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Stories from January 30, 2019

In 'Maid,' a single mother finds 'no way' to make it on minimum wage

In 'Maid,' a single mother finds 'no way' to make it on minimum wage

While raising her young daughter, Stephanie Land cleaned houses to scrape by. It was back-aching work and the pay -- $8.55 an hour to start, $9.25 an hour two years in -- just wasn't enough.
by Terry Gross

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In 'We Cast A Shadow,' the horrors are close to home

In 'We Cast A Shadow,' the horrors are close to home

Maurice Carlos Ruffin's razor-sharp new novel is set in a dystopian near future where race relations have deteriorated further and scientists have developed a procedure to "demelanize" black people.
by Michael Schaub

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Walz budget will give big boost to local governments

Walz budget will give big boost to local governments

Gov. Tim Walz told a group of Greater Minnesota mayors to expect a hefty increase in aid from the state.
by Brian Bakst

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How do birds survive the cold?

How do birds survive the cold?

It might not seem as though feathers could be enough to keep a bird from freezing when temperatures dip to double digits below zero. But the birds are surprisingly well-equipped to survive the extreme cold during Minnesota's winter.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Working 'within the elements': Arrowhead 135 racer shares his experience

Working 'within the elements': Arrowhead 135 racer shares his experience

The planners of this ultramarathon want the race to be as challenging as possible, so they schedule it for what's likely the coldest week of the year. This year, they hit the jackpot.
by Tom Crann, Sara Porter and Kyle Shiely

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Four Midwesterners die amid cold snap

Four Midwesterners die amid cold snap

The deaths bring to at least eight fatalities linked to the extremely cold temperatures in the Midwest.
by Associated Press

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U.S. opens trade talks with China

U.S. opens trade talks with China

President Trump has threatened to increase and expand on about $250 billion in tariffs, but he agreed to hold off until early March, while negotiators try to hammer out a deal.
by Scott Horsley

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News of Jussie Smollet attack rattles LGBTQ community

News of Jussie Smollet attack rattles LGBTQ community

For people who identify as a member of both the LGBTQ community and a person of color, it can be challenging to find a safe space. Feelings of vulnerability are even more visceral in the wake of this week's violent attack on Jussie Smollett.
by Tiffany Hanssen and Jeffrey Bissoy

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I'm sorry, but we need to talk about apologies

Why is it so hard to say the words "I'm sorry" without qualifications or excuses? Guest host Tiffany Hanssen asked two guests for their tips on how to craft better apologies.
by Marcheta Fornoff and Tiffany Hanssen

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Photos: Toughing it out in subzero Minnesota

Photos: Toughing it out in subzero Minnesota

Minnesotans bundled up, jumped cars and basically just tried to keep moving around the past few days as a polar vortex plunged Minnesota into subzero temperatures. You know, could have been worse.
by MPR News Staff

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Judge commits man who crashed into gate at governor's mansion

Judge commits man who crashed into gate at governor's mansion

Clinton Fouquette, who smashed his car into the gate of the governor's mansion late last year, is heading to the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center after being found incompetent to stand trial.
by Alisa Roth

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How to get the heck out of here - and fast

Are you ready for the sunshine and heat? We're talking about the best ways to escape the cold without breaking the bank.
by Angela Davis and Karen Zamora

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The tale of St. Paul's Winter Carnival

The St. Paul Winter Carnival is the oldest winter festival in the nation. Historian Bob Olsen joined us to talk about its history and traditions.
by Manda Lillie and Angela Davis

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Roger Stone plead not guilty, what does it mean for the Mueller investigation?

Roger Stone, a former adviser to President Trump, pleaded not guilty to several criminal charges. What's could happen during the trial and what is its significance to the Mueller investigation?
by Tiffany Hanssen and Jeffrey Bissoy

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Appetites: Award-winning chef Paul Berglund brings his talent to Rochester

Appetites: Award-winning chef Paul Berglund brings his talent to Rochester

If you've ever eaten at the renowned Minneapolis restaurant The Bachelor Farmer or Ann Kim's acclaimed Young Joni, then you've probably sampled some of Chef Paul Berglund's creations.
by Catharine Richert

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Arctic chill continues Thursday, but with lighter winds; weekend warmup!

Arctic chill continues Thursday, but with lighter winds; weekend warmup!

