Say Anthony Lonetree and Paul Walsh of the Star Tribune: “A long-term cold wave is on its way, but not before possibly setting a record with extremely cold weather on Monday morning. The record below 25 goes back to 146 years to 1875. Nick Carletta, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service (NWS) in Chanhassen, said the area has a good chance of breaking the record on Monday. … For one perspective, Carletta said that the coldest day in the history of the Twin Cities was in 1888, when the temperature dropped to minus 41 degrees. … In Duluth, the February 14 record was pushed even lower on Sunday morning, when the temperature dropped to 26 degrees below zero, according to the NWS. “
An AP story says: “The Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Minnesota said that Chief of Police Craig Merrill of Armstrong, Iowa, was arrested Saturday on the border with the city where he worked. Armstrong’s mayor and current and former city officials were all arrested on Friday and charged with various crimes and misdemeanors after a long investigation, he discovered embezzlement and other crimes. The Iowa Attorney General’s office filed charges against Armstrong officials alleging ‘misappropriation of city funds, filing fraudulent public records, using a TASER against a civilian in exchange for money and falsifying books to hide misappropriation’ ”.
Says MPR, “Almost 12 percent of Minnesota residents have already received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, as the rate of vaccinations in the state has increased in recent days. State health officials on Sunday reported about 39,000 doses of vaccine administered – the fourth largest single-day total ever recorded. It was a drop from Saturday’s total – but slightly ahead of what was reported last Sunday. “
Also in the Star Tribune, Joe Carlson reports: “Some of the best evidence for detecting early signs of new strains of COVID in Minnesota is thrown straight into the toilet. But scientists at the Metropolitan Council and the Genomics Center at the University of Minnesota have started working to detect new strains of COVID in the wastewater that flows to the Twin Cities primary sewage treatment plant in St. Paul. The project is a consequence of ongoing epidemiological work with Minnesota wastewater. Genetic traces of the virus that causes COVID are detectable in wastewater, which is why researchers are analyzing early warnings about COVID’s hot spots. “
Peter Cox of MPR reports: “Southside Community Clinic and Sabathani Community Center in southern Minneapolis have teamed up to vaccinate elderly people with a specific risk of COVID-19. “We took the opportunity because we knew we had the ability to reach the elderly and we had the facilities – and if they could bring the vaccine, we know it would be a perfect partnership,” said Tanessa Greene, Sabathani’s executive director. She said that 83 elderly people were given the COVID-19 vaccine, most of whom were African Americans. … Minnesota is trying to solve two problems at the same time – vaccinating as many people as quickly as possible, while ensuring that the racial and ethnic communities most affected by the virus have access to vaccines. … Demographic data suggests that the priorities for whoever received the vaccine have left people of color behind.“
Another AP story says: “A patient threatened to shoot Dr. Terry Hunt if physical therapy did not relieve his pain as effectively as opioids. Another harassed his team and then wandered through a hospital in search of Hunt, after hearing that he would be removed from the painkillers he had used inappropriately. … So when he heard about Tuesday’s attack on a medical clinic in Buffalo, Minnesota, which left one person dead and four injured, ‘the first thing I assumed was that it was something to do with painkillers,‘ said Hunt, who now works for the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and a Mayo Clinic Health System facility in Red Wing. Pain doctors say threats of violence have increased markedly in recent years, as increasing legal and regulatory pressure from the deadly opioid epidemic has led many to prescribe alternatives and reduce their patients’ addictive painkillers.. “
On BringMeTheNews, Joe Nelson reports: “A 29-year-old Minneapolis man survived after being ejected from the Honda Accord he was driving and ended up about 60 meters from the car that stopped on Interstate 94 in the Brooklyn Center. The State Patrol accident report says the man was driving the Honda north on the I-94 ramp to the west of I-694 at high speed when he lost control, turned right, hit a railing and rolled. The 29-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to North Memorial Hospital for treatment. “
Lou Raguse of KARE 11 wrote: “On Sunday afternoon, January 31, the news began to spread – Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis had extra doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and they needed qualified people willing to take them before they the doses spoiled. … Children’s was hosting a vaccination clinic for health professionals – home care nurses, dentists and blood bank employees – and participation was less than expected. … Children vaccinated 1,400 people that day without missing a dose. Two of these people were Maura Caldwell’s parents. ‘I was very grateful to the friend who thought about telling me about this opportunity,’ said Maura. This inspired Maura to help other Minnesota senior students and teachers struggling to get an appointment. She started a Facebook group and became the Minneapolis Vaccine Hunter. “My page has also changed organically from extra doses to just help people navigate the system,” said Maura. “
The AP reports: “The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said it will propose a quota for the 200-wolf hunting season when the group’s policy council meets on Monday to discuss launching a wolf hunt immediately. The agency said the department’s team reached the number after considering several factors, including the most recent population estimate, the public’s response to previous harvests, the current management plan, scientific literature and population model projections, the Journal reported. Sentinel. “