'Vaccine hunters' help find older Minnesotans struggling to find COVID shot

Good morning, Minnesota! Here are top news stories to start your day with:

It's only early March, and we're talking the 50s in Minnesota already! Snow cover is rapidly vanishing with the warm temperature across the state, especially in southwestern Minnesota. It'll be mostly sunny today, with highs in the mid-40s to the mid-50s. Get the latest from Updraft.

For many Minnesotans 65 and older, finding a vaccine appointment isn't so easy. There's a group of "vaccine hunters" to help those struggling to find a shot.

Members of a Facebook group called Minneapolis Vaccine Hunters help people across Minnesota find and sign up for vaccination appointments each day. Since it launched Feb. 1, the group has grown to more than 20,000 members.

Finally, a bright milestone in Minnesota's COVID-19 news: The count of fully vaccinated people is expected to top the total number of confirmed cases today.

After a wobbly start, state vaccination trends are running in the right direction, enough so that a buoyant Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that June weddings and a Minnesota State Fair this year were within reach.

Here are Minnesota’s latest COVID-19 statistics:

A sweeping police reform bill, dubbed "George Floyd Justice in Policing Act," got a greenlight in the House last night.

The bill, backed by House Democrats and President Joe Biden, was approved in a party-line vote of 220-212 late last night. The reform plan would ban chokeholds and create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability. The legislation was initially approved by the House last summer following the police killing of George Floyd but stalled in then-Republican-controlled Senate.

A year of art venues shut down during COVID-19, there are places for artists to come together.

This week, Art Hounds recommend three different spaces — two virtual, one physical — where performers, songwriters and visual artists across Minnesota support each other: A Facebook group for singer/songwriters in the state, a gallery/marketplace in Minneapolis for local artists, and an Ordway series that connects actors and theater-makers with audiences through screens. Check out those recommendations on Art Hounds.

Vote for your favorite, go-to burger place in our Great Minnesota burger match! The Warming House introduces you to our The Great Minnesota Burger Bracket (GMBB)! Your chance to declare once and for all Minnesota's best burger! Pick your favorite here in the Round 1 of the match!

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