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Stories from December 23, 2021

Ex-cop Kimberly Potter convicted of two counts of manslaughter

Kimberly Potter faces seven years in prison for killing Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April. The former Brooklyn Center officer is expected to be sentenced Feb. 18. This is the afternoon MPR News update for Thursday, Dec. 23. Hosted by Natasha Senjanovic. Theme music by Gary Meister.
by Natasha Senjanovic

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Judge halts vaccine mandate for St. Paul city employees

Judge halts vaccine mandate for St. Paul city employees

A judge has temporarily halted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for St. Paul city employees. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that Ramsey County District Judge Robert Awsumb issued a temporary restraining order blocking the mandate on Thursday.
by The Associated Press

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MSP Film Society will now program 5 screens

MSP Film Society will now program 5 screens

The MSP Film Society is fulfilling a long held ambition to program all five screens in the Minneapolis theater complex it has called home for over a decade.
by Euan Kerr

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University of Minnesota meets its emissions reduction goal a year early

University of Minnesota meets its emissions reduction goal a year early

A new report says the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus has surpassed its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2021. It reached 51 percent a year early, in 2020.
by Paul Huttner

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Boosters, vigilance help keep COVID away for the holidays, experts say

Boosters, vigilance help keep COVID away for the holidays, experts say

The torrent of information on COVID and vaccines can sometimes be overwhelming. Public health leaders, though, say the basics are clear: take precautions against COVID during the holiday season -- and get the shots.
by Sarah Gelbard

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Jury finds Potter guilty of manslaughter in Daunte Wright killing

Jury finds Potter guilty of manslaughter in Daunte Wright killing

A Hennepin County jury on Thursday found ex-Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter in the April 11 traffic stop killing of Daunte Wright. She was led out of the court in handcuffs.
by Jon Collins, Nina Moini and Matt Sepic

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Weekend forecast: When is the best chance of snow?

Weekend forecast: When is the best chance of snow?

You may have travel plans this weekend. We have the updated forecast, including which areas could see some snow or a wintry mix.
by Ron Trenda

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Writer Joan Didion, whose 'electric anxiety' inspired a generation, has died at 87

Writer Joan Didion, whose 'electric anxiety' inspired a generation, has died at 87

American novelist, journalist and essayist Joan Didion died on Thursday at her home in New York at the age of 87 from Parkinson's Disease. The best-selling writer began describing her home state, California, for magazines in the 1960s and broadened her subjects over the decades in nonfiction, fiction and films.
by Susan Stamberg

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Parenting during the ongoing pandemic

Parenting during the ongoing pandemic

Being a parent can be hard even during the best of times. During a global pandemic, parenting can feel like a minefield. MPR News Host Angela Davis talks about the challenges of pandemic parenting and what can help parents navigate through.
by Angela Davis and Samantha Matsumoto

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Stretch of I-94 in western Wisconsin reopens after lengthy closure due to crash

Stretch of I-94 in western Wisconsin reopens after lengthy closure due to crash

A long stretch of Interstate 94 in western Wisconsin was closed in both directions for more than 12 hours Thursday, following a series of crashes involving dozens of vehicles. The State Patrol reported Thursday night that one lane in each direction had reopened to traffic.
by MPR News Staff

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The FDA has authorized Merck's COVID pill for home use — the second in two days

The FDA has authorized Merck's COVID pill for home use — the second in two days

The medicine, called molnupiravir, is taken twice a day for five days and works by preventing the virus from replicating. Merck says it will have 10 million packs available by the end of the month.
by Scott Hensley and Joe Hernandez

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Nonprofits with big COVID-19 roles now face added scrutiny

Nonprofits with big COVID-19 roles now face added scrutiny

A flood of federal coronavirus money over the past year will require some Minnesota nonprofits to undergo more intensive audits for the first time.
by Brian Bakst

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Ramsey County prosecutor quits over diversion policies

