May 21, 2021

Welcome to a steamy, summery weekend🔆🌡️We’ll be way above average this Saturday, with much of the metro area topping out around 90, and the 80s elsewhere in Minnesota. Sunday will be cooler, with highs in the 60s to the lower 80s. Spotty thundershowers are possible across all of Minnesota Saturday night and Sunday. Get the latest from Updraft.

Attorney General Keith Ellison will lead the prosecution of ex-cop Kim Potter, who fatally shot Daunte Wright.

Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott asked for Ellison’s office to take over prosecution as it did in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the ex-cop recently convicted of murder in the killing of George Floyd.

It’s not clear if Ellison will seek a murder charge against Potter, but in a statement Friday, Ellison said gaining a conviction would not be easy. Wright was shot and killed by Potter last month.

A former St. Paul cop gets 6 years in prison for excessive force in a K-9 confrontation in 2016.

A federal court judge on Friday sentenced former officer Brett Palkowitsch to six years in prison for using excessive force during an arrest involving a police dog. Palkowitsch had been found guilty of kicking and injuring Frank Baker and allowing a K-9 to maul Baker in 2016 after the man was mistaken for a robbery suspect.

In court, the former officer offered an apology to Baker. To move forward with his life, Baker said he forgave Palkowitsch long ago, but added the ex-cop's courtroom apology was not sincere.

Minnesota’s COVID-19 data continues to show both pandemic and vaccination numbers in retreat.

New cases, known active cases and new hospital admissions are all declining from the spring surge. Even more encouraging: the seven-day new case trend has fallen to its lowest level since late September.

At the same time, the effort to get the vast majority of Minnesota adults vaccinated is struggling to regain traction. Minnesota was averaging 60,000 shots a day at one point in mid-April before it began dropping. It’s been running at less than 40,000 daily the past two weeks.

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A movement memorialized: Plywood art honoring George Floyd goes on display

As Twin Cities businesses put up plywood last year to protect their windows from rioters, people with paint brushes and spray cans followed behind. An exhibit of some of those paintings goes on display Saturday in Minneapolis to commemorate the anniversary of George Floyd’s death.

From December: Rescuing the plywood — and memorializing a movement

CDC study says schools shouldn't drop masks

Several governors have recently banned mask requirements in schools. But a new CDC study shows COVID-19 spreads less in schools where teachers and staff wear masks.

Mayor Frey: After year of reckoning, time for change

Mayor Jacob Frey is pushing ahead with a public safety proposal that he says will help keep all neighborhoods safe and hold police accountable. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, he spoke of his plan, and reflected on the year since Floyd's death.

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Special report: Host Angela Davis explores how George Floyd changed us

As we mark a year since George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, join host Angela Davis for a reflection on how he changed us — a one-hour special broadcast that will be heard on public radio stations across the country on Monday.

One year later Three days of events mark George Floyd's murder

What's more punk than teens screaming in a public library?

The Linda Lindas, a punk group made up of Asian and Latinx teen and pre-teens, went viral this week after a performance of their song "Racist, Sexist Boy" was posted by the Los Angeles Public Library.

Coronavirus FAQ: I had COVID. Should I get the vaccine?

While natural infection does seem to provide some immunity, studies suggest that it is short term. Vaccination, on the other hand, provides more robust immunity.

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