Here's the latest news from across the state to start your day. ☕
WEATHER
❄️ A widespread snowfall is on the way for Minnesota Friday. Plowable snow is likely for the eastern half of the state into western Wisconsin.
🥶 Early next week brings some pretty frigid air that could potentially rival what we saw in mid-January. Sunday and Monday nights look the coldest with lows in the teens below zero south and 20s and 30s below zero north.
Minnesota has its first open-seat Senate race since 2006. Many candidates are giving it a look and both parties say they're well-positioned to win. Sen. Tina Smith announced Thursday she will retire at the end of next year to spend more time with her family.
Every year, Feb. 14 marks a day of remembrance for missing and murdered Indigenous relatives. In south Minneapolis, a community screen-printing event brought Indigenous community members and allies together to prepare art for the day's rallies and marches.
Lily Tschudi-Campbell and Cassidy Foust's love story includes a passion for children's literature, the "Frog and Toad" series and the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul. "Arnold Lobel was kind of an underground queer icon. His daughter says she suspects that frog and toad was an allegory for the life he could not openly live when he was alive," Foust said.
How do we remember the journeys that brought us to Minnesota? And why do those stories matter, now more than ever? Join immigration reporters Sarah Thamer from MPR News and Katelyn Vue from Sahan Journal on Feb. 20 for an evening of arrival stories, inspiration and advice on preserving your own family's history and culture. Get more information and register at MPREvents.org.
This week is the MPR Winter Member Drive and we have an ambitious goal to raise $600,000 in just five days. We're counting on your participation to help us strengthen this public service and keep Minnesotans connected to the news and to each other.
📝 Concerns over mass deportations lead to 'Know Your Rights' discussion in Brooklyn Center. People who live in Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center attended a panel discussion Wednesday night to ask questions about how to respond if ICE shows up at a home or workplace.
❤️ 8 of the most Minnesota things from the debut of the 'Love is Blind' Minneapolis season. The Reverb team at MPR News watched the first six episodes and gathered thoughts on some of the most stereotypical Minnesota things about this season so far.
🏛️ Minneapolis orders audit of police response in death of Allison Lussier. Allison Lussier, a 47-year-old Indigenous woman, was found dead in her apartment in February 2024. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death involved a subdural hematoma.
🧠 New MSU Mankato, Wilder Research study examines barrier to obtaining mental health licensure among state graduates. Past research showed that about half of graduates in Minnesota who completed a master's degree necessary for licensure in mental health don't finish the process. 🕯️ Speedy cross-border work by Minnesota's MMIR Office credited with quick return of First Nations woman to Canada. Feb. 14 has dual significance. It's Valentine's Day, but also a day of remembrance to honor missing and murdered Indigenous relatives. It's also a day to celebrate triumphs.
🏫 Federal education money and Minnesota: 4 questions. As the Trump administration presses for big cuts to the federal education bureaucracy, school leaders in large and small districts across the state say they rely on federal dollars to support their most vulnerable students. Here's a look at what's happening.
🎶 Breath and beat: Terrell X'avion brings rhythmic fire to MacPhail. Musician Terrell X'avion, an improvisational jazz beatboxer and storyteller, brings his deeply personal album "Transformation to Terrell X" to the MacPhail Center for Music, blending rhythm, lyricism and interactive performance.
🎤 Minnesota musician Mary Bue's newest album captures the spectrum of humanity. Minneapolis-based Mary Bue's latest album comes out Sunday and explores humanity, love, healing and trauma. She has carved a unique space within the music scene, using her art for healing.
MUST LISTEN
🎧 Second spike in flu hospitalizes hundreds of Minnesotans. Roughly one in three flu tests are coming back positive. Just last week, 750 Minnesotans were ill enough to be hospitalized because of the virus. 🎧Route 1 helps farmers of color put down roots. Despite the freezing temperatures, the farmers at Route 1 Farms are already deep into harvesting lettuce and herbs this winter. They are growing food through a new creative way of indoor farming.
