Minnesota keeps 'ice' off its list of finalists in snowplow contest as ICE remains a flashpoint
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Minnesota's transportation agency purposely kept the word "ice" from the list of finalists in an annual snowplow-naming contest because of its association with the immigration agency conducting a monthslong operation in the state.
None of the finalists this year have the letters “ice,” which could have caused people to associate it with ICE, the shorthand name for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation said in a statement Friday that it tries to steer clear of politically charged names for the annual contest.
About 400 of the nearly 6,800 submissions were related to "ice," according to the agency.
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Prior year finalists included “Minnesotasnowta N’ice,” “De-Iceman Cometh” and “Miracle on Ice.” A 2022 winner was “No More Mr. Ice Guy.”
This year's 30 finalists includes Life of a “Snowgirl,” “O Brother Where Art Plow” and “Six-Sleddin, Six-Sleddin.”
Department spokesperson Devin Henry says in the six years of the contest, the agency has tried to keep it “fun, light hearted and apolitical.”
He added, “Most of this year’s submissions were funny celebrations of Minnesota’s snowplowing prowess, and that’s what we prioritized when choosing finalists.”
Voting is open until Feb. 13.
