A judge on Thursday granted prosecutors’ request to add a third-degree murder charge against the former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death.

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill reinstated the charge after Derek Chauvin failed to get appellate courts to block it. Cahill had earlier rejected the charge as not warranted by the circumstances of Floyd’s death, but an appellate court ruling in an unrelated case established new grounds for it.

Chauvin already faced second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Legal experts say the additional charge helps prosecutors by giving jurors one more option to convict Chauvin of murder.

Heavy snow and high winds in northeastern Minnesota left hundreds without power and caused hazardous travel conditions while the southeastern region of the state experienced rain, large hail and tornado warnings.

About 2,700 Minnesota Power customers lost service Wednesday with about 700 remaining without power early Thursday.

In southern Minnesota, heavy rain and hail fell Wednesday evening. The weather service issued tornado warnings and watches, but there were no reports of tornado touchdowns or major damage.

The warnings were over by about 9 in the evening, but winds gusting up to 40 m.p.h. continued through the night.

The International Olympic Committee and China have teamed up to offer vaccines to athletes and teams preparing for the upcoming Olympic games in both Tokyo and Beijing.

The collaboration with Chinese Olympic officials was announced Thursday during an online IOC meeting.

IOC President Thomas Bach said the committee would pay for extra doses for Olympic and Paralympic participants.

China, where the COVID-19 outbreak emerged in late 2019, has actively engaged in vaccine diplomacy, using doses developed by Sinovac and Sinopharm.

Research by The Associated Press this month showed China has pledged about a half billion doses of its vaccines to more than 45 countries.

Bach said the agreement with China would help fulfill promises to Olympic organizers and competitors that the games will be staged safely.

He said the project was “our demonstration of solidarity with the Japanese people for whom we have such high respect and whom we hold in such high regard.”

The Tokyo Summer Olympics are set to open July 23, and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing are scheduled for February.

Alaina Schoenfelder can be reached at scho8369@stthomas.edu.