March 19, 2021

We’ll top out in the upper 50s to around 60 this weekend, with winds gusting as high as 25 to 32 mph at times. There's a rain chance Sunday morning for western Minnesota, and in the afternoon for eastern parts of the state. Find the latest on Updraft.

This weekend's unusually warm and windy weather will create high fire danger in northeastern Minnesota.

The National Weather Service says the greatest fire risk will be south of Duluth to around Hinckley and over into northwestern Wisconsin.

A Minnesota man has been arrested and charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

31-year-old Jordan K. Stotts has been charged with trespassing in connection with the insurrection. The charges say that a former classmate alerted authorities after seeing social media postings, and that when the FBI questioned, Stotts he admitted to entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. He's believed to be the first Minnesota resident arrested in connection with the riot.

The trial of Derek Chauvin will go on as scheduled in Hennepin County, the presiding judge ruled today.

Judge Peter Cahill says the case will continue to receive pretrial publicity and that there is nowhere in the state that has not been subjected to coverage of this case. Opening statements are still on track to start March 29 and jury selection will resume Monday morning with only one more juror left to be seated.

Nearly a quarter of Minnesotans have got at least one COVID-19 shot.

That encouraging news comes as recent outbreaks in the eastern Iron Range continue to cause concern. State public health leaders are also keeping close watch on another outbreak in Carver County that includes the very contagious U.K. strain. Active cases topped 10,000 in the state for the first time since January, with hospitalizations up as well.

Subscribe to our Minnesota Today podcast to get the up-to-date Minnesota news twice daily. — Nina Moini | MPR News

4 questions to help sort through the ethics of getting a COVID vaccine before you’re eligible

Opportunities to get the COVID-19 vaccine are expanding, but not everyone is eligible yet. Still, people are sometimes finding themselves in situations that might allow them to jump the line. What questions should you consider, according to an ethicist, if you find yourself in a similar circumstance?

Angela Davis:A look at the ethics of the vaccine rollout
Everything you need to know: How to get your COVID-19 vaccine in Minnesota
Vaccine Connector: Online tool will tell Minnesotans when they're eligible for COVID shots

SPONSOR

From Minnesota, Asian American women mourn Georgia spa victims

Police initially said the Atlanta spa killings, in which six Asian women were among the dead, wasn’t a hate crime. But Minnesota’s Asian women say that added insult to grievous injury.

Yes, Capitol rioters were armed. Here are the weapons prosecutors say they used

An NPR review of federal charges against people involved in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot shows they were armed with a wide variety of weapons, contradicting a false claim that rioters were not armed.

Biden, Harris offering solace to grieving Asian Americans

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first person of South Asian descent to hold national office, will visit Atlanta on Friday just days after a white gunman killed eight people, most of them Asian American women, in three metro-area businesses. The killings come after a spike of anti-Asian violence nationally.

Not enough vaccine doses in Europe to stop a 3rd wave

German Health Minister Jens Spahn says he's in favor of acquiring Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, noting that new infections in Germany are rising at a "very clearly exponential rate."

CDC says schools can now space students 3 feet apart, rather than 6

In many places, the 6-foot guidance was interpreted as requiring schools to operate on part-time schedules in order to reduce class sizes. A 3-foot rule would allow many more schools to fully reopen.

Groceries and rent money: Why support for COVID isolation is more important than ever

If we want life to get back to normal in the U.S., public health experts say we can't just rely on COVID-19 vaccines. Other tools like contact tracing and care coordination are crucial too.

Preference Center ❘ Unsubscribe

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