Good morning, Minnesota. Happy Thursday!

We hope you had a great Christmas and enjoyed the first night of Hanukkah. Here's the latest news from across the state to start your day. ☕

WEATHER

🌫️ Foggy and hazy skies continue Thursday. Highs will be above freezing for most of the state Thursday afternoon.

☔ Some spotty rain showers are possible later Thursday and into the night with a better chance of more widespread scattered rain showers developing Friday into the weekend.

Get the latest weather news on Updraft.

Survey on isolation: Nearly half of Minnesotans report feeling left out at times

About 48 percent of Minnesotans feel left out some of the time or often, according to the “Minds of Minnesotans” survey conducted by APM Research Lab. Gen Z Minnesotans are the most lonely.

‘Livers of the river’: Feds propose designating rivers as critical habitat for freshwater mussels

The federal government is proposing to designate portions of some Minnesota and Wisconsin rivers as critical habitat for endangered freshwater mussels.

NEWS ROUNDUP

🕯️ Former DFL Rep. Mary Murphy, longest-serving woman in Minnesota House, dies at 85. Former state Rep. Mary Murphy, the longest-serving woman in the history of the Minnesota House, died Wednesday at age 85. Murphy, of Hermantown, had suffered a stroke last week.

🦉 Snowy owl rescued from car grille by Minnesota woman who saved another bird hours earlier. The northern Minnesota woman found the first owl on Monday morning. But the snowy owl she found hours later was in a much scarier situation

🦅 The bald eagle is officially America’s national bird, thanks to a Minnesotan. The bald eagle has been a symbol of the United States for centuries. But it wasn’t officially America's national bird until this week.

🔍 DNR investigating recent waterfowl deaths across southern Minnesota. A number of wild waterfowl deaths in the first half of December were likely caused by avian influenza. The dead waterfowl were Canada geese as well as some tundra swans and trumpeter swans.

🏘️ New shelter to open in Duluth for young adults experiencing homelessness. The shelter, called Another Door, will provide a lifeline to up to 12 youth who lack shelter. Currently there are only two to four beds in Duluth for young adults.

🎤 How does it feel? Bob Dylan’s hometown prepares for new film about the singer. Although Minnesota is not featured in the film — which focuses on Dylan’s time in New York in the 1960s — Timothée Chalamet visited Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing earlier this year.

🎷 ‘Complex Emotions’ on Christmas: The Bad Plus returns for Dakota jazz club residency. For nearly a quarter-century straight, avant-garde jazz outfit The Bad Plus has played a late December residency at The Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis.

🗳️ Minn. Democratic party chair says his wins could help nationally after loss to Trump. In nearly 14 years atop Minnesota's Democratic Party, Ken Martin has endured bleak outlooks, deep internal party divisions and some close calls. But in his tenure, he's never had to explain away a loss on his watch in a statewide race.

💕 Revisiting mothers, reimagining stories: Lloyd Suh finds connection and meaning in ‘The Heart Sellers.’ “The Heart Sellers” tells a story about a friendship between two women, both Asian immigrants to an unspecified medium-sized U.S. city.

MUST LISTEN

🎧 Washington Post reporter explains how they uncovered more Native children deaths at boarding schools. The newspaper found at least 76 deaths at Minnesota boarding schools versus a government-documented 10 student deaths.

🎧 Former Duluth head shop owner reacts to Biden commuting his drug sentence. Jim Carlson served 11 years of a 17.5-year federal sentence. He was found guilty on 51 counts related to selling synthetic drugs at his shop, The Last Place on Earth.

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

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