Isolated and at risk, veterans hope vaccine brings return to normalcy

Happy Monday! Here are the top headlines to start a new week.

Enjoy the warmth today: Highs will reach the 40s across Minnesota. There is a chance of showers for central Minnesota later in the afternoon; other parts will be cloudy. Plus, expect some gusty winds of 15 to 25 mph. Get the latest on our Updraft weather blog.

In St. Cloud, there's an operation underway to vaccinate thousands of military veterans against COVID-19.

Veterans, tend to be at high risk from the coronavirus due to age and health issues -- for some, those complications are a direct result of their military service. After months of planning, officials at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System are working to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine to veterans in its 27-county region as efficiently as possible. Following vaccination efforts for the first priority groups, they are now getting shots to those in the next group between the ages of 65 and 74.

Minnesota's vaccination pace held steady over the weekend -- with no sign of weather delays, yet.

The state has been averaging about 30,000 doses administered each day over the past week. Sunday's data showed that more than half of the new vaccinations reported were second doses, meaning over 6 percent of Minnesotans have now completed their vaccination. Meanwhile, the state reported just under 900 new cases Sunday, and nine more deaths.

Here are Minnesota’s latest COVID-19 statistics:

Is a $1,400 check for most Americans really the best way to help those affected by the pandemic? Some don't think so.

Later this week, the U.S. House is expected to vote on another COVID-19 spending bill. President Joe Biden and other Democrats want the federal government to send most Americans another $1,400 to help them weather the pandemic. But some economists and even some people set to get the cash say a better approach would be to target those most in need.

At the Minnesota Capitol, a fresh economic forecast being released this week will set out the scope of lawmakers' task to craft a new state budget

Since the last forecast came out in December, which projected a $1.3 billion budget deficit, a lot has happened that's shaken up Minnesota's economic picture: Congress approved another massive stimulus bill, some coronavirus restrictions have loosened and state tax revenues have perked up. In the next report, the deficit could shrink or vanish entirely before the Legislature takes a single action.

A carjacking suspect died following a pursuit on yesterday on Minnesota Highway 65 north of the Twin Cities.

The investigation continues into the fatal shooting that followed a police pursuit that started in Blaine and ended about 40 miles later along Highway 65 near Braham. Authorities say two suspects exchanged gunfire with police; one suspect died at the scene, the other was arrested.

Despite the ruling junta's threat to use lethal force, protesters in Myanmar keep on fighting against the military's seizure of power.

A call for a Monday general strike by demonstrators in Myanmar protesting the military’s seizure of power was met by the ruling junta with a thinly veiled threat to use lethal force. More than 1,000 anti-coup demonstrators gathered near the U.S. Embassy in Yangon despite barriers blocking the way. Factories, workplaces and shops were shuttered across the country in response to the call for a nationwide strike.

After losing eight games out of the last nine this season, the Minnesota Timberwolves's coach Ryan Saunders got fired.

It had been a wildly disappointing season for the Timberwolves, who started 2-0 and haven’t had much to savor since -- Minnesota has the league’s worst record this season at 7-24. The team is planning to introduce Toronto assistant Chris Finch as the new coach Monday.

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