Dec. 15, 2020
We'll see decreasing clouds and lows ranging from 12 to 18 through the state. On Wednesday expect partly cloudy skies and highs from the mid-20s to lower 30s. Check out the latest from Updraft.

A man serving life in prison for the shooting death of a Minneapolis girl in 2002 will be released after the Minnesota Board of Pardons Tuesday commuted his life sentence to 20 years and ordered that he serve the remaining two years on supervised release.

Myon Burrell was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison as a teen in the high-profile case that has raised questions about the integrity of the criminal justice system that put him away.

Burrell’s case made headlines earlier this year after The Associated Press and American Public Media uncovered new evidence and serious flaws in the police investigation into the 2002 killing of an 11-year-old girl who was hit by a stray bullet while doing homework at her dining room table.

Last week, an independent panel of national legal experts recommended his immediate release after reviewing the facts and all of the available evidence.

Needles are going into arms around Minnesota today, the first full day of what will be months, if not years of vaccinations to curb COVID-19.

With cheers, applause and a bit of relief, Thera Witte, a front-line nurse at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center rolled up her sleeve Tuesday to take one of the first COVID-19 vaccinations in the Twin Cities.

“Honest, it didn’t feel like it would ever come,” Witte said, noting that she and her co-workers have been battling the coronavirus for nearly a year.

The latest data shows 2,340 new COVID-19 cases. That number hasn't been that low since Nov. 1 and it's barely a quarter of the pandemic's single-day peak of new cases during the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Newly reported hospitalizations have been below 150 since Sunday and the new test positivity rate has been below 8 percent for three days straight. That's the first time the rate has been that low since before Halloween.

You can get more of the latest news, in just a few minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast. — Tim Nelson | MPR News

'I'm walking on thin ice here': Hospitality industry workers struggle

Gov. Tim Walz says he’ll announce Wednesday what's next for the bars and restaurants he shut down a month ago as a pandemic precaution. Out-of-work Minnesotans on the verge of exhausting their unemployment benefits are getting some relief. But is it enough to help the tens of thousands of hospitality workers in Minnesota who are without jobs?

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FDA authorizes 1st home coronavirus test that doesn't require a prescription

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized the first coronavirus test that people will be able to buy at a local store without a prescription and use for immediate results at home to find out if they're positive or negative.

Fauci predicts U.S. could see signs of herd immunity by late March or early April

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's senior official for infectious diseases, predicts the United States could begin to achieve early stages of herd immunity against the deadly coronavirus by late spring or summer. And if that happens, Fauci anticipates, "we could really turn this thing around" toward the end of 2021.

Minnesota Capitol won’t spring back to normal in 2021

Routine public access to the Minnesota Capitol and legislative proceedings will remain under restrictions into next year as officials weigh when to dismantle a fence and to conduct more business in person.

Line 3 construction barrels ahead, despite efforts to block it

More than 4,000 workers are expected in northern Minnesota over the next couple weeks to help build the contentious Line 3 oil pipeline replacement. At the same time, activists are escalating their efforts to block it, while law enforcement officials are trying to keep the peace.

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