Oct. 21, 2021

Former police officer Mohamed Noor could be out of prison in just eight months, under a new sentence he received Thursday in Minneapolis.

Noor was convicted in 2019 of shooting Justine Ruszczyk to death when he answered a 911 call she made about a possible assault near her home. A jury handed down third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter convictions, but the murder conviction was struck down by the state supreme court.

Hennepin County judge Kathryn Quaintance said that Noor’s firing across the front seat of his patrol vehicle in a residential neighborhood on a summer night demonstrated the seriousness of his offense.

Ruszczyk's family asked the judge to give Noor the maximum allowable sentence. He’d originally been sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison, and has already been behind bars for about 30 months.

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Federal plan to study environmental impacts of mining near BWCA draws praise, scorn

Opponents of copper-nickel mining near the Boundary Waters are cheering a decision from the Biden administration that could lead to a 20-year mining moratorium in the region. But supporters of the proposed Twin Metals mine near Ely say it threatens a chance to cash in on a rich treasure trove of valuable metals.

Minnesota’s unemployment rate falls to 3.7 percent; wages rising

Minnesota has now gained back about 70 percent of the more than 416,000 jobs lost since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CDC advisers back rollout of COVID vaccine boosters from Moderna, J&J

A panel of experts advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unanimously backed the rollout of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine boosters in line with the Food and Drug Administration's authorizations issued Wednesday. The committee's actions also support a mix-and-match approach to booster vaccination.

J&J is using a bankruptcy maneuver to block lawsuits over baby powder cancer claims

Johnson & Johnson spun off liabilities — including roughly 38,000 lawsuits — linked to claims of asbestos contamination in its baby powder to a new firm, which then declared bankruptcy.

Found: Lost Halloween Megastorm tapes from 1991

From MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner: "I recently found some tapes I had squirreled away in a box from the Halloween Megastorm nearly 30 years ago. The tapes contain most of my live updates on WCCO-TV from the morning of Nov. 1, 1991, during the height of the storm."

What we know so far about Trump's planned social media platform

Former President Donald Trump has announced his intent to launch a long-anticipated social platform of his own, claiming to create a space to "stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech."

CDC says toss onions if you don't know where they came from to avoid salmonella

A salmonella outbreak has affected more than 30 states. Federal health officials link it to onions grown in Chihuahua, Mexico, and distributed by ProSource Inc.

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Art Hounds: A dose of natural beauty, a pinch of Halloween horror

Wildlife photographer Dudley Edmondson captures the beauty of northern Minnesota’s waters. Art Hounds also recommend two one-act shows running through Halloween which make audiences question reality.

What to know about your risk of a serious or fatal breakthrough COVID infection

With high-profile stories of vaccinated people dying from COVID, how worried should you be about getting a serious breakthrough case? Here's how the data shake out.

The end of bias: Is it possible?

Host Angela Davis spoke with Minneapolis author Jessica Nordell about her new book exploring how bias shows up in our schools, workplaces and every part of life. And, if bias is a habit, can we unlearn it?

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