Stories from April 12, 2022

Severe thunderstorms Tuesday evening; a blizzard through Thursday
A messy spring storm is bringing severe storms to Minnesota for Tuesday evening. A blizzard through Thursday will make travel across North Dakota impossible. Periods of cold wind-driven rain and snow will make Wednesday and Thursday seem more like early March than mid April.
Two Illinois men get more than a decade in prison for 2017 Bloomington mosque bombing and the severe storm season kicked off with a bang this afternoon. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.
Minnesota man recounts imprisonment during escape from Ukraine
Tyler Jacob, a Minnesota man who was detained by Russian forces as he tried to leave embattled Ukraine, recounted his ordeal Tuesday as he met with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who helped secure his release.
Faisal Kaleem, professor of computer science and cyber security at Metro State University, joined host Cathy Wurzer to discuss the impact of cyber-attacks, and how people can protect their personal information.
Possible spring COVID surge? Mayo infectious disease expert shares insights
When you look around, it would appear that many people think the pandemic is over. Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious disease expert at Mayo Clinic, says that’s “a deadly and wrong assumption.”
Host Cathy Wurzer talked with MPR News reporter Matt Sepic about the news. She also checked in with Imam Mohamed Omar from Dar Al Farooq, who was in the mosque the morning the bomb came through the window.
'Pandemic, Inc.' author says financial predators made more than $1 billion off COVID
In his new book, ProPublica reporter J. David McSwane says a shocking number of companies that received funds at the beginning of the pandemic to distribute protective gear had no experience doing so.
Host Cathy Wurzer talked with MPR News reporter Matt Sepic about the news. She also checked in with Imam Mohammed Omar from Dar Al Farooq, who was in the mosque the morning the bomb came through the window. He had circulated a letter asking the court to act with compassion in the sentencing.
Twin Cities mosque bombers get more than 14 years in prison
Michael McWhorter and Joe Morris had previously pleaded guilty to bombing the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington in 2017. McWhorter allegedly told police he wanted to scare Muslims from the country.
What increasingly partisan and venomous Wisconsin school board races reveal about American elections
As traditionally nonpartisan school board campaigns become polarized battlegrounds, voters in next week’s Wisconsin races may set the tone for how contentious races across the country will become this year.
From the archives: Physicist Lisa Randall on dark matter, meteoroids and the demise of the dinosaurs
This Friday, MPR News host Kerri Miller talks with Emily St. John Mandel about her much-anticipated and just released novel “Sea of Tranquility.” It asks some big philosophical and science fiction questions about time travel. So as a throwback, we thought you’d enjoy this 2015 conversation with astrophysicist Lisa Randall, who says there’s a closer parallel between imagination and science than you might guess.
Gunman opens fire on Brooklyn subway; at least 10 shot
Police are looking for a U-Haul truck in connection to the Brooklyn subway shooting. At least 10 people were shot and seven others injured in the Tuesday morning shooting.
Severe storms possible late Tuesday; rain, snow late Wednesday
Moisture surges north Tuesday, developing afternoon showers and evening storms. Some could be strong to severe in southern Minnesota. It will be mild and windy as well.
Joe Morris and Michael McWhorter will be sentenced Tuesday in the 2017 firebombing of the Dar Al Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington. A third person convicted in the bombing is currently serving more than fifty years in prison. This is an MPR News morning update for Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
Severe storm threat for southern Minnesota late Tuesday
Moisture surges north Tuesday developing afternoon showers and evening storms; some could be strong to severe in southern Minnesota. It will be mild again with 50s south; 40s north.
Mayor: 10,000 dead in Ukraine's Mariupol and toll could rise
The besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol has yielded up more horrors after six weeks of pummeling by Russian troops. The mayor said more than 10,000 civilians have died in the strategic southern port, their corpses “carpeted through the streets.”
Buxton, Bundy lift Twins to 4-0 win, split with Mariners
Byron Buxton and Luis Arraez each had three hits and Dylan Bundy earned his first win in a Twins uniform as Minnesota won its series finale against the Seattle Mariners by a 4-0 final Monday at Target Field.
As 'The Velveteen Rabbit' turns 100, its message continues to resonate
"To engage children's interest in anything you have to be keenly interested in that thing yourself," Margery Williams Bianco wrote in 1925. Her story endures because it connects to so many people.
How soaring inflation forces stark choices on low-income Americans
Inflation likely hit another 40-year high in March, with prices up more than 8 percent from a year ago. Rising prices are especially hard on low-income people, who spend more of their money on necessities.
On the presidential campaign trail, competing visions of France emerge
As President Emmanuel Macron and challenger Marine Le Pen campaign for the April 24 run-off election, analysts say the vote results will have deep consequences in France and on the world stage.
Romania hasn't always seen itself as a safe haven. War in Ukraine has changed that
Romanians have been welcoming the world's second-largest influx of Ukrainian refugees. It's a marked change from the country's response during Europe's last major migrant crisis.
Coming back to America: U.S.-born children who return from parent's native country face unique hardships
Data on how many U.S. citizen children return to a deported parent’s native country is hard to come by. Jordi Garcia Leal is one of an unknown number of young people who decide to return to the U.S.