while many other midsize cities in Minnesota are growing.