Judge weighs additional murder charge against Chauvin this morning

Happy Thursday! Here are top news stories to start your morning with:

Sun's back -- with seasonable, cooler temps. Yesterday's storm has faded away for most of Minnesota overnight. Today will be mostly sunny and dry with highs in the 30s to 40s across the state. Find the latest on Updraft.

The judge in Derek Chauvin's trial is expected to discuss whether to reinstate a third-degree murder charge against the ex-cop this morning.

Day 4 of the trial comes after the state Supreme Court's decision yesterday to deny Chauvin's petition to review a recent appeals court ruling around reinstating the additional murder charge. Judge Peter Cahill presiding over the trial said Wednesday afternoon that he would "talk about this tomorrow morning, its effect," adding "I think we still have the jurisdictional issue with the Court of Appeals."

Jury selection continues in Chauvin's trial today. Here's what we know about the seated jurors so far.

Two more jurors were chosen yesterday, in addition to three selected Tuesday, bringing the total to five for a jury of 12, plus two alternatives. The jury now consists of four men and one woman. Two of the jurors appear to be people of color, based on observations from reporters who are in the courtroom on a rotating basis.

- The fourth juror appeared to be a white man in early middle age, according to the pool reporter in the courtroom, who told the court that he tends to find law enforcement more credible because of their training.

- The fifth is a man who told the court he came to America 14 years ago, speaks multiple languages, works in information technology and is married. According to an in-court pool reporter, the man is Black.

The court proceedings will resume at 8 a.m. Watch it live on MPRNews.org or via our Facebook page here.

1 in 5 Minnesotans have now received at least one COVID shot.

The state is giving more than 40,000 shots a day on average, and over 10 percent of the state's population has completed their vaccination. Minnesota is also nearing its goal to give at least one dose to 70 percent of the 65-plus group -- the number currently stands at 68 percent.

Our vaccination pace moderated a bit in the latest data, but officials remain confident they’re still on the path to being able to offer a shot to every Minnesota adult by late April.

March 11, 2020 -- a year ago today, COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic. And pretty much everything we considered normal has since changed.

The World Health Organization declared a pandemic. The NBA shut down its season. President Donald Trump banned travel from Europe. Tom Hanks tested positive. On this day a year ago, the coronavirus became very real in America.

You can now hug your fully vaccinated parents, grandparents at nursing homes.

New guidance from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says "if the resident is fully vaccinated, they can choose to have close contact (including touch) with their visitor while wearing a well-fitting face mask and performing hand-hygiene before and after.”

President Biden plans to sign the enormous COVID-19 aid bill before the weekend.

“Help is here,” Biden tweeted moments after the roll call yesterday. The House voted 220-211 with no Republicans voting in favor of the bill. Most noticeable to many Americans are provisions providing up to $1,400 direct payments and extending $300/week unemployment benefits into early September.

This week on Art Hounds: Landscapes from southern Minnesota you can enjoy at home, or in person.

An artist captures the landscapes of the Driftless Region in southeastern Minnesota, You can check out Hannah C. Heyer’s show “Wanderings'' online or in person at the Frameworks Gallery in St. Paul. More recommendations from Art Hounds: M.A.C. House Gifted Variety Show puts emerging artists on stage, and a dance film’s world premiere invites audiences to listen well.

🎧 Tune in to stay informed and connected. Here's what's coming up on MPR News today.

— Jiwon Choi, MPR News | Find me on Twitter @ChoiGEE1