Here's the latest news from across the state to start your day. ☕
WEATHER
☃️ A major late-winter storm continues to wallop southern and eastern Minnesota early Wednesday, bringing heavy snow, howling winds and blizzard conditions.
❄️ Snow will continue through the morning in east-central and southeast Minnesota. Snow showers will wind down through Wednesday afternoon, but expect high winds.
☀️ Sunshine returns for Thursday with highs mostly in the 30s to near 40 degrees. Seasonably cooler temperatures persist through Saturday before things warm up considerably for early next week.
Many school districts delayed or canceled classes, or moved to online learning. Metro Transit temporarily suspended bus service in the Twin Cities. And the Minnesota Department of Transportation closed many highways across the southwest and south-central parts of the state — including long stretches of Interstate 90 between Luverne and Albert Lea.
As President Donald Trump lifts “undue burdens” on U.S. mines, the shift in the federal posture could boost long-simmering projects in northern Minnesota. New mines have taken more urgency in recent years, to help build electric vehicles, solar panels and other technologies needed to power a carbon-free energy transition. This kind of mining would be new to Minnesota, and some worry about the risks of pollution near the prized watershed.
NEWS ROUNDUP
🚜 Minnesota farmers fret about ‘chaos and uncertainty’ following latest Trump tariffs. Some Minnesota farmers urged President Donald Trump to reconsider a new round of tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China and said Tuesday that the trade showdown would hurt the state’s agriculture industry.
🔍 Read NPR’s annotated fact check of President Trump’s address to Congress. Since his inauguration, Trump has worked briskly to try to radically reshape the government. Trump took stock of what he's done so far andlaid out his vision forthe economy, immigration and foreign affairs.
👠 Stripper Awards Gala in Minneapolis spotlights sex workers, decriminalization efforts. The night celebrated workers in the industry while raising money to support harm reduction, advocacy and labor rights efforts for the Strippers Guild.
🎧 How the Trump administration is affecting the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about the federal refugee program and how the Trump administration directives are affecting refugee resettlement efforts in Minnesota. 🎧 Amazon data center planned for Minnesota sparks environmental debate. State utility regulators are pumping the breaks on the Becker center with concerns over backup generators Amazon included in its proposal.