Ramsey County prosecutor quits over diversion policies

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Wednesday that Richard Dusterhoft resigned earlier this month. He was the trial division director for the county.
by The Associated Press

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Milder Thursday; thawing Friday; colder with areas of snow for Christmas weekend

Milder Thursday; thawing Friday; colder with areas of snow for Christmas weekend

Light snow will taper off gradually in northeastern Minnesota for Thursday. Mixed precipitation will break out north of the Twin Cities on Friday, followed by thawing temperatures. Colder with periods of snow likely over the weekend.
by Bill Endersen

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Hunger prevents Minnesota students from enrolling in community college

Hunger prevents Minnesota students from enrolling in community college

Community colleges provide the most popular higher-education pathway for Minnesota’s students of color. But many immigrant students don’t qualify for federal aid. And tuition assistance still leaves more than 40 percent of students struggling to afford balanced meals. One solution: A growing student movement to demand funding for students’ basic needs.
by Becky Z. Dernbach

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A Norwegian Christmas Eve tradition rings on in Renville County

A Norwegian Christmas Eve tradition rings on in Renville County

At the center of Wang Township, you’ll find a small, white clapboard church called Vestre Sogn. It means “Western Parish” in Norwegian. For more than 50 years, a man named Robert Lerohl has walked over to the small, unpretentious church to ring in the Christmas holiday.
by Cathy Wurzer and Ariana Rosas

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Milder weather for Thursday and Friday; snow likely for the weekend

Milder weather for Thursday and Friday; snow likely for the weekend

Light snow in northeastern Minnesota for Thursday. Mixed precipitation north of the Twin Cities followed by warmth for Friday. Colder with snow likely over the weekend.
by Bill Endersen

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Authorities: Carbon monoxide caused deaths of 7 in Moorhead

Seven members of an immigrant family from Honduras whose bodies were found inside a Moorhead, Minn., home last weekend died of carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said Wednesday. Relatives of the family discovered the victims Saturday night in a home in south Moorhead when they went to check on them after not hearing from them. Neighbors said the children were last seen Friday. This is an MPR News morning update for Thursday, December 23, 2021. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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The clear and present danger of Trump's enduring 'Big Lie'

The clear and present danger of Trump's enduring 'Big Lie'

Fueling the Jan. 6 insurrection was the "Big Lie" that Donald Trump won the election. One year later, many warn that lie has metastasized and now poses an even graver threat to American democracy.
by Melissa Block

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Squirrels force St. Paul park to scale back holiday lights

Squirrels force St. Paul park to scale back holiday lights

Hungry squirrels are forcing a downtown St. Paul park to scale back its Christmas lights display. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports the Friends of Mears Park had to reduce and reconfigure its display this year because a troop of squirrels chewed through the wires last year and the vendor refused to go through the ordeal again this year. 
by The Associated Press

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Potter jury to return Thursday for 4th day of deliberations

Potter jury to return Thursday for 4th day of deliberations

The jury at the trial of a former Brooklyn Center police officer who shot and killed Black motorist Daunte Wright return Thursday for a fourth day of deliberations as the Christmas holiday loomed.
by The Associated Press

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With omicron, you need a mask that means business

With omicron, you need a mask that means business

To block a variant this transmissible, scientists say you need an N95 and other high-filtration mask. Here's how to find a good one and when to wear it.
by Maria Godoy

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Our Lady of Guadalupe parishioners, priest struggle with direction of historic St. Paul church

Our Lady of Guadalupe parishioners, priest struggle with direction of historic St. Paul church

Over the past few months, some longtime parishioners at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church say they are concerned changes made by the priest are erasing the traditions that have been the foundation of the 90-year-old church.
by Vicki Adame

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Biden teases possible rematch against Donald Trump: 'Why would I not?'

Biden teases possible rematch against Donald Trump: 'Why would I not?'

In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, the president discussed his political future and what his administration would do to fight the spike in coronavirus cases.
by Alana Wise

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