MPR News PM Update
April 22, 2021

Tonight’s forecast calls for increasing clouds, with showers developing in southwest Minnesota and spreading northeast. Low temperatures will be in the mid-30s to lower 40s. Tomorrow, look for mostly cloudy skies and a chance of rain showers. Highs will be in the upper 40s to mid-50s. Get the latest on Updraft.

Hundreds of mourners attended funeral services today in Minneapolis for Daunte Wright.

Wright was shot and killed by a Brooklyn Center police officer during a traffic stop on April 11. Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy.

"You thought he was just some kid with an air freshener. He was a prince and all of Minneapolis is stopped today to honor the prince of Brooklyn Center," Sharpton said.

One of the jurors that served through the testimony and arguments in the Derek Chauvin trial says medical testimony was a compelling element of the case. 

On Tuesday, the jury convicted the former Minneapolis police officer of all three counts of murder and manslaughter for killing George Floyd last year. Alternate juror Lisa Christensen, who appeared on CBS This Morning, did not take part in jury deliberations. She said she wasn't sure if she would have voted guilty on both murder counts and a manslaughter charge. But she was sure Chauvin was guilty of at least some of the charges he faced.

Minnesota’s COVID-19 outbreak continues to see slight improvements.

State health department numbers released Thursday suggest a recent surge in case growth peaked last week. The department reported about 1,700 new confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Despite the proliferation of more contagious variants statewide, the average positivity rate in Minnesota has fallen for seven straight days.

Also this week, deaths from COVID-19 are trending flat. The state health department reported today that 10 more Minnesotans have died from the disease. Vaccination rates are still declining statewide, in part, because of a reduced supply of vaccines.

Subscribe to our Minnesota Today podcast to get the up-to-date Minnesota news twice daily. — Kirsti Marohn | MPR News
 
MN urges more COVID-19 youth testing, OKs playing sports maskless outdoors
“We really do believe that the end of the pandemic is in sight, but we’re not there yet,” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters Thursday. While the current case wave seems to be cresting, proms, graduations and other spring school events are “not a given.”
- Masks remain extremely effective indoors, but are they necessary outside?
 
Minnesota House pushes to limit police powers
The Minnesota House is working on a bill that limits police officers' authority to make traffic stops for minor issues, does more to flag problem officers, and increases transparency in critical investigations. But those measures are far from certain to reach the governor’s desk.
 
Minnesota Guard troops standing down as Twin Cities are quiet after verdict
Minnesota National Guard troops are heading home this week following the conclusion of Derek Chauvin's murder trial. Gov. Tim Walz activated 3,000 soldiers and airmen to protect property in the Twin Cities metro area while the trial was underway.
 
As COVID cases rise among kids, teens targeted for vaccination
As the state warns of widespread and growing transmission of COVID-19 among kids, local officials and school districts are teaming up to vaccinate teens 16 and older.
 
SPONSOR

 
 
Art Hounds: Landscapes and memory-scapes
Artists and art appreciators this week also recommend a streaming show from Theater Latté Da, which invites artists to perform favorite show tunes outside of their “type” and a retrospective of renowned Duluth artist Carl Gawboy, Bois Forte Anishinaabe storyteller and scholar.
 

Preference CenterUnsubscribe

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