Good morning. Here's top news for your Tuesday. The warmer trend stays with us today, but with some flurries and rain. Highs will be in the mid-30s to the lower 40s across the state. Some light snow, up to 3 inches, is possible for northern Minnesota today, and there's a chance of a wintry mix in the south later this evening. Get the latest from the Updraft weather blog. COVID-19 has killed more than 500,000 people in the U.S. At least 100,000 people have died from COVID in the past five weeks, making the disease the leading cause of death in the nation last month. Now around 2,000 people die from the disease every day on average in the U.S. "From the very beginning, we had the luxury of time," says Dr. Richina Bicette with the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. "If we had put the public health measures in place for the past year, we wouldn't be in this position." In Minnesota, we see more hopeful signs in the pandemic: Only one new death reported on Monday, while the state expects to get more shots into arms this week. State health officials are anticipating a busy week as some 45,000 weather-delayed shots make their way into the state atop the expected 100,000 doses from the feds. About 13.7 percent of Minnesotans had received at least one dose as of the Monday update, with about 6.4 percent completely vaccinated. Vaccination questions aside, Minnesota’s COVID-19 numbers show the state continuing on a steady, positive path. Known, active cases slipped back below 7,000. The overall trend remains solid, hovering around late September levels. Here are Minnesota’s latest COVID-19 statistics: - 6,433 deaths (one new)
- 479,591 positive cases (561 new), 466,311 off isolation (97 percent)
- 7.2 million tests, 3.4 million Minnesotans tested (about 59 percent of the population)
- 13.7 percent of Minnesotans vaccinated with at least one dose
A delayed U.S. Census could lead to political chaos: a giant at-large statewide election for all of the state’s U.S. House seats next year. Late-arriving census numbers could lead to an unlikely scenario where members of Congress are elected at-large statewide. It happened once before in Minnesota -- in 1932, after the Farmer-Labor Party governor vetoed a redistricting plan passed by a Republican-controlled Legislature. What do you want to know about how MPR News is covering the killing of George Floyd? We'll answer your questions at a live event today at noon. In an exclusive look at how we bring you independent, unbiased journalism, Angela Davis is hosting a conversation with MPR News deputy managing editor Nancy Lebens at noon today to talk about the coverage plans for the upcoming trial of Derek Chauvin and how her team has approached coverage surrounding the killing of George Floyd. Submit your questions here and join the conversation today.
🎧 Tune in to stay informed and connected. Here's what's coming up on MPR News today.— Jiwon Choi, MPR News | Find me on Twitter @ChoiGEE1 | 
