Stories from January 16, 2026

Meet the Minneapolis parents patrolling their schools amid ICE operations
As federal agents continue their surge in Minnesota, Twin Cities parents are organizing to support their immigrant neighbors. MPR News spoke to a parent group that’s driving neighbor kids to school, delivering groceries, doing laundry and patrolling the perimeter of their school building. 
Here’s the latest news on Thursday around the increased federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
Health needs, insurance woes compound fears for Minnesota families amid ICE operations
Health care providers say the Twin Cities immigration enforcement surge is leading people to cancel doctor’s appointments and delay treatments even if they’re U.S. citizens or have other legal status in the country. Fears of losing health insurance are also mounting.
Occasional snow and a much colder weekend ahead
Occasional snow showers and subzero wind chills for Minnesota this weekend.
Fear factor: Intimidation becomes a calling card as Twin Cities ICE surge widens
Six weeks into the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, observers say there are signs that federal agents are employing violence more frequently and with little apparent restraint against citizens and noncitizens. 
Rochester to hold protest condemning rising ICE activity
Protesters are planning to gather outside the Olmsted County Government Center in downtown Rochester at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, to voice opposition to the increased federal immigration enforcement actions that are taking place in Rochester and all across the state.
Keep an eye out for these new books from big names in January
The new year begins with a host of promising titles from George Saunders, Julian Barnes, Jennette McCurdy, Karl Ove Knausgaard and more. Here’s a look ahead at what’s publishing this month.
Morning Announcements for Jan. 16
These are the Morning Announcements for Friday, Jan. 16. Tell us what you’re celebrating!
Made to mingle: Why your brain is happier with friends
In his new book, “Why Brains Need Friends,” neuroscientist Ben Rein argues that social connection is just as important to human flourishing as exercise and nutrition.
Scheifele has 4 points as Jets beat Wild 6-2 for 4th straight win
Mark Scheifele had a goal and three assists, Jonathan Toews scored for the fourth consecutive game and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 6-2. Toews also had an assist, Gabriel Vilardi and Josh Morrissey each had a goal and an assist, and Tanner Pearson and Logan Stanley scored as Winnipeg tied its season high for goals.
Inside a year of firings that have shaken the Trump Justice Department: ‘A great deal of fear’
As Attorney General Pam Bondi approaches her first anniversary on the job, the firings of career attorneys have defined her turbulent tenure. The terminations and a larger voluntary exodus of lawyers have erased centuries of combined experience. 
A Minneapolis man is out of jail days after masked federal agents illegally broke down his door and arrested him. On Sunday morning, agents carrying a battering ram but no judicial warrant smashed through Garrison Gibson’s front door in north Minneapolis.
Judge limits federal actions at Minnesota protests
This story includes live updates from Jan. 16, 2026: A federal judge on Friday set new guardrails for federal immigration and enforcement officers in Minnesota involved in Operation Metro Surge.
Arctic front brings wind, snow showers and falling temperatures
Snow squalls and strong winds are expected today as an arctic front moves through the region, bringing brief periods of reduced visibility and falling temperatures.
At Stillwater snow sculpting championship, artists reflect a global moment
Artists from around the world descend on Stillwater to carve towering snow sculptures, bringing with them not just tools and technique but the anxieties, ideas and urgency of the moment they’re living in.
MN Shortlist, Jan. 16-22: Ice, candlelight and beautiful nonsense
Mid-January in Minnesota is when winter culture really shows its personality. This week leans into it from every angle: art villages on frozen lakes, homemade sleds flirting with gravity, candlelit concerts, unhurried Sundays and a mandolin master passing through town. Cold hands, warm ideas, zero apologies.