Here's the latest news from across the state to start your day.
WEATHER
🌬️ A weak cool front is sweeping across Minnesota Tuesday with little to no impactful weather. An isolated shower or two is possible only in northern Minnesota. Afternoon highs will be in the low 80s ahead the front for the Twin Cities and southern Minnesota.
🌤️ We’ll see a good 5- to 10-degree temperature drop for Wednesday and Thursday, but we’ll remain above normal and with continued mostly sunny skies. Highs Wednesday and Thursday will be mostly in the low to mid-70s south with 60s north.
The Minnesota Library Association says some $3 million a year in federal library funding is in jeopardy and could threaten vital library programs across the state.
A small maple syrup operation that has tapped trees on state land outside Grand Marais for 25 years says it may have to close over a lease dispute with the Minnesota DNR.
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community recently hosted its third Dakota language bowl. Over 30 teams put their knowledge to the test in the daylong competition.
NEWS ROUNDUP
🎨 ‘Smashing our dreams’: NEA terminates grants for many Minnesota arts organizations. Organizations like Penumbra Theatre and the Lakes Area Music Festival have had their 2025 NEA grants abruptly terminated as the agency shifts its funding priorities to align with new federal directives.
🔍 Department of Justice opens investigation into Hennepin County plea deal policy. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating a Hennepin County Attorney’s Office policy that lets prosecutors consider race in plea deals. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty implemented the policy last week.
🚨 Three charged in deadly Minneapolis shooting. Officers responded to the shooting near Cedar and Hiawatha avenues around 1 p.m. Wednesday. It was the second shooting in less than 24 hours in the neighborhood. The night before, five people were shot; only one survived.
🏀 Timberwolves playoff run: Everything to know about Minnesota’s basketball semifinals. The Minnesota Timberwolves are chasing their first-ever NBA Finals appearance. After knocking out the Lakers, they now face the Golden State Warriors Tuesday in Round 2.
✍️ Minnesota poet Danez Smith announced as Pulitzer Prize finalist for poetry. The poems were written during the COVID-19 pandemic and as Minneapolis became the epicenter of protest following the murder of George Floyd. They received the recognition for their poetry book “Bluff."
📖 Thinking outside the ‘daily concrete life’: How puppets and picture books create a sense of possibility. Minnesota artist Anne Sawyer channels her lifelong love of storytelling and improvisation into a new children’s book about pollinators that blends science, imagination and playful creativity.
🏒 Marc-Andre Fleury has played his last NHL game, but retirement can wait a few more weeks. Fleury revealed on Monday he has agreed to join Team Canada for the ice hockey world championship later this month. With the Wild eliminated four days ago from the NHL playoffs, Fleury's calendar is wide open.
MUST LISTEN
🎧Federal cuts could effectively end programs for Minnesotans with intellectual disabilities. Funds for three programs that help Minnesotans with intellectual and developmental disabilities live independently are on the chopping block as the proposed federal budget includes enormous cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services.
🎧 Eden Prairie educator and coach honored as Teacher of the Year. Known to her students as "Wally," Linda Wallenberg is an English teacher at Eden Prairie High School. She is the first from her district to win the award and is being recognized for inspiring generations of students across her 49 years of teaching and coaching.
