Good morning, Minnesota. Happy Thursday!

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

WEATHER

☀️ Mostly sunny skies will grace Minnesota Thursday. Temperatures will push into the comfy 60s in the southern Minnesota with 50s north.

⛈️ By Friday, highs will soar into the 70s and 80s before the next system arrives, bringing a threat of severe weather to the south, accumulating snow to central Minnesota and the potential for ice up north.

Get the latest weather news on Updraft.

In St. Cloud, leaders of color aim to fill community's housing need

Several organizations in St. Cloud led by people of color are working to address local housing needs. A recent study found the city will need 17,000 new housing units over the next decade and a half to meet anticipated demand.

Minneapolis city leaders consider plan to retain violence interrupters in Cedar Riverside

The discussion comes as the council considers contracts to fund interrupters in several other parts of the city, but not the areas that stretch from the edge of downtown to the West Bank of the University of Minnesota campus.

NEWS ROUNDUP

💉 What to know now about measles in Minnesota after one case confirmed in state resident. The person was vaccinated and not infectious while in Minnesota, but traveled to Washington, D.C., and may have exposed people to the virus after visiting the district and when riding an Amtrak train.

🛒 Downtown St. Paul Lunds & Byerlys closes, leaving neighborhood without grocery store. Shoplifting and vandalism have made it difficult to retain employees and managers. It’s another hit as St. Paul — much like other downtowns throughout the U.S. — have struggled to find post-pandemic stability.

🏛️ Former Sen. Justin Eichorn released to a halfway house as federal criminal case proceeds. After a lengthy hearing, he was granted release to a setting with less confinement. Eichorn didn’t comment to a KARE 11 photojournalist as he walked briskly Wednesday afternoon to a car outside the St. Paul court building.

🎒 Special ed faces cuts as Minneapolis schools struggle to close $75M budget gap. Protesters at the meeting pushed back on talk of reductions, at one point standing and chanting “Who’s schools? Our schools!” They called on board members to sign a pledge not to touch student-facing special education positions.

⚖️ Minnesota Supreme Court allows recently incarcerated to serve on juries. The move follows a 2023 state law that allows people recently freed from prison to vote, even if they are not finished with the supervised release portions of their sentences.

🏢 What we know about Minnesota's government employee return to office plan. The two labor unions that represent state workers — Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 5 — said they were not consulted about the change and called the move one of “blatant disrespect.”

🚅 Amtrak suspends Borealis passenger rail service, citing corrosion issues on cars. The Amtrak spokesperson said the company is drafting a longer-term plan while the Horizon cars are out of service; it was not immediately clear how long the Borealis trains will be replaced with buses.

📺 How being Minnesotan shaped Carolyn Wiger’s time on ‘The Traitors,’ ‘Survivor.’ Wiger stood out among a crowd of reality TV stars from the coasts. She's gained attention for her exuberant, outspoken personality. MPR News talked with her about representing Minnesota on the international stage.

🦝 Raccoon survives encounter with electrical transformer in Rochester. Utility officials in Rochester say a wayward raccoon survived a close encounter with a transformer early Wednesday. The incident knocked out power to a couple thousand homes and businesses in the northeast part of the city.

🚌 Minnesota students use radio to call for help after bus driver has medical emergency. Students aboard a school bus used the bus radio to call for help after the driver had a medical emergency. The driver was taken to a hospital with what the sheriff’s office said was a serious medical condition.

MUST LISTEN

🎧 What’s next for sluggish Minnesota mail after USPS postmaster general’s resignation? DFL Rep. Angie Craig, who represents the south Twin Cities metro, has sounded the alarm over Minnesota mail issues for several years and has surveyed more than 3,000 of her constituents about postal problems.

🎧 Art Hounds: Rocking chairs, new opera and breakin’. Art Hounds recommend “Rocking Chair (Re)Evolution,” Hometown Opera Company’s “New Media Opera” and the Red Bull BC One Cypher One competition.

🎧 Out to Lunch: Lindsay Whalen is ready to have joy back in basketball. Lindsay Whalen was off the court for 18 months after her departure as head coach of the Gopher's Women's basketball team. When she went out to lunch with MPR News host Nina Moini, Whalen said it was a much-needed break, but that she's excited to be part of a team again.

🎧 How disrupted sleep can affect your health. MPR News Angela Davis and her guest talk about how our sleep gets disrupted and what can we do about it.

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

The Current has identified 64 of the best albums of 2005 to go head-to-head to determine the top record of the year. Between Monday, and Thursday, they will be playing songs on-air as part of each daily matchup.

Participants are invited to enter for a chance to win a pair of pit tickets to see Kendrick Lamar and SZA at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 19.

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