Good morning, Minnesota. Happy Monday and happy St. Patrick's Day! 🍀
Here's the latest news from across the state to start your day. 😎
WEATHER
🎢 Our wild roller coaster of temperatures continues. After a chilly weekend, temperatures will warm up Monday for southern Minnesota. Highs will be in the 60s south to just the 30s in far northern Minnesota.
🌧️ Cooler air moves in Monday night into Tuesday and Wednesday. Our next storm system will develop rain and snow showers Tuesday across central Minnesota and expand into Wednesday.
❄️ Most forecast models favor southeast Minnesota with heavier snow. Over a half-foot of snow could fall in some places.
The Minnesota House returns to its full complement — and a tie — Monday with a newly elected DFL member getting sworn in to fill a seat that’s been vacant since the legislative session began in January. It comes at the session’s midpoint.
Alma Contreras remembers how hard it was to make the transition to rural western Minnesota when she came from Mexico 16 years ago. It’s what drives her to help others now in tense times for immigrants, from understanding the school or medical system to getting registration tabs at the motor vehicle department. Traducción: Lee la historia en español
NEWS ROUNDUP
🏛️ After drop-ins to a pair of GOP-led states, Walz returns to a rearranged Minnesota Capitol. Gov. Tim Walz mingled with Democrats in Iowa and Nebraska for what were billed as town halls focused on Trump administration policies. But Walz and Minnesota lawmakers have their work cut out for them back home.
🏗️ Duluth looks to revive stagnant, post-COVID downtown. The city hopes to revitalize its downtown through new housing. It wants to bring new residents to an urban core that was abandoned by thousands of workers who didn’t come back to the office after COVID.
🏫 Minnesota homeschooling leaped during COVID, and counts continue to climb. Less than 4 percent of Minnesota families are homeschooled, but since 2023, the number of homeschool students is up 18 percent while the number of public and private school students has grown less than 1 percent.
🎶 Four strings, infinite joy: T.H.U.G. is a ukulele group with a name to remember. The Two Harbors Ukulele Group is a lively ensemble of mostly senior musicians that brings joy through its 400+ song repertoire. The group has a passion for community, lifelong learning and, most importantly, fun.
🧑⚖️ Feeding Our Future defense witness: ‘You think people are working for free?’ A defense witness testified at the Feeding Our Future trial on Friday that he saw large amounts of food being prepared at a Minneapolis restaurant that prosecutors say was a major player in a $250 million scheme.
🪖 Veterans rally in front of Minnesota Republican Party office in Edina. The group of veterans and supporters say they are against recent funding cuts and layoffs made by the Trump administration, including cuts to the VA and the firing of veterans in federal services.
🏢 DOGE lease cancellations: These government offices could be closed in Minnesota. The General Services Administration has notified landlords that federal agencies will be terminating hundreds of leases in the coming months. At least 12 leases in Minnesota have been put on the chopping block.
🌪️ Tornadoes, wildfires and blinding dust sweep across U.S. as massive storm leaves at least 39 dead. The dynamic storm from Friday through Sunday earned an unusual “high risk” designation from weather forecasters . Still, experts said it’s not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.
🗓️ March 17 deadline for ice house removal in northern third of state. Some can still use them after the deadline under specific criteria. Because of warm weather conditions the DNR warns people to exercise caution during the removal process.
MUST LISTEN
🎧 ‘We haven’t moved on’ expert says grief from Minnesota COVID-19 deaths still linger. On March 13, 2020, Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Five years later, an expert says we still haven’t fully processed the lives lost to the pandemic. 🎧 Minnesota ‘red-tape experiment’ streamlines permitting process to achieve carbon-free grid. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner and journalist Allison Prang talk about Minnesota’s efforts to speed up the clean-energy permitting process so the state can achieve its goals.
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.
