Good morning, Minnesota. Happy Wednesday!

Here's the latest news from across the state to start your day. ☕

WEATHER

🌨️ Heavy snow and blizzard conditions will impact southern Minnesota Wednesday. The snow will mostly miss the Twin Cities metro area.

❄️ Snowfall will be heaviest in the southeast part of the state with totals coming in at well over a half-foot. In addition, winds will gust to 50 mph to even near 60 mph along I-90.

Get the latest weather news on Updraft.

Blizzard warnings, school closings Wednesday across parts of southern Minnesota

Snow is forecast to develop Wednesday morning along the Interstate 90 corridor and become heavy at times. Blizzard warnings run through Wednesday night from Fairmont east to Albert Lea, Owatonna, Preston, Rochester and Wabasha. The National Weather Service says those areas may see 4 to 8 inches of snow, along with winds gusting to more than 50 mph.

GOP leaders call on Sen. Eichorn to resign after arrest for allegedly soliciting a minor

Bloomington police say state Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, was arrested for allegedly soliciting a minor for prostitution. A detective had communicated with Eichorn “who thought he was talking to a 16-year-old female” and then arranged a meetup on Monday. House and Senate Republican leaders called for Eichorn to step down.

NEWS ROUNDUP

❌ From bridges to water pipes, federal funding bill cuts hundreds of millions of dollars for projects across Minnesota. In Duluth, the city lost $500,000 in federal funding allocated for repairs to the Aerial Lift Bridge, and $1 million for the city’s water treatment plant that pulls water from Lake Superior and serves about 135,000 people in Duluth and surrounding communities.

🏛️ Prosecutor to Feeding Our Future jurors: ‘You have the power to end this story.’ The jury in the trial of Feeding Our Future founder Aimee Bock and restaurant owner Salim Said will begin deliberations Wednesday morning after prosecutors and defense attorneys gave their closing arguments Tuesday.

💰 Data: Minneapolis spent $330k clearing encampments during last half of 2024. An estimated 227 unsheltered residents were forced to leave on the day of the closures, which occurred between July 25 and Dec. 18 last year, according to the report.

📊 Poll: Minnesotans think race, gender impact individual success. About 40 percent of Minnesotans believe that being Black, Indigenous or Hispanic makes it harder to succeed in the state compared to being white or of Asian ancestry. Minnesotans also perceive a distinct advantage for men.

📚 Author Margie Sarsfield’s ‘got the beet,’ and it’s really creepy. If you were going to write a horror story about something in Minnesota, what would you choose as a focus? The newly released novel “Beta Vulgaris” features potentially malevolent sugar beets. They are far from sweet.

🚨 Employee fatally stabbed at Kwik Trip store in Mankato. The Mankato Department of Public Safety said officers responded to reports of a disturbance at the convenience store just after 3 a.m. They found an unresponsove employee on the floor with a knife wound. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

🚢 2025 Great Lakes shipping season starts this week. Duluth will see ships soon. Ships will soon be on the move to and from Lake Superior ports, including Duluth, Superior, Two Harbors and Silver Bay. The season begins Friday when the larger of two locks in Sault Sainte Marie, Mich. opens.

🚓 Law enforcement seeks funding for roadside drug screening. In a report to the state Legislature submitted last week, the department said both of the test devices work. Now, they’re hoping to get them to more officers.

MUST LISTEN

🎧 Investing in women and girls to ensure their safety, health and success. Donations to organizations that serve women and girls make up less than two percent of all philanthropic giving in the U.S. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a Twin Cities leader who is trying to change that.

🎧 Report: Minnesota has the third highest average cost of infant child care in the country. Its average cost in the state is $22,000 per year. That’s 18 percent of the median family income in Minnesota.

🎧 ‘Connective Thread’ exhibit stiches Latinas in Minnesota to their clothes. A group of Latina artists is highlighting the complexities of moving through the world as women in a new exhibit. They contributed to the exhibit called “Connective Thread,” about the clothing items that protect and adorn women’s bodies.

🎧 Listen to today's headlines on our Minnesota Today podcast.

Talking Volumes

MPR News and the Minnesota Star Tribune are heading back to Duluth on May 1 for a special Talking Volumes with author Peter Geye and hosted by award-winning MPR News journalist Kerri Miller.

Purchase tickets