March 29, 2021
After a warm and windy Monday, temperatures are expected to drop dramatically in Minnesota beginning early Tuesday morning. The cooler air stays in place Wednesday with most of the state seeing highs only in the 30s before another warmup begins Thursday. Find the latest on Updraft. Opening statements in the highly anticipated murder and manslaughter trial of Derek Chauvin took place Monday. Chauvin is accused of killing George Floyd on Memorial Day last year. Viral videos show Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. While the prosecution says Chauvin violated Minneapolis Police Department policies, defense attorney Eric Nelson told the jury there is a lot more evidence to be examined. Morning testimony included Minneapolis 911 dispatcher Jena Scurry, who said that she became concerned about what was happening as she viewed the scene at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue from a public safety camera at the corner. "My instincts were telling me that something’s wrong," she told the court. "It was an extended period of time ... they hadn't told me if they needed more resources."
Before the proceedings began, members of Floyd’s family and its legal team knelt for eight minutes and 46 seconds outside the heavily fortified Hennepin County Government Center. They insist the case is one of clear cut murder and not filled with complications and nuance Chauvin’s defense team claims. After a relatively stable stretch following a late fall surge, warning lights are flashing around Minnesota’s COVID-19 disease data. The number of known, active cases has been trending upward over the past couple weeks, with 13,010 active cases as of Monday’s report, marking 11 consecutive days with active counts above 10,000, a stretch not seen since late January. An encouraging rise in Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccination pace is pushing that trend line in the right direction. The Health Department on Monday reported about 32,000 new vaccinations, roughly the same as last Monday. Still, the seven-day trend rose to more than 44,000 shots daily, the highest since vaccinations began in late December. Subscribe to our Minnesota Today podcast to get the up-to-date Minnesota news twice daily. — Mark Zdechlik | MPR News | 
