Strap in for another day of impeachment hearings

Good morning. It’s Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

A tame Wednesday. The Twin Cities will be partly cloudy with highs in the mid 30s and some light winds. NIghttime lows in the upper teens and winds die down. Greater Minnesota highs range from the mid 20s to mid 30s, with nighttime lows in the teens. More on Updraft. | Forecast

Impeachment hearings will, again, take over the news today. These House Judiciary Committee hearings come after a House Democrats report alleged the White House pursued a “months-long effort” to get Ukraine to begin investigations friendly to the Trump reelection campaign in exchange for some $391 million in assistance. We’ll carry today’s hearing online and on the air until it’s over.

Kandiyohi County will accept more refugees. The county board voted 3-2 that it will take on more people seeking a home in the U.S. The vote follows President Trump’s order requiring local governments to give their permission on refugee resettlement programs in their community.

The race to represent southern Minnesota in Congress is already shaping up. The state’s 1st Congressional District could be one of the most competitive in the country next year, just like it was in 2018. And again, it’ll be Republican Rep. Jim Hagedorn vs. Democrat Dan Feehan. Mark Zdechlik took a trip into the issues at stake.

“If the Ford site is so valuable, why does its development need roughly $101 million in public subsidy?”asks Fred Melo at the Pioneer Press. “It’s a 122-acre parcel of vacant land overlooking the Mississippi River in one of the most affluent corners of St. Paul — a blank real estate canvas that any developer might call a dream project.”

Duluth’s Aerial Lift Bridge is still stuck. At least it’s in the down position so cars can make it across the water. During last weekend’s storm, waves pounded the bridge and ice formed. As of yesterday, city officials had no timeline for when the bridge would lift again.