Stories from January 28, 2022

Kyle Rittenhouse gun from Kenosha shootings to be destroyed
A judge has approved an agreement by lawyers to destroy the assault-style rifle that Kyle Rittenhouse used to kill two people and wound a third during a 2020 street protest in Wisconsin.
Best weekend of winter for outdoor fun?
This looks like one of the best weekends of winter for outdoor fun in Minnesota.
Minneapolis police are using a new training program to encourage intervention with colleagues acting unreasonably. "ABLE" training which encourages officers to question, be alert, challenge, then take action, was developed following the murder of George Floyd. This is an MPR News evening update for Friday, January 28, 2022. Hosted by Hannah Yang. Our theme music is by Gary Meister. 
Possible polar vortex signs emerging in February
With forecast models cranking out 23 to 28 below zero for the Twin Cities in the next seven to 10 days, the odds of the Twin Cities area hitting at least negative 20 are growing.
More than 6,000 flights have been canceled as the Northeast faces a major storm
More than 6,000 flights scheduled for Friday and Saturday have been canceled, as snow begins to pound the Northeast. In some areas, the snow accumulation could reach as high as 2 feet, and the snow and wind could yield blizzard conditions, the National Weather Service warned.
Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Tangled trends keep surge path clouded
Minnesota’s latest COVID-19 data remains an enigmatic jumble, making it hard to know whether to cheer or curse as the pandemic stumbles toward February.
According to climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley, temperatures across Minnesota this month have ranged from 44 degrees below zero in Baudette and Warren, to 48 degrees in Albert Lea.
Weekend forecast: Great getting-out weather; mildest temps Saturday
Our average Twin Cities high temperature is 24 degrees on Jan. 29. Some spots in the metro area will reach 30 degrees Saturday afternoon. We have your weekend forecast details, including a chance of snow in far northern Minnesota.
Who were the Vikings, really? 
How about those Vikings? Not the football team. We’re talking about the ancient voyagers and raiders from the North. MPR News host Angela Davis talked with a Minnesota historian and an archeologist in the U.K. about Vikings in popular imagination and new research that challenges old ideas about who they were and where they went. 
Unions have enthusiasm, media spotlight. But membership numbers lag
Strikes and organizing efforts at high profile companies have generated new enthusiasm for organized labor. But numbers tell a different story. Union membership is tied for the lowest level on record.
Biden heads to Pittsburgh to talk infrastructure as bridge collapses
President Joe Biden is heading to Pittsburgh to promote the benefits of his infrastructure package — and he's set to appear just two miles from the site of an early-morning bridge collapse that underscores his frequent calls to do more for the nation’s crumbling roads and bridges.
Weekend weather: Temps set to rebound; Saturday looking good
After a cold start Friday, temperatures will head back up quickly over the next 24 hours. We’ll see highs in the lower teens, cooler than normal, but temperatures in the 20s and 30s return to Minnesota Saturday.
Meet Willow, the Bidens' new, very presidential-looking cat
First lady Jill Biden met the cat when it interrupted a stump speech she was giving at a Pennsylvania farm during President Joe Biden's 2020 campaign.
In one small Minnesota town, two warring visions of America
The headline in the Benson newspaper said COVID-19 numbers were spiking in the farm towns of western Minnesota, but some saw it as a lie. It’s brought the lines of a divided America into sharp focus: one little town, 3,000 people, two starkly different realities.
Prosecutors are seeking to show that the three officers ignored their training by not helping George Floyd as their colleague Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020, killing him. This is an MPR News morning update for Friday, January 28, 2022. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister. 
Duluth neighborhoods asked to dial back thermostats until further notice
After a contractor drove through a piling and hit a large gas main Thursday night, Duluth officials asked some residents and businesses to reduce thermostats to 62 degrees Friday to avoid a gas shutdown.
Newbery Honor book 'A Snake Falls to Earth' is infused with 'unwavering optimism'
 "I just I found myself smiling a lot and, and kind of feeling like I was in this daydream or, like all of a sudden my imagination was sparked to life,” says Darcie Shultz, owner of Books and Burrow in Pittsburg, Kan., of "A Snake Falls to Earth."
Chilly Friday gives way to a seasonable weekend
Temperatures statewide are below zero, but nowhere near as cold as Tuesday or Wednesday mornings. We’re mainly in the single digits below zero across the Twin Cities metro and even the coldest spots in the state are ‘only’ in the low to mid-teens below zero.
How many times can I reuse my N95 mask?
Experts say how often you can safely wear an N95 or KN95 mask will vary depending on how it’s used. Using a mask to run to the grocery store, for example, is very different than wearing it all day at work.
Biden says Russian invasion in Feb. 'distinct possibility'
The White House says President Joe Biden warned Ukraine's president Thursday that there is a “distinct possibility” Russia could take military action against Ukraine in February. The Kremlin likewise sounded a grim note, saying it saw “little ground for optimism” in resolving the crisis after the U.S. this week again rejected Russia’s main demands.
Russia says it won't start a war as Ukraine tensions mount
Russia's top diplomat said Friday that Moscow will not start a war but warned that it wouldn't allow the West to trample on its security interests amid fears it is planning to invade Ukraine.
Curry, Thompson shoot Warriors past Wolves, 124-115
Stephen Curry rediscovered his 3-point touch after a rough shooting stretch and scored 29 points, Klay Thompson added 23 points, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-115.
A federal judge canceled major oil and gas leases over climate change
The ruling revokes leases sold in the Gulf of Mexico, in the largest oil and gas lease sale in U.S. history. It says the Interior Department failed to consider the greenhouse gases it would produce.
Witness: MPD cops' actions were 'inconsistent' with department training
Prosecutors are seeking to show that the three officers ignored their training by not helping George Floyd as officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes on May 25, 2020, killing him. Friday brought more testimony from a key Minneapolis police trainer.
Growing number of police departments training cops on how to intervene with colleagues
Minneapolis police have had a “duty-to-intervene” policy since 2016, and the state of Minnesota passed a similar law in the summer after Floyd’s killing. However, an expert says a policy does not equal training. 
Kyle Rittenhouse is going to court to get his gun back
Rittenhouse's spokesman said he wants to destroy the rifle and throw the rest of the items away so nothing can be used as a political symbol celebrating the shootings.
At vaccine mandate deadline, MN nursing homes say they are working to comply
Staff in hundreds of Minnesota nursing homes now must be vaccinated against COVID-19, as the operators of long-term care residences struggle to keep enough workers to operate safely.