Jan. 12, 2021
Tonight will be partly cloudy, with lows from 18 to 24. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with highs in the mid 30s to lower 40s — and then the clouds and storms move in. By Thursday morning, we could be seeing freezing rain across parts of central Minnesota. Snow is likely statewide through Friday with a strong northwest wind blowing the snow around. Find the latest on the Updraft. Gov. Tim Walz says he's calling out the National Guard to defend the Minnesota Capitol. Walz didn't give many details, but said Tuesday that he’s been briefed on threats to the state Capitol. An FBI alert lists Minnesota among the places where armed protests are planned in the days leading up to the presidential inauguration. Walz says people have a right to peacefully protest, but violence will not be tolerated. Walz says he is confident law enforcement officers and the guard will keep the Capitol safe. The DFL governor says he will visit historical monuments across the state this week to call for reflection, civility and peace after the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.
A judge has decided to separate the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin from the three other former officers accused in the case. Chauvin is the officer videotaped kneeling on George Floyd as he died on a south Minneapolis street in May. He faces charges of second degree unintentional murder and manslaughter.
Hennepin County District Court judge Peter Cahill issued an order today setting Chauvin's trial for March 8. The judge also said opening statements would start March 29, and that he would keep secret the identities of the jurors. The other three officers, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane are expected to go to trial this summer, tentatively set for Aug. 23. In COVID-19 news, deaths due to COVID-19 rose slightly Tuesday, but remain on an overall downward trend.
The latest health department data includes 13 additional deaths due to COVID-19, five of them in long-term care settings. COVID-19 cases were also up, to nearly 1,300, although those numbers included some backdated results, officials said previously. Hospitalizations are also up notably, to their highest point in a week. The state is also rolling out a new vaccination dashboard, with daily updates on the rollout of vaccines. It says that 330,000 doses have been shipped so far to health care providers, but only about a third of them have been administered.
You can get more of the latest news, in just a few minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast. — Tim Nelson | MPR News | 