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Stories from November 12, 2021

Central Minnesota hospitals overwhelmed by COVID, staffing shortages

The latest COVID-19 surge and staffing shortages are overwhelming hospitals in central Minnesota. MPR News Evening update for Nov 12, 2021. Hosted by Natasha Senjanovic Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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What we learned from the 2nd week of the Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial

What we learned from the 2nd week of the Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial

Several legal experts say putting Rittenhouse on the stand was effective for the defense and agree that prosecutors have struggled at times to make their case. Closing arguments are expected Monday.
by Becky Sullivan

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White House nominates 10 for U.S. Marshals, U.S. attorney posts

White House nominates 10 for U.S. Marshals, U.S. attorney posts

The Biden administration is nominating its first set of U.S. Marshals, including the first Black man to serve as the U.S. Marshal in Minnesota, along with a slate of other historic firsts for U.S. attorney posts across the nation.
by The Associated Press

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Britney Spears' conservatorship has finally ended

Britney Spears' conservatorship has finally ended

After 13 years living under a legal arrangement that controlled both her personal life and finances, the pop star was released from her conservatorship Friday.
by Anastasia Tsioulcas

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Why a St. Paul church is making reparations for racial inequality

Why a St. Paul church is making reparations for racial inequality

A century ago, Pilgrim Lutheran Church was founded in Mac-Groveland, a white neighborhood of St. Paul, less than a mile from the home of a Black couple facing racist harassment and threats for moving to the neighborhood. Today, Pilgrim Lutheran is undertaking a reparations project. A parishioner told Cathy Wurzer why.
by Cathy Wurzer and Alex Cheng

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A St. Paul church is making reparations for racism in the housing system

A century ago, Pilgrim Lutheran Church was founded in Mac-Groveland, a white neighborhood of St. Paul, half a mile from the home of a Black couple facing harassment for moving to the neighborhood. Today, Pilgrim Lutheran is undertaking a reparations project. A parishioner told Cathy Wurzer why.
by Cathy Wurzer

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Snow and ice cited in NE Minnesota crash that killed 2

Wintry weather carrying strong winds, snow and icy conditions may have contributed to a highway crash in northeastern Minnesota that killed a woman and an 11-year-old boy. 
by The Associated Press

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Song of the Day: 'Bread Box' by Pushing Chain

Friday’s Song of the Day on Minnesota Now came from Will Moore, the music director at WTIP in beautiful Grand Marais. 
by Cathy Wurzer and Kelly Gordon

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Raising a gender expansive child

Raising a gender expansive child

Host Angela Davis talks about how to support gender expansive children with teacher Tom Rademacher, who wrote a new book about what he’s learned raising his nonbinary art-nerd kid, a pediatrician who leads a gender health program and a nonbinary young adult who works with nonbinary teens.
by Angela Davis and Maja Beckstrom

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COVID-19 in MN: Hospital needs hit 2021 highs as surge worsens

COVID-19 in MN: Hospital needs hit 2021 highs as surge worsens

Two central Minnesota hospital systems said Friday they’re struggling to find beds for critically ill patients. Separately, new data shows dramatic differences in COVID-19 hospitalization and death rates between vaccinated and unvaccinated Minnesotans.
by Kirsti Marohn and David H. Montgomery

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Fight over U.S. wolf protections heads to federal courtroom

Fight over U.S. wolf protections heads to federal courtroom

U.S. government attorneys are asking a federal judge to uphold a decision from the waning days of the Trump administration that lifted protections for gray wolves across most of the country. 
by The Associated Press

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For 2nd straight month, Americans quit jobs at a record pace

For 2nd straight month, Americans quit jobs at a record pace

Americans quit their jobs at a record pace for the second straight month in September, while businesses and other employers continued to post a near-record number of available jobs. 
by The Associated Press

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Black-owned media outlets pressure large companies to fulfill commitments

Black-owned media outlets pressure large companies to fulfill commitments

After the murder of George Floyd, some big corporations — like Target, General Mills, Nestle and DoorDash — made pledges to invest in Black-owned media companies. Now those corporations are under pressure to make good on the promise. Black media makers like Sheletta Brundidge are concerned the promises won’t materialize.
by Cathy Wurzer and Ariana Rosas

