Stories from February 18, 2022

Former Brooklyn Center police officer Kimberly Potter has been sentenced  to two years in the killing of Daunte Wright during a traffic stop last year. This is an MPR News Evening update for February 18, 2022. Hosted by Hannah Yang. Our theme music is by Gary Meister. 
Answering your questions about the Supreme Court
As President Joe Biden prepares to announce his nominee to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, host Angela Davis talks with two constitutional law professors about the nomination and confirmation process, the history and size of the Supreme Court and whether the highest court in the land was designed to reflect the American citizenry or not.
Latest on COVID-19 in MN: Wastewater, case counts signal pandemic retreat
Minnesota’s newest COVID-19 numbers show more evidence of a rapidly ebbing surge. That includes Twin Cities wastewater, where COVID concentrations are at their the lowest since July. By late fall, the omicron mutation started whacking Minnesota.
Blizzard conditions shaking west-central, NW Minnesota
Blizzard warnings continue Friday afternoon in much of northwestern Minnesota and parts of west-central and central Minnesota. Also, winter weather advisories now include the Twin Cities metro area Friday afternoon and evening.
Blizzard conditions close highways in northwest Minnesota
State transportation officials closed several major highways in northwestern Minnesota on Friday morning as a winter storm brought blizzard conditions to the region.
Adventures in the book trade
Gary Goodman, the semi-retired owner-operator of St. Croix Antiquarian Books in Stillwater, Minn., has a memoir called “The Last Bookseller.” He joins host Angela Davis to talk about the characters and capers of the book business. And, Judith Kissner, the owner-operator of Scout & Morgan Books in Cambridge, Minn., weighs in on how the internet and the pandemic have changed the book business.
After leaving the state for three months for renovation, the most iconic fruit in Minneapolis returns home.
'Segregated Skies' tells the story of the first Black pilot for a commercial airline
When American Airlines hired David Harris in 1964, he became the first African American pilot to fly for a commercial airline. Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cottman's “Segregated Skies” tells his story.
System brings high winds, snow, blizzard conditions
A vigorous clipper system is bringing major wind to Minnesota Friday. Northern Minnesota will also see more significant snow accumulations and what snow does fall is creating blizzard conditions in northwest Minnesota. Southern Minnesota will see just a dusting of snow but also high wind gusts of up to 50 mph.
Canadian police start arresting protesters in Ottawa
Authorities in Canada are beginning to arrest protesters who have paralyzed traffic in Ottawa for three weeks in a demonstration against the country’s COVID-19 restrictions. Police in Ottawa say some protesters are surrendering and being arrested downtown Friday morning. 
Kimberly Potter sentenced to 2 years
The former Brooklyn Center police officer was found guilty of manslaughter for killing Daunte Wright. Kimberly Potter will be sentenced on Feb. 18.
Minnesota U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn dies at age 59
The GOP congressman had been battling kidney cancer for the past three years. He died Thursday night, said his wife, former state Republican Party chair Jennifer Carnahan.
Milder, snow showers, windy Friday
Temperatures are already warmer statewide as south winds are blowing in milder air Friday. Snow is already falling Friday morning in northern Minnesota where several inches will fall. High winds will create blizzard conditions in northwest Minnesota. Farther south, little accumulation is expected but high winds will develop late in the day.
A high school spoken-word club changed students' lives. Now, you can read their poems
Poets Hanif Abdurraqib, Franny Choi, Dan "Sully" Sullivan, and club founder Peter Kahn have curated a new anthology celebrating the legacy of a Chicago-area high school's spoken word club.
In results announced overnight, the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers says 97 percent of teachers and 98 percent of support staff voted in favor of a strike. The Saint Paul Federation of Educators says 78 percent of its voting members supported a strike. The votes do not mean teachers will strike right away, but they empower union leaders to call a strike. This is an MPR News morning update for Friday, February 18, 2022. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
A granddaughter passes on the legacy of 'Granny Hayden,' a midwife born into slavery
"If somebody needed help — Granny was going. Black and whites alike, it made no difference to her," Mary Othella Burnette says of her late grandmother, a second-generation midwife in Black Appalachia.
Nearly half of U.S. bald eagles suffer lead poisoning
Researchers report harmful levels of toxic lead were found in the bones of 46 percent of bald eagles sampled in 38 states. Similar rates of lead exposure were found in golden eagles, according to their study Thursday in the journal Science.
Russia to stage massive nuclear drills amid Ukraine standoff
Russia is planning massive drills of its strategic nuclear forces amid Western fears that Moscow might be preparing to invade Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry says the exercise on Saturday will involve multiple practice launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. 
Canada beats U.S. behind Gushue to win Olympic curling bronze
Sixteen years after he won the Olympic curling gold medal, Brad Gushue is going back to Canada with bronze. The Canadians capitalized on a missed final shot by American John Shuster in the second-to-last end that turned a one-point edge into an insurmountable 8-5 lead. 
Daunte Wright killing: Ex-cop Potter sentenced to 2 years
“This is a cop who made a tragic mistake,” Hennepin County Judge Regina Chu said Friday as she sentenced Kimberly Potter. Wright’s father said Potter got a “slap on the wrist, and we still wait around every night crying, waiting for our son to come home.”
Governor’s emergency powers could change after COVID-19 crisis
An unprecedented use of executive authority during the COVID-19 pandemic has state lawmakers looking at a rewrite of the peacetime emergency powers law. Republicans are pushing for big changes, and Democrats say they are also open to an update.
California adopts nation's first endemic virus policy
The state's plan sets specific goals, such as stockpiling masks, providing wide-scale daily vaccinations and tests and adding 3,000 medical workers within three weeks in surge areas.
MN Senate Republicans propose bonuses for long-term care workers
State Senate Republicans outlined a proposal Thursday to spend $322 million on $1,000 bonuses to long-term care staff members who stay on in their current roles, as well as signing bonuses for those who decide to join the industry. The plan also calls for grants to cover costs of education and training.