Stories from January 23, 2026

Bitter cold loosens grip but subzero temperatures persist
A bitterly cold air mass will remain in place across the region as a strong area of high pressure settles in for the northern Plains.
Weather influencers are going viral. How much should we trust them?
The weather genre online spans a wide range of sources. Experts say that while weather influencers can help fill an information gap, social media platforms tend to prioritize likes over accuracy.
Resident physicians and fellows from the University of Minnesota and HCMC took a break from work Friday to demand that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents leave Minnesota and its hospitals.
An attorney for the family says they are documented asylum seekers from Ecuador and well-known members of their Hopkins community. The judge has ordered ICE to bring the family back to Minnesota if they have already been removed.
Seeley: A bitter turn to January with Arctic air, dangerous cold
Because of climate change and the urban heat island effect, the Twin Cities are seeing fewer and fewer days where temperatures stay below zero, according to climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley.
The protest is against the ongoing federal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. The building is a base of operations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies and been a focal point of recent protests.
What could Klobuchar's run for governor look like? An analyst explains
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar filed formal paperwork on Thursday to run for Minnesota’s top office. But what could her path to the office actually look like? Political analyst Todd Rapp shares what a race for the governor’s office may look like.
Photos: Clergy, activists protest ICE at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Clergy members and community activists stood in extreme subzero weather Friday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, calling on airline companies to speak out against the immigration enforcement surge of federal agents in the Twin Cities.
Three activists charged with federal civil rights violations for disrupting a church service in St. Paul are expected to be released from pretrial detention soon after a federal judge rejected a request from prosecutors to keep them jailed.
An aspiring novelist faces off against a spiteful and famous author in 'The Award'
Matthew Pearl’s new novel wickedly skewers the modern publishing world. But you don’t have to be a literary fanatic to enjoy the twists and turns of “The Award.”
Minneapolis union president Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou says Friday’s economic blackout is a show of solidarity aimed at stopping ICE’s actions and sending a message that resonates far beyond Minnesota.
Most Minnesota school districts have canceled classes or moved to online learning Friday amid the dangerously cold conditions across the state. Meanwhile, numerous businesses across Minnesota will take part in a statewide action against federal immigration enforcement Friday. Organizers called on Minnesotans to stop work, school and shopping for the day to create an economic blackout.
Extreme cold Friday, temperatures will remain below normal into next week
Very cold air remains in place Friday with subzero highs and frigid wind chills all day. We drop back into the teens to near 30 below zero Friday night. Temperatures will remain below normal into next week. 
A coalition of Twin Cities organizations will take part Friday in a peaceful rally and march in downtown Minneapolis. The 100 groups — labor unions, clergy, childcare workers, immigrants and more — will call on ICE to leave Minnesota.
Minnesota labor unions, community activists and faith leaders are organizing the economic blackout, dubbed “ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom.” They’re asking Minnesota residents to avoid school, work and shopping on Friday to show opposition to the continued presence of immigration agents in the Twin Cities and elsewhere in the state.
Kids, staff, parents detained: How federal activity in Minnesota is affecting schools and students
The recent surge in federal law enforcement activity is increasingly affecting school children across the state. Some schools are offering online learning to students to afraid to go to school, while others see soaring absenteeism.
Minnesota housing programs sit on hundreds of thousands of federal dollars, citing new immigration, gender requirements
Two Minnesota cities have delayed spending federal housing funds because they’re unsure they can meet new grant requirements from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Across Minnesota, many businesses closed Friday to protest ICE action
Minnesota labor unions, community activists and faith leaders are organizing the economic blackout, dubbed “ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom.”
MN state auditor Julie Blaha warns of costs of losing Fed independence
Minnesota state auditor Julie Blaha —joined by state treasurers from blue states Colorado, Washington, and Massachusetts—warned that if political interference on the Federal Reserve takes hold, the risk is inflation could rise quickly.
The 'Magical City' — An illustrated tour of George Morrison’s New York
George Morrison’s years in New York shaped his artistic voice and placed him at the center of major 20th-century art movements. A new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art traces that journey from his arrival in 1943 to his lasting influence on modernism and Abstract Expressionism.
MN Shortlist, Jan. 23-29: Risk-taking theater, winter festivals and poetry with purpose
Across stages, bookstores and winter streets, these events test how culture can hold joy and rigor at the same time, whether through reinvention, representation or the simple act of gathering in the cold and paying attention together.