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St. Cloud prison reports spike in COVID-19 cases

St. Cloud prison reports spike in COVID-19 cases

The Minnesota Department of Corrections said it’s taking steps to mitigate the outbreak, including moving intake processing to Faribault.
by Kirsti Marohn

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A pair of bald eagles was caught on video entangled on a Minnesota street

A pair of bald eagles was caught on video entangled on a Minnesota street

The two birds writhed around together on a residential street for minutes, unable to separate themselves from each other. They reportedly flew away unharmed without police intervention.
by Joe Hernandez

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New clues to the biology of long COVID are starting to emerge

New clues to the biology of long COVID are starting to emerge

Scientists have begun to find abnormalities in the immune systems of some long COVID patients that might help explain the syndrome, at least in some people. But there is still much more to learn.
by Rob Stein

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The cosmos beckons for Snoopy onscreen and in real life

The cosmos beckons for Snoopy onscreen and in real life

A plush toy version of the daydreaming beagle — wearing a space suit designed according to NASA's strict specifications — has an important job for the Artemis I unmanned mission. NASA uses stuffed animals on flights because when the little guys start to float, it indicates that the spacecraft has entered space's zero gravity.
by The Associated Press

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More snow targets Minnesota this weekend

More snow targets Minnesota this weekend

As Minnesota starts to see improvements from a storm that brought swaths of heavy rain, snow and high winds, another system is on the way with more measurable snow Saturday.
by Nicole Mitchell

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Wintry, windy conditions slowly move out Friday

Wintry, windy conditions slowly move out Friday

Snow and gusty winds are still making travel difficult for much of the state Friday morning, but the storm, which has plagued Minnesota since Wednesday, finally moves out by the end of the day.
by Nicole Mitchell

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St. Cloud prison sees spike in COVID-19 cases

The Minnesota Department of Corrections reported this week that there are 87 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases among people incarcerated in the St. Cloud prison. The St. Cloud prison typically serves as the intake facility where everyone entering the state corrections system is first admitted. Staff and people incarcerated in all state prisons will be offered booster shots starting next week. This is an MPR News morning update for Friday, November 12, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer  Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee says she was pepper-sprayed in racist attack

Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee says she was pepper-sprayed in racist attack

In an interview with PopSugar, the St. Paul gymnast said that she was waiting for a ride with her friends, all of Asian descent, when a group sped by in a car yelling racial slurs. One person in the car pepper-sprayed her on the arm, she said. Suni Lee is currently in Los Angeles for the latest season of "Dancing with the Stars."
by Nancy Yang

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A bill to study reparations for slavery had momentum in Congress, but still no vote

A bill to study reparations for slavery had momentum in Congress, but still no vote

Legislation to create a commission to study reparations faces steep odds in the evenly divided Congress. Advocates say they want the House take up the bill, or for President Joe Biden to act on his own.
by Juana Summers

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Low blood supply hampers sickle cell treatment efforts

Low blood supply hampers sickle cell treatment efforts

The Red Cross is trying to triple the number of African American blood donors over the next five years. Donated blood is particularly crucial to those who have sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder which disproportionately affects people of African descent.
by Sarah Gelbard

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'Nothing about my book that is anything but love': Mpls. author responds to Texas book list

'Nothing about my book that is anything but love': Mpls. author responds to Texas book list

Texas school districts face a Friday deadline to report to the state's legislature on whether they use hundreds of books that one lawmaker there has deemed problematic, including five by Minnesota authors.
by Tom Crann

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New grant powers electric bus pilot program in Minnesota

New grant powers electric bus pilot program in Minnesota

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has awarded $2.1 million in grants to private entities for electric school bus pilot projects to address climate change.
by Hannah Yang

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Prior Lake grapples with fallout of racist video aimed at Black high school student

Prior Lake grapples with fallout of racist video aimed at Black high school student, posted to social media earlier this week. Support is pouring in for the 14 year old from around the country. Also, Minnesota is getting its first real taste of winter. This is an evening news update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.

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