Stories from April 15, 2022

Relief efforts boost interest in Pysanky and a storied Minneapolis shop
The Ukrainian Gift Shop has seen a rush of orders from churches and other groups making and selling decorative Ukrainian eggs to raise funds for humanitarian relief in Ukraine.
As insulin affordability is debated in Congress, Minnesota’s safety net law marks two years
Friday marks two years since Gov. Tim Walz signed the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act in Minnesota. Insulin is lifesaving for many people with diabetes, and the safety net program helps eligible residents get low-cost supplies.
U expert: Stop backyard bird feeding while avian flu spreads
Minnesotans should hold off feeding their backyard birds for awhile and should also take steps to sanitize their feeders to help protect birds as avian flu circulates across the state, the head of the University of Minnesota Raptor Center tells MPR News.
Emily St. John Mandel on time travel, destiny and what might have been
The best-selling author of “Station Eleven” and “The Glass Hotel” is back with a novel of art, time, love and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later.
Weekend weather: Cold air lingers; rain-snow mix possible Sunday
It’ll be more like mid-March than mid-April this weekend. Saturday will be our brightest weekend day, then we could see a bit of rain or snow at times on Sunday. Snow-lovers will be interested in the updated Minnesota snow depth map.
Walz pads cash lead as Qualls, Jensen rake in most for GOP
Having the most money doesn’t always mean electoral success, but some party activists view it as a measure of viability when they choose candidates.
Cold, breezy Friday; lingering snow showers
We should see increasing peeks of sunshine in central and southern Minnesota Friday while northeastern Minnesota continues to see some snow showers. Temperatures remain cold into early next week.
Police: More than 900 civilian bodies found in Kyiv region
More than 900 bodies of civilians were discovered in the Kyiv region following the withdrawal of Russian forces. That's according to the regional police chief, who spoke Friday.
Cold and windy still Friday but generally drier
Our storm system finally starts to pull away Friday but it will still be very chilly and windy. Northeast Minnesota will see still see some lingering snow showers but the rest of us will be drier.
Minneapolis Public Schools announced Thursday that it is dropping its mask requirement. The district will also discontinue contact tracing and will not send notifications to parents when their students are exposed to others in their schools who have contracted COVID-19. This is an MPR News morning update for Friday, April 15, 2022. Hosted by Phil Picardi. Our theme music is by Gary Meister.
Olympic champ Lee, Florida star Thomas shine at NCAAs
Sunisa Lee delivered in Texas just as easily as she delivered in Tokyo. The reigning Olympic champion has guided Auburn to the team finals at the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships.
Frederick Gaudreau scores in OT, Wild beat Stars 3-2
Frederick Gaudreau scored at 1:40 overtime after assisting on Kevin Fiala’s two regulation goals in the Minnesota Wild’s 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.
In year three of the pandemic, public health shifts its focus to COVID’s burden on hospitals
With rapid tests more accessible and new reporting requirements, public health officials say COVID case counts and positivity rates are less reliable measures of community spread. Instead, they’re looking at how the virus is impacting hospital capacity.
What the ruthless new commander of Russia's military in Ukraine signals for the war
General Aleksandr Dvornikov is infamous for his ruthlessness while leading Russia's intervention in Syria. Now he's heading Russia's war in Ukraine, signaling that the violence could intensify.
Crazy cow? Stuck foxes? Lawn mowers on lakes? At the DNR info center, no question too wild
Every year the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources fields more than 90,000 phone calls and 25,000 emails with questions that run from the mundane to the wacky. A team of DNR workers hustles to answer them all, six days a week.
Minneapolis public schools drops mask mandate
Minneapolis Public Schools announced Thursday that it is dropping its mask requirement. The district will also discontinue contact tracing and will not send notifications to parents when their students are exposed to others in their schools who have contracted COVID-19.