Good morning, Minnesota. Happy Monday!

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

WEATHER

🌨️ Snow in northern Minnesota will wrap up Monday morning and there could be possible snow showers to the south throughout the day.

🥶 Tuesday will be colder with highs mainly in the teens and 20s but it will be colder still Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday night will be below zero across all of Minnesota.

Get the latest weather news on Updraft.

‘Green Gold’: Booming demand for holiday greenery sparks illicit trade in northern Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says unlicensed bandits are snipping off the tops of spruce trees, trying to cash in on a market that one legal harvester calls “green gold.” The illicit activity is driven by a seemingly insatiable demand for holiday décor.

In western Minnesota, a writer rooted in two worlds seeks common ground

Columnist, county commissioner and former farmer Brent Olson is a “bleeding heart liberal” in the middle of rural Minnesota Trump country. He tries to bridge that political and social gap in his national writing and through his local community work.

The newest addition to the Judy Garland Museum brings even more Minnesota meaning

Even though the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids was unable to top the winning bid for Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, a new addition is still making its way to the collection. Joining the lot of Wizard of Oz memorabilia at the museum will be a painting by Minnesota artist Bill Mack.

NEWS ROUNDUP

⚠️ Icy roads prompt central, northern Minnesota school districts to cancel or delay classes. Winter weather advisories in northern Minnesota run until noon Monday, with a winter storm warning in effect until noon for the North Shore where some locations have received more than a half-foot of snow.

🌿 Cannabis facility in Le Sueur waits for next steps in stalled licensing lottery. Minnesota Valley Cannabis Company wants to open a cannabis-growing facility in a former Green Giant research facility. The company wants to grow and package cannabis products, but a delay in the state’s licensing lottery means the project is at a standstill.

🪖 Pearl Harbor attack gun may leave Minnesota Capitol grounds for new museum home. A St. Paul-based reservist crew helped man the gun on the USS Ward destroyer that day. They’re credited with firing the first shots in defense of Pearl Harbor, sinking a Japanese midget submarine.

🚁 Twin Cities CEO sues city of East Gull Lake over helicopter use. The city maintains that under its zoning ordinances, Twin Cities concrete company CEO Doug Schieffer's activities constitute an “airport,” and aren’t permitted in residential lakeshore areas.

💰 Stolen ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ are auctioned for $28 million. Heritage Auctions had estimated that they would fetch $3 million or more, but the fast-paced bidding far outpaced that amount within seconds and tripled it within minutes.

❌ Minneapolis Mayor poised to block council again as his veto use continues to climb. So far this year, Mayor Jacob Frey has vetoed five actions and vowed to nix a sixth. When that happens, he will have vetoed 16 actions since he first took office in 2018. That’s more vetoes than the previous two mayors combined.

🏒 Minnesota Frost beat Toronto Sceptres 6-3. Britta Curl-Salemme and Michaela Cava each scored twice in Saturday's PWHL match and the Minnesota Frost beat the Toronto Sceptres 6-3.

🏈 Minnesota Vikings beat Cousins and Atlanta Falcons 42-21. Sam Darnold threw for 347 yards and five touchdowns, both career highs, and the Minnesota Vikings pulled away from Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons 42-21 for their sixth straight victory.

👮🏻 NYPD releases 2 new photos of man sought in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO. Late Saturday, police released two additional photos of the suspected shooter that appeared to be from a camera mounted inside a taxi.

MUST LISTEN

🎧 Trump’s cabinet picks could reshape U.S. climate policy. President-elect Donald Trump is making cabinet choices that will likely impact U.S. climate policy. Kiley Price with Inside Climate News spoke to MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner about Trump's picks and what they could mean for the future of climate policy.

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

Support the News You Need

Gifts from individuals keep MPR News accessible to all - free of paywalls and barriers.

Donate Today