MPR News AM Update: More MN cities test for ‘forever chemicals’

Good morning and happy Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

Mostly the same as Monday, with a slight chance of snow. Twin Cities highs around 19, with highs between 5 and 15 in the north; 15 to 25 in the south. Overnight, it’ll get much colder with metro lows near minus 9, and as low as 25 below zero in the north. More on Updraft. | Forecast

The state has expanded the area it’s testing PFAS. Which are otherwise known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or more commonly as “forever chemicals.” Kirsti Marohn reports the expanded probe is because “sampling methods have gotten more sophisticated, the plume of contamination has shifted and the state has toughened its drinking water advice for the chemicals.”

DHS official approved payments to nonprofit while serving on group’s board. Glenn Howatt at the Star Tribune reports, “A senior official at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) approved thousands of dollars in payments to a private organization while he was serving on its board of directors.”

Here’s another reminder to BE CAREFUL on the ice. As meteorologist Paul Huttner writes, ice thickness varies greatly on Minnesota bodies of water. Yes, it’s cold. But warm spells and insulation from snow cover can make for thin ice.

The widow of a man killed by Minneapolis police says her husband wasn’t a threat. Officers killed Chiasher Fong Vue early Sunday morning when responding to a domestic disturbance call. His widow, Mai Pha Vue, aid her husband did not fire a weapon at police.

Nicotine vapes might be to blame in severe lung injuries. As NPR reports, black-market cannabis products have been suspected as culprits in a recent rash of severe lung injuries.But Allison Aubrey writes it’s not that simple: “For starters, there's evidence that teens who use e-cigarettes are more likely to have increased coughing, wheezing and other short-term effects such as asthma flares.”