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Stories from January 18, 2022

Waste water data indicates the COVID peak may already be here in the Twin Cities

Waste water data indicates the COVID peak may already be here in the Twin Cities. Mayo Clinic says it is also seeing signs of a plateau. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.

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With airlines worried about 5G, Verizon and AT&T agree to delay rollout near airports

With airlines worried about 5G, Verizon and AT&T agree to delay rollout near airports

The FAA says 5G service could interfere with critical navigation systems on some aircraft and will restrict flights into some airports, which could lead to widespread delays and cancellations.
by David Schaper

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Micro thaw Tuesday; arctic invasion the rest of this week

Micro thaw Tuesday; arctic invasion the rest of this week

Highs hit the 40s across southern Minnesota Tuesday. Wind chills will be closer to minus 40 up north by Wednesday morning.
by Paul Huttner

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Phenomenal phenology reports from young reporters around Minn.

Phenomenal phenology reports from young reporters around Minn.

Every Tuesday, KAXE/KBXE radio in the Grand Rapids-Bemidji area airs nature reports from local students. John Latimer runs the show on phenology — that’s the study of changes in nature over the seasons. He told host Cathy Wurzer more.
by Cathy Wurzer and Melissa Townsend

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Sanford Health's chief nursing officer on COVID health care staffing challenges

The omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to spread rapidly throughout Minnesota, health care providers are swamped, and at Sanford Health, nurses are bearing the brunt of staffing challenges. Erica DeBoer, chief nursing officer for Sanford Health, joined host Cathy Wurzer with more.
by Cathy Wurzer

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When housing costs soar, Minnesota tenants and homebuyers get creative 

When housing costs soar, Minnesota tenants and homebuyers get creative 

As the cost of shelter goes up, some people are turning to alternative ways to afford the roof over their head. MPR News guest host Twila Dang talks with experts involved with land trusts and housing cooperatives and takes listener calls about creative ideas for alternatives to rising rents and mortgages. 
by Twila Dang and Maja Beckstrom

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The big picture: A conversation about the future of democracy

The big picture: A conversation about the future of democracy

This week, as we step into a new year, we’re looking to the future of big issues in America. Tuesday, host Cathy Wurzer talked with anthropologist and Metropolitan State University associate professor of social science Jose Santos about truth and the future of democracy.
by Cathy Wurzer and Kelly Gordon

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Amid another COVID wave, rural nurses face severe staffing challenges

Amid another COVID wave, rural nurses face severe staffing challenges

The omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to spread rapidly throughout Minnesota, health care providers are swamped, and at Sanford Health, nurses are bearing the brunt of staffing challenges. Erica DeBoer, chief nursing officer for Sanford Health, joined host Cathy Wurzer with more.
by Cathy Wurzer

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St. Paul students demand switch to distance learning for 2 weeks

St. Paul students demand switch to distance learning for 2 weeks

Hundreds of middle and high school students walked out of class on Tuesday afternoon, decrying unsafe health conditions in buildings and demanding more COVID prevention measures and testing.
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Walz asks lawmakers to back record $2.7 billion bonding bill

Walz asks lawmakers to back record $2.7 billion bonding bill

Gov. Tim Walz is asking the Legislature to back a $2.7 billion “local jobs and projects” plan that’s considerably larger than the record package that lawmakers passed two years ago. 
by Steve Karnowski, Associated Press and Tim Pugmire

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Northern snowfall totals increase before Canadian cold arrives

Northern snowfall totals increase before Canadian cold arrives

An arctic air mass blows into Minnesota starting Tuesday through Wednesday and Thursday. Wind chill advisories cover all of northern Minnesota and run right up to the western Twin Cities late Tuesday through Wednesday morning.
by Paul Huttner

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Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Signs of a possible peak; 11K pandemic deaths

Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Signs of a possible peak; 11K pandemic deaths

Minnesota’s newest COVID-19 data remains muddled by post-holiday reporting lags, but Tuesday’s report offers reasons to be hopeful the surge in cases and hospitalizations may be ready to ebb. Deaths, however, continue to mount.
by MPR News Staff

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A St. Paul school walkout organizer calls for COVID-19 safety measures

A St. Paul school walkout organizer calls for COVID-19 safety measures

Tuesday afternoon, a number of St. Paul high school and middle school students walked out of class, demanding the city’s public school district do more to keep them safe as COVID-19 case numbers spike.
by Cathy Wurzer and Alex Cheng

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Women's hockey league to increase salary cap, add 2 teams

Women's hockey league to increase salary cap, add 2 teams

The Premier Hockey Federation is more than doubling each teams’ salary cap to $750,000 and adding two expansion franchises next season in a bid to capitalize on the wave of attention women’s hockey traditionally enjoys following the Winter Olympics.
by The Associated Press

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Canadian cold set to slash temps through Thursday across Minnesota

Canadian cold set to slash temps through Thursday across Minnesota

Snow continues Tuesday across northern Minnesota. In the northwest, strong winds will bring near-blizzard conditions in the Red River Valley. A Canadian cold front drops temperatures by late in the day.
by Bill Endersen

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Francouz steps in, Avs beat Wild in shootout

Francouz steps in, Avs beat Wild in shootout

Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz stopped 24 shots in relief of injured Darcy Kuemper and three more in the shootout, and Colorado beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 for its 14th straight home win.
by The Associated Press

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Buffalo man at center of life support fight moved to Texas hospital

A legal fight over a gravely ill Buffalo man's treatment at a Coon Rapids hospital is over after he was transferred to a hospital in Texas. This is an MPR News morning update for Tuesday, January 18, 2022. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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Snow up north Tuesday; cold Canadian wind coming

Snow up north Tuesday; cold Canadian wind coming

Snow comes Tuesday to northern Minnesota with near-blizzard conditions in the Red River Valley. Wednesday and Thursday bring highs only in the plus and minus single digits. Expect high temperatures near zero both days in the Twin Cities.
by Bill Endersen

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Biden year one takeaways: Grand ambitions, humbling defeats

Biden year one takeaways: Grand ambitions, humbling defeats

After the turbulence and chaos of his predecessor, Donald Trump, Joe Biden was seen by voters as one who could restore a sense of normalcy and a reassuring tone to the White House. But Biden also found out, as all his predecessors have, that events beyond his control would shape his time in office and the public’s assessment of him.
by The Associated Press

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Supreme Court justices aren't 'scorpions,' but not happy campers either

Supreme Court justices aren't 'scorpions,' but not happy campers either

Anybody who regularly watches Supreme Court arguments is used to seeing testy moments. But you don't have to be a keen observer these days to see that something out of the ordinary is happening.
by Nina Totenberg

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These are the 5 things needed to stabilize the pandemic in Europe, WHO expert says

These are the 5 things needed to stabilize the pandemic in Europe, WHO expert says

The omicron variant has added a lot of uncertainty to the trajectory of the pandemic. Dr. Hans Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, has what he calls five pandemic stabilizers that could help.
by Wynne Davis

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Minnesota novelist delves into pandemic grief

Minnesota novelist delves into pandemic grief

Imagine working on a novel for 10 years about a world enduring a global plague only to have it published during a real pandemic. That's what's happening to Minneapolis writer Sequoia Nagamatsu. He has mixed feelings about the timing, but he hopes it helps people struggling with the impact of COVID.
by Euan Kerr

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