MPR News PM Update
Feb. 10, 2021

It’s going to remain dangerously cold. Tonight will be partly cloudy with lows between 20 and 30 below zero to the north and 9 to 15 below zero south. Tomorrow will have more clouds, with highs from 6 below to zero.  Find the latest from Updraft.

Wright County prosecutors said Wednesday they’re drafting murder and explosives charges against Gregory Paul Ulrich, the man suspected of fatally shooting one and injuring several others Tuesday at a Buffalo, Minn., clinic.

Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes vowed to "aggressively prosecute Ulrich for this horrible crime and the pain he caused to the victims, their families and the entire community."

In a statement, Lutes said he intends to charge Ulrich with second-degree intentional murder, four counts of attempted first-degree premeditated murder and possession of explosive or incendiary devices.

Ulrich, 67, was arrested in Tuesday's attack at an Allina clinic in Buffalo, a community of about 15,000 people roughly 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

Wednesday’s COVID-19 data continues to offer Minnesotans reasons to be encouraged and frustrated.

The pandemic metrics remain steady in a good way. Hospitalization counts, for instance, are encouraging — 317 Minnesotans were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Tuesday; 78 needed intensive care. Known, active caseloads came in at 7,342, the lowest in nearly five months. New cases reported Wednesday were a modest 677.

But the vaccination pace is also steady, and that’s a problem. The trend line remains down and flattening following a late January surge. Minnesota’s seven-day average now sits at 24,374 daily doses administered, down from more than 29,000 per day a week ago.

You can get more of the latest news, in just a few minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast. — Tim Nelson | MPR News

 
Trump accused as 'inciter in chief' of Capitol insurrection
Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial said Wednesday they would prove that Trump was no “innocent bystander” but the “inciter in chief” of the deadly attack at the Capitol aimed at overturning his election loss to Joe Biden.
 
Minn. agencies roll out plan to tackle ‘forever chemicals’
State officials on Wednesday laid out a broad strategy to address a growing pollution concern: a large group of man-made chemicals, known collectively as PFAS, that are pervasive in the environment across Minnesota and are raising alarm in the scientific community about their potential health risks.
- In Bemidji and nationwide 'Forever' chemicals leave costly water problem
- Spring 2020 
More PFAS foam found in Twin Cities' Battle Creek
 
SPONSOR

 
 
Analysis: What's to blame for Minnesota's slow vaccination pace?
After a one-time surge last month, Minnesota’s seen vaccinations trend the wrong way for eight straight days. MPR News data reporter David H. Montgomery digs into the numbers to break down what’s happening.
 
Government investigating massive counterfeit N95 mask scam
Federal authorities are investigating a massive counterfeit N95 mask operation in which fake 3M masks were sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies. The foreign-made knockoffs are becoming increasingly difficult to spot and could put health care workers at grave risk for the coronavirus.
 
Red River diversion backers laud decision affirming permit
Supporters of a Red River diversion project said Wednesday a decision by a Minnesota agency to reject an appeal of a permit it issued in 2018 should remove one of the last hurdles to building the channel.
 
Court: Regulators were correct in applying drinking-water standards to groundwater in Minntac permit
The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday said state regulators correctly applied drinking-water standards to groundwater when issuing a permit to an Iron Range mine in 2018.
 
Mobile ‘strike team’ brings COVID vaccine to the most vulnerable
Because of their age and their close living arrangements, the nuns at St. Benedict’s Monastery are at high risk from the coronavirus. But traveling to a clinic or hospital to get a vaccination would be a challenge for many of them. So, the vaccine came to them.
 

Preference CenterUnsubscribe

This email was sent by: Minnesota Public Radio
480 Cedar Street Saint Paul, MN, 55101