March 9, 2021
Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a chance of rain far south after midnight. Lows in the lower 20s to lower 30s north, to the upper 30s to upper 40s central and south. Tomorrow is going to be wet. Rain likely south with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Chance of rain and snow northern and central Minnesota. Highs in the mid 30s to lower 40s north and central, to the mid 40s to lower 50s south. Find more from Updraft. The court seated three jurors Tuesday for the trial of Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis police officer facing charges of murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd, after questioning a half dozen prospects for the panel.
Judge Peter Cahill expects opening statements for the the trial on March 29, although it’s still unclear if proceedings will be delayed by an unresolved matter on the reinstatement of third-degree murder charges.
Earlier in the day, a motions hearing was held detailing arguments about which evidence will be allowed. Find more coverage on the trial at MPRnews.org.
As Minnesota approaches a key milestone in vaccinating the state’s 65-plus population, officials are accelerating the timelines for when many other Minnesotans can be eligible for a shot. On Tuesday, they indicated every adult Minnesotan may be shot-eligible by late April.
“Things are going in a direction that we had hoped,” a buoyant Gov. Tim Walz told reporters Tuesday. “Minnesotans are doing everything that's being asked of them, and it’s making a difference."
The state this week will hit its goal of vaccinating 70 percent of Minnesotans age 65 and older weeks ahead of schedule. That means a faster expansion of the eligibility pool.
You can get more of the latest news, in just a few minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast. — Tim Nelson | MPR News | 