>>Minnesotans Digging Out from Latest Snowstorm
(Chanhassen, MN) — Weather forecasters in Minnesota were right on with their prediction of three to seven inches of snowfall across the state. The latest snowstorm dropped seven inches at Willow River and Motley; half-a-foot in Woodbury; five-and-a-half inches fell in Frazee and Hackensack; Brainerd and Mora got five inches; St Cloud and Detroit Lakes reported four-and-a-half; Moorhead, Perham and Two Harbors received four inches; and Rochester, Duluth, and the Twin Cities have three inches on the ground. The State Patrol responded to 156 crashes from noon to 9 pm Tuesday, 220 vehicles off the road, and 15 injury crashes.
>>Snow and Ice Making Travel Difficult in Parts of Minnesota
(Roseville, MN) — Snow and ice are creating hazardous road conditions today (Wed) in parts of Minnesota. MnDOT’s Anne Meyer says snowplow crews are busy at work and drivers should give them plenty of room to do their job safely. She recommends staying back at least ten car lengths. Meyer says you can check out the latest road conditions at 511mn.org or by calling 5-1-1.
>>Pedestrian Killed by Snowplow at MSP Airport Parking Lot
(Minneapolis, MN) — Police say a 47-year-old man was fatally struck by a snowplow Tuesday evening in a parking lot at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The incident occurred around 7:30 pm just south of Terminal 2. The Minnesota State Patrol is assisting the M-S-P Airport Police Department with the investigation. No other details have been released.
>>Struggling Minnesota Farmers Welcome $12 Billion Federal Aid Package
(Waverly, MN) — Struggling farmers in the state are welcoming news of a 12-billion-dollar federal aid package. But Minnesota Farm Bureau President Dan Glessing says they’d rather make a profit off their harvest than take a government payment. He says, “a hundred percent. You want to sell your products into a market that’s profitable. Sometimes unfortunately we need a little assistance to get to a little bit better market.” Glessing says payments will begin rolling out in February. Minnesota soybean farmers have been hit especially hard due to tariffs and the trade war with China.
>>Finstad Introduces SNAP Data Transparency and Oversight Act
(Washington, DC) — Republican Congressman Brad Finstad , chair of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture, is sponsoring the SNAP Data Transparency and Oversight Act. The bill requires states to provide beneficiary-level SNAP data to U-S-D-A upon request or risk losing federal funding. Finstad and Minnesota’s Republican delegation also sent a letter to Governor Tim Walz criticizing Minnesota’s refusal to comply with U-S-D-A’s May 6th, 2025 data request and its legal action to block oversight. Finstad said, “When states refuse to provide data, they allow mismanagement to continue.”
>>Attorney General Secures Court Victory to Protect Wind Energy Permitting
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota is one of 18 states to secure a court victory preventing the Trump administration from freezing all federal permitting of wind energy projects. Attorney General Keith Ellison says the coalition of states filed the lawsuit in May after the president’s decision to stop all federal approvals necessary for the development of offshore and onshore wind energy projects. A federal judge in Massachusetts has now ruled these actions go against the law. In 2023, Minnesota ranked eighth in wind capacity, and Ellison says this ruling will help Minnesota stay on track to supplying carbon free electricity by 2040.
>>Republican Senator Drazkowski Won’t Seek Re-election in 2026
(St. Paul, MN) — State Senator Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa is the latest Minnesota lawmaker to announce he’s not seeking re-election next year. The Republican from southeastern Minnesota was first elected to the House in 2007 and was re-elected eight times before winning the Senate District 20 seat in 2022. Drazkowski says in a statement, “Rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in government has been a central issue for me. It is gratifying to end my service when awareness of Minnesota’s fraud problem is high, and leaders are focused on finding solutions to stop it.”
>>Avon Township Treasurer Running for Minnesota Senate
(Avon Township, MN) — Kelly Martini, longtime Avon Township treasurer and family child care provider, is running for the Minnesota Senate in District 13. Martini ran her business for 26 years and serves on the Avon Family Child Care Task Force to help those providers through the legislative action. She says her campaign will focus on common-sense leadership, fiscal responsibility, and supporting rural communities. Senate District 13 includes communities in Benton and Stearns counties. She’s seeking the seat of retiring Republican Senator Jeff Howe of Rockville.
>>AG Ellison Charges Chippewa County Man in Exploitation Case
(St. Paul, MN) — A man from Chippewa County faces three felony charges of exploiting a vulnerable adult, filed by Attorney General Keith Ellison’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). Steven Berg is accused of financially exploiting his elderly mother, allegedly diverting over 90 thousand dollars from her accounts between February 2024 and March 2025 while nursing home bills went unpaid. Investigators say Berg used the money for personal expenses, including property taxes.
>>Minnesota Yacht Club Festival Announces 2026 Lineup
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Yacht Club music festival is returning to Harriet Island in St. Paul next summer with a packed lineup. Headliners for the July 17th through 19th event include the Lumineers and the Black Keys on Friday, Matchbox Twenty and Lord Huron on Saturday, and the Strokes and Cage the Elephant on Sunday. Other acts include Atmosphere, Semisonic, Dashboard Confessional, and Lucy Dacus. Presale tickets open Thursday at 10 am on the festival’s website. Last year’s Yacht Club festival drew tens of thousands of fans and featured major acts like Green Day, Sublime, and Hozier.
>>U of M Men’s Basketball Plays at #6 Purdue Wednesday Night
(West Lafayette, IN) — The Golden Gopher men’s basketball team plays sixth-ranked Purdue tonight (Wed 6pm) in West Lafayette, Indiana. Minnesota is 5-and-4 overall and 1-and-0 in the Big Ten after last Wednesday’s 73-64 home win over then-19th-ranked Indiana. The 8-and-1 Boilermakers are coming off Saturday’s 81-58 home loss to Iowa State. Purdue was ranked number one before falling to the Cyclones. The Boilers beat Rutgers in their conference opener.
