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It looks like a soggy day with highs in the upper 40s with winds from the north at about 5 to 10 mph. | |
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Thomas Kroll, a sophomore at Duluth East High School, gets his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. State officials say they’re preparing to vaccinate thousands of Minnesota kids ages 5 to 11. Dan Kraker | MPR News |
By Catharine Richert
Anxious parents across Minnesota got welcome news this week about the state's plan to vaccinate children 5-to-11 years old against COVID-19, a move that could come as early as next Thursday after federal officials fully approve the Pfizer vaccine for kids.
It's an age group that's seen a lot of COVID recently, and experts say that vaccinating these younger kids will not only protect them from the virus, but also blunt its spread.
Based on the timeline, providers say they could be ready to give shots as early as Nov. 4. There are about 500,000 kids in that age group. Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said this week that Minnesota will have 170,000 shots ready to go once federal authorities give the green light. On Wednesday, she said another 85,000 doses will go directly to pharmacies.
[Read the latest on COVID in Minnesota here] | |
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By Matt Sepic
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo on Wednesday spoke out strongly against a November ballot measure intended to remake his department if approved by voters, warning the changes wouldn’t fix relations between residents and the police and could do serious damage to a department already severely understaffed.
He indicated it would hurt efforts to recruit and retain officers and create a problematic supervisory system between the department and City Council, dismissing it as “not a business model we would give to children running a lemonade stand.”
The ballot measure to remake the department came in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. While advocates of the measure say wholesale change is needed, residents are almost evenly divided. | | |
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- St. Paul police chief says he'll step down in June: Todd Axtell, St. Paul’s police chief, said Wednesday that he will not seek a second term as chief when his current contract ends in June. Following Axtell’s announcement, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said he would have liked to continue working with Axtell, adding that he would look for similar qualities in the next chief.
- State panel deadlocked on how to give away 'hero pay': A monthslong effort to craft a $250 million bonus pay plan for Minnesota’s front-line pandemic workers concluded Wednesday without a deal, greatly reducing the chance any checks will go out this year.
- Minneapolis eyes guaranteed basic income to aid needy families: City officials are looking for 200 families living in nine ZIP codes across the city, mostly in north Minneapolis. If accepted, the families will get an extra $500 per month for two years to go toward basic needs like housing and groceries.
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