March 1, 2021

Tonight will be mostly clear with lows in the single digits northeast, to the lower 20s southwest. Tomorrow should be sunny with highs in the 40s — and possibly 50s in parts of the state by late this week. Find the latest from Updraft.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals is now weighing a key legal point in the case against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, with just days to go before the scheduled start of his trial.

Prosecutors are appealing a decision by the district court judge to drop the third-degree murder charge against Chauvin for the death of George Floyd. Chauvin already faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges related to the May incident. Prosecutors made their case this afternoon.

It isn’t clear when the court might rule — or if deliberations or another appeal could delay next week’s scheduled start of Chauvin’s widely anticipated trial.

Health experts say that although it hasn’t been quite as effective in clinical trials as vaccines from Moderna or Pfizer, the single dose Johnson and Johnson shot is easier to distribute and will be a big help.

Dr. Melanie Swift is co-chair of Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation and Distribution Work Group. She told MPR News host Kerri Miller that Minnesotans shouldn't hesitate to get the latest vaccine.

"I mean, that is just astounding. Had we not had the wild success of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, we would be doing backflips with excitement over this Johnson and Johnson data."

In other COVID-19 news, Minnesota's cases ticked up again today.

Cases confirmed by lab tests are a fraction of what they were last fall, but have been inching up, week over week, since mid February. They're up again in the latest data to 636 cases.

The positivity rate has also started to rise slightly from a plateau in mid-February, as federal officials say they're concerned that a gradual decline in cases following the new year seems to have paused across the country.

There is some good news of note in the latest numbers: The seven-day rolling average for vaccine doses has topped 35,000 for the first time ever, boosted by a record weekend.

The data also included three additional deaths today.

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

Minneapolis nixes 'social media influencer' plan during Chauvin trial

Minneapolis city officials on Monday canceled plans to hire so-called "social media influencers" to disseminate official information during the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin.

Some MN school districts will bring older learners back later than Walz wanted

Minnesota’s three largest districts have announced plans to return middle and high school students to in-person learning. But many students won’t transition to new in-person schedules until after spring break.

Johnson & Johnson vaccine rollout begins in U.S. as COVID-19 cases tick up

Johnson & Johnson has begun shipping nearly 4 million doses of its newly authorized COVID-19 vaccine across the U.S., officials said Monday, and is expected to further scale up supply in the coming weeks and months.

600 Highwaymen create theater with two audience members and a phone

The Walker Art Center is presenting “A Thousand Ways,” which provides an experience many people have missed during the pandemic: a meaningful encounter with a stranger.

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Common insecticide widespread in Minnesota deer herd

After a 2019 study in South Dakota raised questions about potential health effects on white tailed deer, the DNR asked Minnesota hunters to collect spleens from the deer they killed.

Biden to allow separated migrant families to reunite in the United States

Hundreds of migrant children still separated from their parents by the Trump administration will be allowed to reunite with their families in the United States — and the families may have the opportunity to stay, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced on Monday.

WHO: 'Premature,' 'unrealistic' COVID-19 will end soon

A senior World Health Organization official said Monday it was “premature” and “unrealistic” to think the pandemic might be stopped by the end of the year, but that the recent arrival of effective vaccines could at least help dramatically reduce hospitalizations and death.

How fast are oceans rising? The answer may be in century-old shipping logs

Off the coast of England, there's a tiny, wind-swept island with the remains of a lifeboat rescue station from the mid-1800s. The workers who once ran the station on Hilbre Island did something that, unbeknownst to them, has become crucial for understanding the future of a hotter climate: They recorded the tides.

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