Minnesota Today

Minnesota health officials reported more than 800 new, confirmed COVID-19 cases Saturday, pushing the overall total past 50,000 cases as the state's new mask mandate took effect. MPR News update for July 25, 2020. Hosted by Emily Bright. Our theme music is by Gary Meister. 

Gov. Tim Walz announced the mandate this week for indoor spaces. Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in Minnesota.

This is an MPR News evening update for Friday, July 24, 2020. Hosted by Nina Moini.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

The city is facing a shortfall that officials say was caused by the pandemic and unrest following the police killing of George Floyd. MPR News morning update for July 24, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

Gov. Tim Walz signed a police accountability bill into law Thursday that includes a ban on neck restraints like the one that was used on George Floyd before his death in Minneapolis.

The bill, passed by the Legislature earlier this week, also bans chokeholds and so-called warrior-style training, which critics say promotes excessive force. It imposes a duty to intercede on officers who see a colleague using excessive force.

This is an MPR News evening update for Thursday, July 23, 2020. Hosted by Britta Greene.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

Prosecutors allege Derek Chauvin and his estranged wife Kellie Chauvin underreported their income by almost half a million dollars between 2014 and 2019. The couple didn’t file taxes at all for several years. MPR News morning update for July 23, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday announced a statewide order requiring Minnesotans to wear masks in restaurants, stores and other public indoor gathering spaces to stem the spread of COVID-19 and put the state on a path back to normalcy.

“This is the quickest way to ending the COVID pandemic,” he told reporters. “It is the surest way to getting us to the therapeutics and vaccines” while continuing to reopen the economy.

This is an MPR News evening update for Wednesday July 22, 2020. Hosted by Tim Nelson and Britta Greene.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill said he agrees the gag order was too broad, but warned lawyers to still follow ethical rules in discussing the case publicly. MPR News morning update for July 22, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

A police accountability bill that the House and Senate passed in a special session early Tuesday morning is headed for the desk of Gov. Tim Walz for his signature. The legislation was crafted in behind-the-scenes negotiations and took shape quickly following the police killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day. 

House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, credited the family of Floyd and other Minnesotans killed by police for pushing for legislative action. Hortman said the policing bill is a considerable step forward, but she added that it is not nearly enough.

This is an MPR News evening update for Tuesday July 21, 2020. Hosted by Tim Nelson and Britta Greene.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

The bill increases the training required for law enforcement officers, among other measures. MPR News morning update for July 21, 2020. Hosted by Cathy Wurzer.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.

Minnesota’s COVID-19 toll continued to climb Monday with 922 total new cases and an extra measure of heartbreak — the first death of a child in the state, a 9-month-old in Clay County.

The infant is among the youngest deaths in the country from COVID-19. The child did not have an underlying health problem and had not been hospitalized, Kris Ehresmann, the state’s infectious disease director, told reporters.

This is an MPR News evening update for Monday, July 20, 2020. Hosted by Britta Greene and Tim Nelson.

Our theme music is by Gary Meister.