| | Feb. 4, 2021
Brace yourselves. January may have been a rare one without any below zero temperatures, but February is threatening to make up for it with some historic cold.
Temperatures are going to plunge in the coming days and the National Weather Service says high winds accompanying the cold may make this a once-in-a-generation freeze — as wind chill temperatures fall below zero and stay there for an extended period. Find the latest from Updraft.
Those new COVID-19 strains are spreading in Minnesota, albeit slowly. State epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield says 16 cases of the UK strain have been confirmed in Minnesota, although the initial indications are that those aren’t coming from so-called community spread. But she noted they aren’t just coming directly from the UK either. "Twelve had traveled directly, or was a household member of someone who had traveled. Four direct travelers were international travelers, three to West Africa and one to the Dominican Republic," Lynfield said Thursday.
Lynfield said that state labs had also identified a second case of the Brazilian strain, in a household member of the first case -- but someone who had also traveled to Brazil. The newest numbers continue to show COVID-19 disease metrics on the right track. The vaccination pace is improving but still lagging behind last week.
Thursday’s Health Department report showed the disease trends angling in the right direction despite an uptick in new case counts and active caseloads. Known, active cases stand at 8,542, similar to early October levels and still down significantly from around 50,000 in late November.
You can get more of the latest news, in just a few minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast. — Tim Nelson | MPR News | |
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| After Noor ruling, prosecutors seek to reinstate third-degree murder charge against Chauvin | | Prosecutors want all four former officers charged in the killing of George Floyd to get an additional charge of third-degree murder. The motion filed Thursday is based on a state appeals court decision earlier this week tied to the case of another former Minneapolis police officer, Mohamed Noor, who was convicted in the 2017 killing of Justine Ruszczyk. On Monday, a split Court of Appeals upheld Noor’s 2019 conviction. | |
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| North metro mayor announces bid for governor | | A suburban mayor announced Thursday that he will be a Republican candidate for governor next year. Mike Murphy has served as mayor of Lexington, Minn., a small north metro suburb located between Blaine and Circle Pines, since 2019. He previously served on the City Council. | |
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| Biden looks to move beyond Trump's 'America First' in 1st foreign policy address | President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he will work with allies and partners to sanction Myanmar, end the war in Yemen, admit more refugees, and protect the rights of LGBTQ people around the world, signaling his plans to chart a course away from former President Donald Trump's "America First" approach to foreign policy.
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