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Stories from January 31, 2019

Are school districts going 'soft'? Cold spell stirs debate

Are school districts going 'soft'? Cold spell stirs debate

Some parents said schools should be closed entirely due to temperatures near or below zero degrees. With little snow on the ground, others questioned why schools should be affected at all.
by Associated Press

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WHO warns of dire conditions, deaths of children at refugee camp in Syria

WHO warns of dire conditions, deaths of children at refugee camp in Syria

More than 20,000 people, mostly women and children, have arrived at the Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria in just two months. The World Health Organization says aid workers are struggling to keep up.

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Trump, Pelosi stances on wall suggest deal will be difficult

Trump, Pelosi stances on wall suggest deal will be difficult

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared that there'll be no "wall money" in any compromise border security deal as she and President Trump signaled that congressional negotiators may never satisfy his demands in a new government spending bill.
by Associated Press

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Nothing is taboo in 'Twenty-Ninth Year'

Nothing is taboo in 'Twenty-Ninth Year'

Hala Alyan reflects on three decades of life in an intimate, unsparing new poetry collection that offers a unique look at life as a Palestinian in exile, a woman, and a young person looking for love.
by Gabino Iglesias

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'Here And Now And Then' is a perilous mix of parenthood and time travel

'Here And Now And Then' is a perilous mix of parenthood and time travel

In Mike Chen's debut novel, a time-traveling secret agent is stranded in the past and has to live out a normal life -- including a family -- that becomes a problem when he returns to his own time.
by Ilana Masad

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Lincoln billboard removed in Duluth after outcry over forgotten history

Lincoln billboard removed in Duluth after outcry over forgotten history

A billboard featuring an image of Abraham Lincoln was intended to portray a positive message. But its placement near a Native American mural created a stir over the president's role in a dark chapter in Minnesota history.
by Dan Kraker

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Natural gas prices slump despite US winter weather blast

Natural gas prices slump despite US winter weather blast

The massive weather system is blanketing much of the Midwest and Northeast in a deep freeze, and demand for natural gas is spiking as homeowners crank up the heat to stay warm. Yet natural gas prices have fallen this week and are in the throes of a two-month skid.
by Associated Press

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Missing SE Minnesota woman found

Authorities in southeastern Minnesota have located a woman missing since she left for work early Wednesday. She had not been in contact with her family since then.
by MPR News Staff

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Cold got you thinking about where to retire? Arizona is tops for snowbirds

Cold got you thinking about where to retire? Arizona is tops for snowbirds

Despite the fact that climate change is making Minnesota winters milder -- in the aggregate -- every year, thousands of Minnesota retirees move to other states, most often warmer, sunnier ones. It's a trend that may have political and other consequences for the state.
by Martin Moylan

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Triple the firefighters needed amid cold at St. Paul house fire

Triple the firefighters needed amid cold at St. Paul house fire

A house in St. Paul was covered in heavy ice as firefighters hauled hoses through the snow as temperatures plunged Wednesday to nearly negative 30 degrees.
by Associated Press

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Sexual assault reform underway in Minnesota

Minnesota could change the way it handles sexual assault. What are the potential changes? When could we expect them?
by Angela Davis and Karen Zamora

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Polar vortex recap; a timely warming trend!

Polar vortex recap; a timely warming trend!

The coldest air is moving away, and temperatures will rebound dramatically over the next few days. This is good timing, with the weekend just ahead!
by Ron Trenda

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Study: Climate change skeptics most likely to be harmed by it

Nine of the 10 states contending with the highest losses of county income voted for President Trump in 2016, including, in order, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama. Fifteen of the 16 highest-harm states were also red. States likely to benefit mostly voted for Hillary Clinton.
by Bob Collins

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2020 Democrats weigh how to recapture voters in Midwest

2020 Democrats weigh how to recapture voters in Midwest

The clearest path for Democrats to return to the White House runs straight through the upper Midwest, fueling debate over who is best positioned to recapture the region's working-class voters who broke for President Trump in 2016.
by The Associated Press

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AG Ellison’s latest hires include litigator, ex-lawmaker

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has hired Minneapolis lawyer Liz Kramer as the state’s solicitor general and former state Rep. Carly Melin as government affairs director.
by Tim Pugmire

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Super Bowl draws the line at the ‘P word’

A food company tries to get away with porn references in its Super Bowl ad. It didn't work.
by Bob Collins

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Art Hounds: Winona's Frozen River Film Festival

Art Hounds: Winona's Frozen River Film Festival

Plus, Art Hounds recommend Theater 55's production of the musical "Hair" and an exhibition of photographs made with a giant pinhole camera.
by Marianne Combs

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Why is it so *&%# cold? Come warm up in the answer vortex

Why is it so *&%# cold? Come warm up in the answer vortex

The polar vortex has brought air so incredibly cold it may set low-temperature records. Will it ever be warm again?

