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Stories from February 4, 2022

Man killed by Minneapolis police was law-abiding, parents say

  The parents of a man killed in an early morning police raid in downtown Minneapolis Wednesday say officers gave their son no chance to survive the encounter. 22-year-old Amir Locke — who was Black — is seen on body camera video stirring from underneath a blanket and holding a handgun as a SWAT team enters the apartment where he was staying. This is the evening MPR News update for Friday, Feb. 4, 2022. Hosted by Hannah Yang. Theme music by Gary Meister.
by Hannah Yang

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Superintendent sought student mental health help months before shooting at Richfield school

Superintendent sought student mental health help months before shooting at Richfield school

District 287, a regional system serving some of the Twin Cities most vulnerable students, took its concerns about behavior to state lawmakers and education officials months before Tuesday’s shooting, warning that students were “not OK” and that its district was “on red alert.”
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Walz OKs Guard patrols ahead of Floyd cops' trial verdict, amid Mpls. police shooting

Walz OKs Guard patrols ahead of Floyd cops' trial verdict, amid Mpls. police shooting

Gov. Tim Walz called the move to authorize National Guard use precautionary as the federal trial of three ex-Minneapolis cops accused of violating George Floyd’s rights nears an end. The order also allows for Guard patrols in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of Amir Locke. 
by Brian Bakst

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Explaining the U.S. military presence in Europe as 2,000 more troops deploy

Explaining the U.S. military presence in Europe as 2,000 more troops deploy

The number of U.S. troops in Europe has shrunk dramatically since the end of the Cold War — but tensions with Russia since 2014 have prompted U.S. leaders to beef up numbers and move troops eastward.
by Becky Sullivan

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Latest on COVID in MN: Wastewater data, falling case counts signal pandemic's ebb

Latest on COVID in MN: Wastewater data, falling case counts signal pandemic's ebb

Key metrics tracking the spread of COVID-19 in Minnesota continue to brighten. That includes data on COVID in Twin Cities wastewater, hospital needs and the rate of tests coming back positive for the disease.
by MPR News Staff

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Coming of age with three contemporary YA novels

Coming of age with three contemporary YA novels

In each of these stories — “Full Flight,” “Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman,” “Ophelia After All” — a girl stands at a junction in her life, on the brink of deciding who she wants to be.
by Caitlyn Paxon

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Charges: Student fight led to gunfire, killing outside Richfield school

Charges: Student fight led to gunfire, killing outside Richfield school

Two Minneapolis teens were charged Friday with murder and attempted murder in connection with a fight that spilled outside South Education Center Tuesday and led to the deadly shooting. The charges don’t say what the fight was about.
by Matt Sepic

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Minnesotans react to the fatal shooting of Amir Locke by Minneapolis police

Minnesotans react to the fatal shooting of Amir Locke by Minneapolis police

The Minneapolis police killed a young Black man, Amir Locke, while executing a no-knock search warrant on Wednesday. We get reaction from Minnesotans after the release of the bodycam footage.
by Angela Davis and Samantha Matsumoto

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Locke family: Amir law-abiding, 'loved by all'; attorneys blast no-knock entry

Locke family: Amir law-abiding, 'loved by all'; attorneys blast no-knock entry

Amir Locke’s parents and their attorneys on Friday slammed the actions of Minneapolis police seen on body camera video as reckless and unwarranted. A major Minnesota gun rights group said it’s also supporting the family, calling Locke a lawful gun owner who should still be alive.
by Jon Collins

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Weekend weather: Breezy, mild Saturday; quiet, cool Sunday

Weekend weather: Breezy, mild Saturday; quiet, cool Sunday

Our mildest weekend temps will be Saturday afternoon, but it will also be breezy. We have your weekend forecast details, including some snow for northern Minnesota.
by Ron Trenda

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Two snow chances as warmer air moves in

Two snow chances as warmer air moves in

Light snow sweeps across much of Minnesota Friday morning. Highs will be in the teens in southern Minnesota and single digits in the north. Temperatures will be much warmer Saturday. The really warm stuff arrives next week.
by Sven Sundgaard

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Meet the Winter Olympians from Minnesota

Meet the Winter Olympians from Minnesota

With hockey, curling and cross country skiing, Minnesota offers talent to Team USA’s ranks in the Winter Olympics. Minnesota also has ties to Team Mexico.
by Matt Mikus

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Photos: Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony

Photos: Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has spoken at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games, thanking those around the globe who he says have gone “beyond the call of duty” to make the events happen as a global pandemic continues raging.
by The Associated Press and MPR News Staff

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Light snow moves through ahead of warmer air

Light snow moves through ahead of warmer air

It’s cold again Friday morning but readings are a far improvement from Thursday morning. Light snow is pushing through the state as well and could create slick spots. Temperatures are cold enough where most road chemicals work slowly or not at all.
by Sven Sundgaard

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Bodycam video shows man under blanket, holding gun before Minneapolis cop shoots

Footage released late Thursday shows the fatal shooting of Amir Locke by Minneapolis police at a downtown apartment on Wednesday morning. Locke is seen wrapped in a blanket on a couch and then holding a gun as he starts to move, just before he’s shot. This is an MPR News morning update for Friday, February 4, 2022. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

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A satellite finds massive methane leaks from gas pipelines

A satellite finds massive methane leaks from gas pipelines

A satellite has detected massive leaks of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from natural gas plants and pipelines. Most of these releases are deliberate, resulting from sloppy pipeline repairs.
by Dan Charles

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China's pandemic Olympics begins, with lockdown and boycotts

China's pandemic Olympics begins, with lockdown and boycotts

China is launching a locked-down Winter Olympics. The country where the coronavirus outbreak emerged two years ago is projecting its might on the most global of stages even as some Western governments stage a diplomatic boycott over the way China treats millions of its own people.
by The Associated Press

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How important is a Twin Metals mine to supply critical minerals?

How important is a Twin Metals mine to supply critical minerals?

The announcement last week from the Biden administration to cancel federal mineral leases next to the Boundary Waters was a major victory for the environmental groups and area businesses fighting to protect the wilderness. But it also raised larger questions about how to obtain the metals needed to transition to a carbon-free future. 
by Dan Kraker

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