Stories from September 1, 2022

CDC recommends new booster shots to fight omicron
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has signed off on updated versions of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines that target the original virus and the omicron subvariants.
Infrequently Asked Fair Questions: What happens to all the money at the State Fair?
There’s a lot of money at the fair. Beyond the cash and cards used by visitors, vendors have to pay for their business spaces. In this edition of Infrequently Asked Questions, MPR News Reporter Tim Nelson traces the fair-wide money flow.
Taxpayers are on the hook for nearly a half-million dollars in legal fees related to court cases brought over Minnesota's redistricting. Also, 15,000 nurses in hospitals in Twin Cities and Duluth plan a walkout in mid-September. This is the afternoon MPR News update for Sept. 1, 2022. Hosted by Jon Collins. Theme music by Gary Meister.
Weekend weather: Plenty of Labor Day weekend sunshine
We’ll have plenty of sunshine this Labor day weekend. High temps will start out a bit cool, then rise on Sunday and Monday.
Minnesota Now for September 1, 2022
Michael Osterholm on the new vaccine for the most contagious Covid strains circulating among us; the story on all the FFA high schoolers who are showing off at the state fair for the 75th year; an insightful conversation about barriers for BIPOC folks to going out into the great outdoors; a group of ninth graders share their hopes, dreams and jitters for their freshman year and we'll catch up with our sports experts Wally and Eric with the latest need-to-know sports news.
A year's worth of work takes center stage at state fair's high school FFA competitions
Nearly 1,000 high school students have moved into the barracks at the State Fairgrounds for the big weekend of Future Farmers of America competitions. Cathy Wurzer talked with T.J. Brown, FFA superintendent, about the changing FFA and what all those young people are up to this last weekend of the fair.
Why the DOJ's photo of top secret documents held by Trump matters
One legal expert tells NPR that the "unusual response" by the Justice Department can only be expected in a case that pits the government against its former leader.
Hot first couple days of September; seasonable weekend
Temperatures will remain well above normal in the upper 80s to near 90 in southern Minnesota Thursday and Friday with isolated thunder possible Friday. Temperatures will be closer to normal, in the 70s this weekend.
Twin Cities, Duluth nurses set 3-day strike starting Sept. 12
The decision by the union representing some 15,000 nurses in Duluth and across the Twin Cities comes weeks after union members voted to authorize a strike. Negotiations are ongoing.
Osterholm: 'Stay current' on upcoming COVID booster shots
Upgraded COVID-19 vaccines are on the way. On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved new, reformulated versions of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. Michael Osterholm joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share what that means for our immunity against new and future strains of the virus.
Reading, math scores fell sharply during pandemic, data show
A new national study finds math and reading scores for America's 9-year-old students fell sharply during the pandemic, underscoring the impact of two years of learning disruptions.
An audit of the state office that provides housing support for people who are homeless found that it did not properly make sure grant money was legally distributed and tracked. This is a morning update from MPR News, hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Music by Gary Meister.
State Fair police ask for help looking for missing man
The Minnesota State Fair police say they're looking for a missing man who got separated from his group on Wednesday.
A hot Thursday in Minnesota with major heat in the southwest U.S.
Temperatures will again be in the upper 80s Thursday across southern and western Minnesota but with higher dew points. A cool front will touch off an isolated thunder chance Friday.
In TV ads and debates, education rises as campaign issue
Test scores, school choice and district budgets are among the issues where candidates up and down the ballot are staking out differences.
Bogaerts' grand slam backs Wacha, Red Sox beat Twins 6-5
Xander Bogaerts hit a grand slam and drove in five runs, J.D. Martinez also homered to back Michael Wacha’s strong start for Boston and the Red Sox held on to beat the Minnesota Twins 6-5.
Cordova scores as Real Salt Lake defeat Minnesota United
Zac MacMath stopped the one shot he faced while Sergio Cordova scored as Real Salt Lake earned a 3-0 win Wednesday over Minnesota United. RSL is now 11-8-9 after the win and United dropped to 13-10-5.
Biden to deliver a prime-time speech about democracy in Philadelphia
President Joe Biden travels to Philadelphia to deliver a speech about what the White House calls the "battle for the soul of the nation" outside Independence Hall. The speech comes two months before the midterm elections and as his travel schedule, especially to the battleground state of Pennsylvania, has ramped up.
Peltola beats Palin, wins Alaska House special election
Democrat Mary Peltola has won the special election for Alaska’s only U.S. House seat, besting a field that included Republican Sarah Palin. Peltola, who is Yup’ik, will become the first Alaska Native to serve in the House and the first woman elected to Alaska’s House seat, which was held for 49 years by Republican Don Young.
How Artemis 1 fits into NASA's grand vision for space exploration
It's been nearly 50 years since the latest Apollo landing, and the landscape for space exploration is wildly different. Why is NASA's latest mission focused on revisiting the moon?
Art Hounds: It's the end of summer, here's what's happening outside
Mozart’s fantastical opera “The Magic Flute” gets a middle school setting in Mixed Precipitation’s traveling outdoor production in Hastings this weekend. Prairie Fyre draws music lovers for a weekend festival in Wood Lake. Also recommended: Rat Castle Jazz Ensemble.
Infrequently Asked Fair Questions: Where do the 4-H kids sleep?
Most people associate 4-H kids at the Minnesota State Fair with animals. When you go to the fair, you see these hard-working farm kids prodding pigs, shearing sheep and cozying up with cows — all in hopes of earning a ribbon. The animals stay in the barns. But where do the kids that brought them go at night?
The United Nations says crimes against humanity may have happened in China's Xinjiang
The United Nations human rights chief has released a long-delayed report, concluding that "serious" human rights violations have been committed against Uyghurs and other minorities in the region.