Morning Edition

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Morning Edition, with Cathy Wurzer in St. Paul and NPR hosts in Washington and Los Angeles, brings you all the news from overnight and the information you need to start your day. Listen from 4 to 9 a.m. every weekday.

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State transportation officials are moving ahead with a plan to remake a stretch of London Road in Duluth — the gateway to the North Shore — despite many residents’ objections to one of three proposed roundabouts.
 Tax cuts likely in Minnesota session but who benefits still unknown
A massive budget surplus and pledges made during the fall campaign make tax cuts a near-certainty as the Legislature sets a new budget. But the type of relief is still up in the air, with some Minnesotans facing potential tax increases, too.
Vikings: Bud Grant, legendary coach, dies at 95
Grant was head coach from 1967-1983 and in 1985. According to team records, he had a regular season NFL coaching record of 158-96-5. His Vikings teams played in four Super Bowls.
Meet the Minnesota lawyer prepping people for death through humor and a little Taylor Swift
Probate and estate planning lawyer Jen Gumbel provides words to live by — and die by. “You're either going to create a mess or clean up a mess.” Gumbel has been helping people plan for their deaths for more than a decade. But more recently, she's moved her tips about planning for the inevitable to social media.
Art Hounds: Art about shifting friendships, changing times
“Wish You Were Here” brings an improv comedy approach to grief and friendship at Strike Theater in Minneapolis starting this weekend. In JuCoby Johnson's new play "5," at the Jungle Theater, on two friends in a neighborhood changing around them. Plus, Spring Grove artist Joleen Emery folds and cuts old book pages into meticulous new creations.
Ukraine Defiant: A Russian art museum grapples with a Russian war 
The Museum of Russian Art offers a pair of exhibits responding to the war in Ukraine, one by Ukrainian-American artist Elena Kalman, the other from a Soviet-era Russian artist who foresaw an apocalyptic future for his country.
Lives of Hastings’ first Black residents source of inspiration for descendants
The first Black families who settled, worked and started businesses in Hastings, Minn., are an example of the city’s rich Black history. Many were barbers, farmers and mill workers. This history also exemplifies the triumph — not just the trauma — residents experienced.
Dayton calls Sanford, Fairview merger a 'betrayal’ unless U of M control stays in state
Former governors Mark Dayton and Tim Pawlenty told a state Senate hearing they had deep concerns about the University of Minnesota’s medical center in the hands of a company based outside the state.
Lawmakers question timeline, cost of U of M's nearly billion dollar plan to acquire Fairview facilities
The University recently revealed the estimated cost of the plan, $950 million. That includes $300 million to acquire the campus buildings, as well as funding for staff and other expenses. Meanwhile, Sanford and Fairview said in a letter that they support the U’s proposal, but want it to move forward with the companies’ merger.