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Medical effects of extreme cold: Why it hurts and how to stay safe

Medical effects of extreme cold: Why it hurts and how to stay safe

Frostbite can nip ears in just a few minutes in the sort of temperatures many Americans are facing this week. Pull that hat down and curb the drinking; alcohol can impair your judgment of temperature.
by Patti Neighmond

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Xcel says demand forced shut-off of natural gas to dozens of homes

Xcel says demand forced shut-off of natural gas to dozens of homes

Xcel Energy moved dozens of customers east of St. Cloud to hotels as natural gas was shut off in response to unanticipated demand. They expect to restore service by the end of the week.
by Peter Cox

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Bullied QB is going to the Super Bowl

Dejah Rondeau is a pretty good quarterback, and it's driving a lot of the boys who aren't crazy.
by Bob Collins

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Paid family leave plan clears first Capitol hurdle but more remain

Paid family leave plan clears first Capitol hurdle but more remain

A bill to make Minnesota one of the few states to guarantee paid time off for extended parental leave or family care is out of the gates at the Capitol.
by Brian Bakst

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How cold is it? It's so cold even Minnesotans don't like it

How cold is it? It's so cold even Minnesotans don't like it

Cold weather is nothing new for people in this part of the county, but the extreme cold this week is getting old and causing problems from severe frostbite to loss of natural gas service.
by Mark Zdechlik

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New site for BWCA permit reservations shuttered soon after launch

New site for BWCA permit reservations shuttered soon after launch

A new reservation system for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness permits malfunctioned not long after it went online Wednesday morning.
by Dan Kraker

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Arctic chill’s last gasp; much warmer this weekend!

Arctic chill’s last gasp; much warmer this weekend!

Most of Minnesota should see highs Thursday afternoon in the single digits below zero, with a few spots in the far north staying a bit colder. Highs Friday reach the teens in about the northeastern half of Minnesota.
by Ron Trenda

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Air is leaking out of Foxconn’s Wisconsin balloon

A newspaper in Japan is reporting that Foxconn is suspending work on its $10 billion plant in Wisconsin, a day after news broke the company isn't going to provide manufacturing jobs, but will make the facility a research and engineering facility instead.
by Bob Collins

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It’s cold, and here are some pictures of frozen toilets

This is impressive. A Twitter account has posted this picture of an exploding toilet tank. We are skeptical. We want to know more.
by Bob Collins

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In a Canadian town, people’s car fobs have stopped working

There may be only one place in the Northern Hemisphere where people aren't talking about the cold: Carstairs, Alberta, north of Calgary. They've got a mystery in the town of 4,000. Car FOB's have stopped working near a grocery store.
by Bob Collins

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Arctic chill lingers; afternoon/evening snow showers

Arctic chill lingers; afternoon/evening snow showers

Metro area highs are expected to reach the mid 30s on Saturday. We're shooting for 40s in the metro area and southeastern Minnesota on Sunday:
by Ron Trenda

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Daily Digest: Walz promises LGA boost

A Thursday roundup of Minnesota political news.
by Mike Mulcahy

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What’s on MPR News – 1/31/19

What’s on MPR News – 1/31/19

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

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Fed says U.S. growth is 'solid,' keeps interest rates unchanged

Fed says U.S. growth is 'solid,' keeps interest rates unchanged

The labor market continues to get stronger and the economy is growing at a solid rate, the Federal Reserve said. The central bank also said it will be patient as it decides on future rate increases.
by Avie Schneider

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Trial in lawsuit against Children's Theatre Company wraps up

Trial in lawsuit against Children's Theatre Company wraps up

The Children's Theatre Company is defending itself against charges it failed to protect a teenager of sexual assault by an employee. The trial wrapped up Wednesday.
by Brandt Williams

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Massive starfish die-off is tied to global warming

Massive starfish die-off is tied to global warming

Sea stars along the Pacific Coast are dying in the largest disease epidemic ever documented in a wild marine species. New research suggests warmer water is making the disease even more deadly.
by Rebecca Hersher

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Coming up: Why you should care about the Earth's shifting magnetic pole

Our planet's magnetic north pole is migrating. Since the mid-1990s, it's wobbled away from the Canadian Arctic and toward Siberia -- which can have an effect on everything from shipping routes to the GPS in your phone.
by Tiffany Hanssen and Kelly Gordon

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Growing acceptance of climate change. Now what?

More than seven out of 10 Americans now say climate change matters to them personally. But those same people aren't willing to do anything to stop it. Why is there the disconnect? And what would it take to get people to act?
by Tiffany Hanssen and Kelly Gordon

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