Stories from February 28, 2023

Snow overnight into Wednesday, heaviest in central Minnesota
Look for a couple of bands of intermittent snow overnight, with the possibility of a pretty good snow burst hitting the Twin Cities area around the morning rush hours. The steadier, heavier snow favors central Minnesota.
A transgender woman was violently attacked at a Minneapolis light rail station Monday morning, leaving her with a broken rib, collapsed lung and internal cranial bleeding.
Supreme Court seems ready to reject student loan forgiveness
Conservative justices holding the Supreme Court's majority seem ready to sink President Joe Biden's plan to wipe away or reduce student loans held by millions of Americans.
North High football standout Deshawn Hill's killer will spend decades in prison, and Republicans come out in support of state tax rebates, after spurning them last year. This is an evening update from MPR News, hosted by Tim Nelson. Music by Gary Meister.
To safeguard healthy twin in utero, she had to 'escape' Texas for abortion procedure
When Lauren Miller found out one of her twins had a fatal condition, she discovered her doctors in Texas would only say: You need to leave the state. She went to Colorado for a selective reduction.
'A huge win': Minnesota judge rules USA Powerlifting can't bar trans athletes
A Ramsey County District Court judge has ruled that USA Powerlifting illegally discriminated against a transgender woman who was barred from participating in women's powerlifting competitions. 
The reality of later-in-pregnancy abortion is more complex than MN debate lets on
Over the past few months, the issue of later-in-pregnancy abortions has come up frequently in debates on proposed abortion laws in the Minnesota Legislature. About 1 percent of all reported abortions from 2008-2021 took place after approximately 20 weeks gestation.
Biden taps Deputy Julie Su to lead the Labor Department
The former California labor head would be the first Asian American to serve as a secretary in Biden's cabinet
Another first for Minnesotan Diggins — and the U.S. — in cross-country skiing
Minnesota's Jessie Diggins won the women's 10-kilometer freestyle race Tuesday at the Nordic Skiing World Championships, becoming the first American cross-country skier to claim an individual title at that event.
DNA backlog at Minnesota crime lab spurs calls for more funding
BCA Superintendent Drew Evans joined Ramsey County law enforcement officials to call for more than $11 million in new funding to add 30 staff to the BCA, including 10 new DNA analysis technicians.
Multiple Minnesota tax rebate plans on the table, but path is murky
Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature proposed a tax rebate plan Tuesday after rejecting one from Gov. Tim Walz last year. Walz has proposed it again this year to muted response from his own DFL party.
From the archives: Exercise as preventative medicine
How is it that Americans are more obsessed with exercise than ever, yet still unhealthy? This Friday, host Kerri Miller talks with the author of the new book “Fit Nation,” to examine the U.S. fitness industry today.
Fohrenkam sentenced to 38 years in killing of Deshaun Hill
A jury convicted Cody Fohrenkam, 30, last month of shooting the 15-year-old in the back of the head after a brief exchange on a Minneapolis sidewalk a year ago.
Holocaust survivors orchestra remembered in Minnesota cellist's new memoir
In 1948, Leonard Bernstein conducted an orchestra of Holocaust survivors who played at displaced persons camps in Germany. Minnesota cellist Janet Horvath’s father played in the orchestra.
Two Harbors City Council considers proposal to build townhomes next to iconic lighthouse
Neighbors in Two Harbors on the north shore have been wrestling with the idea of a development near the town’s iconic lighthouse for over two decades. Now, there’s yet another proposal for the land.
Minnesota may chart its own path dealing with anti-abortion counseling centers
While other states move to defund “crisis pregnancy centers,” Minnesota may offer to renew their state grants — but with conditions.
More snow on the way Tuesday night into Wednesday then quieter
Sunshine Tuesday morning will be replaced by cloud cover and snow showers by late Tuesday into Wednesday. We’re then briefly cooler Thursday before warming back up. We’ll see several days of drier and calmer weather after Wednesday.
Twin Cities snow emergency alerts fall short for non-English speakers
St. Paul offers snow emergency alerts in four foreign languages. Minneapolis sends texts in English, with a link to a website that provides a helpline and abbreviated information in three languages.
Rupert Murdoch says Fox stars 'endorsed' lies about 2020. He chose not to stop them
Under oath in a $1.6 billion defamation case, Murdoch says he wishes Fox News had been "stronger in denouncing" false claims of election fraud. Fox says the lawsuit threatens journalists' free speech.
Empire Township in Dakota County becomes Minnesota’s newest city Tuesday. Four years ago, Credit River in Scott County was the last township in Minnesota to become a city. This is a morning MPR News update, hosted by Cathy Wurzer. Music by Gary Meister.
Target issues tepid outlook after a 43% profit drop in 4Q
Target has reported a 43 percent drop in profits and a slight uptick in sales for the holiday quarter. The discounter is still grappling with a slowdown in consumer spending and its own higher costs.
Morning sunshine with snow developing late Tuesday into Wednesday
Enjoy a few hours of sunshine Tuesday. Clouds race back in with snow developing later in the day Tuesday into Wednesday. We’ll be briefly cooler Thursday before milder air returns Friday.
Congress zeroes in on China — as economic and security threats loom
The new House select committee looking at the strategic relationship between the U.S. and China holds its first hearing Tuesday. Lawmakers from both parties are teaming up on bills on range of issues.
A surprise-billing law loophole? Her pregnancy led to a six-figure hospital bill
Billing experts and lawmakers are playing catch-up as providers get around new consumer protections, leaving patients like Danielle Laskey of Washington state with big bills for emergency care.
How Russia is losing — and winning — the information war in Ukraine
The war in Ukraine is also playing out online, where Russia is using propaganda, fake accounts, and manipulated videos and images to deflect blame and undermine support for Ukraine.
'Where power resides' — Flipping privilege in the art curator paradigm
The Emerging Curators Institute is a singular arts entity in the Midwest. It is providing an alternative pathway into a field that has historically been limited to the privileged. 
Weisman Art Museum pop-up exhibit will feature Black Twin Cities artists
The exhibit, which is hosted by the University of Minnesota Black Student Union in honor of Black History Month, is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Here's why Arizona says it can keep growing despite historic megadrought
Phoenix has long been one of America's fastest growing cities. But central Arizona may finally be facing a reckoning as much of its groundwater supplies are becoming tapped out.