Our low temperature of 28 degrees below zero at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Wednesday morning was two degrees shy of tying the record low. We’ll have a good shot at the Jan. 31 Twin Cities record low of 27 below. It was very cold when the National Weather Service office in Chanhassen, Minn., performed their Wednesday…
by Ron Trenda

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Phishing scam hit MN agency; data of 3K possibly exposed

The Minnesota Department of Human Services says it's sending letters to people whose personal information -- including phone numbers, birth dates and information about child protection cases -- might have been exposed in a September data breach.
by Brian Bakst

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Remembering former state Sen. Duane Benson

Benson served as a Republican in the state Senate from 1980 until 1994, and most recently was the executive director of the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation. He also owned a cattle and horse ranch in Lanesboro, and played professional football for nine years.
by Cathy Wurzer

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50 years since the Beatles' last live performance

The unannounced concert on the roof of London's Apple Corps lasted 42 minutes before police officers told the Fab Four to turn the volume down.
by Cathy Wurzer

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Foxconn reconsiders plan for Wisconsin manufacturing hub

Foxconn reconsiders plan for Wisconsin manufacturing hub

Foxconn Technology Group says it is shifting the focus of its planned $10 billion Wisconsin campus away from blue-collar manufacturing to a research hub, while insisting it remains committed to creating 13,000 jobs as promised.
by The Associated Press

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Xcel: Turn down your heat

A spokesperson says extremely cold weather is causing a strain on Xcel's natural gas system. So it's asking all Minnesota customers to turn down their thermostats to 63 degrees or lower.
by The Associated Press and MPR News Staff

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Just another day in International Falls

Everything's cool in International Falls.
by Bob Collins

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MN lawmaker: Get the kids outside — just not today

A Minnesota lawmaker wants to fund programs that would encourage more children who live in cities around the state to enjoy the outdoors. Jamie Becker-Finn says the state needs to "build future conservationists."
by MPR News Staff

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House panel advances automatic voter registration bill

House panel advances automatic voter registration bill

A Minnesota House panel advanced a bill to establish what supporters call an automatic voter registration process.
by Tim Pugmire

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So your kids are bored…

Put them to work…
by Bob Collins

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'Off the chart': Deep freeze grips Minnesota; round 2 Thursday

'Off the chart': Deep freeze grips Minnesota; round 2 Thursday

Schools, businesses and governments braced for more bitter cold on Thursday as the arctic freeze that grabbed Minnesota Wednesday refused to let go.
by MPR News Staff

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Cold comfort: Subzero weather great for Minnesota's lakes

Cold comfort: Subzero weather great for Minnesota's lakes

The frigid temperatures this week are keeping Minnesotans indoors, but there's a bright spot. Experts say bitterly cold weather actually can have positive impacts on lakes from curbing the growth of harmful algae to reducing water loss.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Where’s your climate change now? Right outside your door

A lot of people on social media are pointing out today that it's colder in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest than it is in Antarctica, to which others point out that it's winter in the Upper Midwest and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Both are missing an important point.
by Bob Collins

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Dangerous wind chills Wednesday; much milder weekend temps

Dangerous wind chills Wednesday; much milder weekend temps

High temperatures will be in the 20s below zero in much of west-central and northwestern Minnesota Wednesday afternoon, with teens below zero elsewhere.
by Ron Trenda

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Wisconsin man is a winner by a hair

Wisconsin man is a winner by a hair

Jason Kiley's beard is so long, he's zipped it into his jacket a few times, tied it into his shoelaces by mistake, and there's that food thing.
by Bob Collins

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26 below zero? Nice!

26 below zero? Nice!

We hold doors for each other. We let the pedestrians cross against the light and think nothing of it because they're out there and we're safe in a car and, what the heck does it matter anyway? We're nicer this week and we got that way without terrorists having to ram jetliners into buildings like the last time we were all nice to each other because we were all in it together.
by Bob Collins

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Daily Digest: Tracking a disturbing disparity

Some political stories you may have missed from around the region.
by Bill Wareham

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What’s on MPR News – 1/30/19

Here are the stories, topics, and guests you'll hear today on MPR News.
by Bob Collins

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Race, immigration and the 'American Dream'

Race, immigration and the 'American Dream'

A discussion of race, immigration and the "American Dream" in the 21st century.
by MPR News Staff

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Thousands left without electricity following Xcel outages

Crews were working late Tuesday night into the next morning to restore power after multiple outages, at least one related to the frigid temperatures.
by Cody Nelson

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U.S. intel heads list North Korea, not border, as threat to U.S.

U.S. intel heads list North Korea, not border, as threat to U.S.

U.S. intelligence agencies told Congress on Tuesday that North Korea is unlikely to dismantle its nuclear arsenal, that the Islamic State group remains a threat and that the Iran nuclear deal is working. The chiefs made no mention of a crisis at the U.S.-Mexican border for which Trump has considered declaring a national emergency.
by Associated Press

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The Old Man and the Play: Friend keeps word to Hemingway

The Old Man and the Play: Friend keeps word to Hemingway

More than 60 years later, Ernest Hemingway's close friend A.E. Hotchner has kept his word. His stage adaptation of "The Old Man and the Sea," a brief novel published in 1952 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize in Literature, premieres on Feb. 1.
by Associated Press

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Democrats pick Georgia's Stacey Abrams to give response to Trump's State of the Union

Democrats pick Georgia's Stacey Abrams to give response to Trump's State of the Union

Abrams tried last year become the nation's first African-American woman to win a governor's race but fell short. She was an outspoken voice during the race against voter suppression tactics.

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