Jan. 11, 2021
Tonight, look for partly to mostly cloudy skies. Lows 15 to 21. Tomorrow will be partly sunny with highs in the 30s. Clouds will come back Tuesday night, with lows in the mid 20s. And we're gaining daylight as we cross off the days in January. Find the latest on the Updraft . The controversial president of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis says he’s retiring. Bob Kroll announced his departure in a letter to the department’s rank and file. He said he’d previously planned to retire in May, but moved up his retirement by four months in what he called the interest of his family. He recommended federation vice president Sherral Schmidt lead the union going forward.
Gov. Tim Walz criticized Republican legislative leaders Monday for not taking a strong enough stand against the political violence in Washington and recent threats made in Minnesota. Republican leaders have compared the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week to protests here after the police killing of George Floyd.
Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, said during the Monday event that he condemns all rhetoric that threatens violence. Comparing the recent events to the protests last summer against racial injustice, he said both sides need to tone down their rhetoric.
Minnesota will send a contingent of National Guard members to Washington next week ahead of potential further unrest over the change of power in the White House. The head of the National Guard says at least 10,000 troops will be deployed in Washington, D.C., by Saturday, and an additional 5,000 could be requested from other states, including Minnesota.
In COVID-19 news, deaths and coronavirus cases plunged in the data posted Monday by the Minnesota Department of Health. The Health Department on Monday reported 980 newly confirmed or probable cases of the disease, along with four additional deaths. Both of those daily figures came in at levels not seen since October. While Monday’s low death report was encouraging, “we’re not anticipating this signals a new trend necessarily,” Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm told reporters.
You can get more of the latest news, in just a few minutes, via the Minnesota Today podcast. — Tim Nelson | MPR News | 