MPR News PM Update
 
Good morning,

Break out the snow boots. Winter storm warning until 6 a.m. Saturday:
❄️ Heaviest snow zone in flux
❄️ 12+ inches possible in southern MN
❄️ Forecast models predict wide range of snowfall accumulation across Twin Cities

The latest via Updraft and 🎧 MPR News 
After donning proactive wear doctor Jacob Lyons enters a negative pressure room to check on a COVID-19 patient Wednesday at the St. Cloud Hospital. Paul Middlestaedt for MPR News
St. Cloud Hospital is one of two Minnesota hospitals — along with Hennepin HealthCare’s HCMC in Minneapolis — where federal military teams are providing direct support. The teams include nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists and support staff.

St. Cloud Hospital was chosen because it's a hub for a number of central Minnesota counties, where a rising number of COVID-19 cases are straining resources and staff. In central Minnesota, vaccination rates continue to lag behind the statewide rate. The vast majority of COVID-19 patients in St. Cloud’s ICU are unvaccinated.

"I can certainly understand how the nurses here are exhausted,” says Tanya Shaw, a major in the U.S. Air Force. “Being here just for a week, it definitely takes a toll on your body, having to gown up, having to wear a mask all day long. It's been very tiring."

Read or listen to the full story from reporter Kristi Marohn in St. Cloud.
 
What else we're watching
16- and 17-year-olds are now eligible for COVID-19 boosters. Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday that those in the age group who finished their Pfizer vaccine series at least six months ago should get their Pfizer booster shot. While officials allow "mixing and matching" of boosters for adults, Walz said, that does not apply for 16- and 17-year-olds as Pfizer remains the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized for this age group. 

The world watches, roots for a young loon trapped in an icy Minnesota lake. For the past couple weeks, a young loon nicknamed “Gilligan" has been trapped in the ice in a lake near Nevis, Minn. The loon's plight has captured the attention of people around the world. It has also raised questions about just how much humans should intervene to save a single water bird.

Testimony continues today after another tearful moment in the Kimberly Potter trial. Alayna Albrecht-Payton, who was in the car with Daunte Wright when he was fatally shot by the ex-cop, testified Thursday saying she remembers hearing a gun shot after officers scuffled with Wright, but not much more until Wright's car continued down the road and crashed. Albrecht-Payton said both she and Wright were nervous during the stop.
Jiwon Choi, MPR News
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