>>Lawmakers Pushing Bill to Protect SNAP
(St. Paul, MN) — One in 13 Minnesotans relied on SNAP benefits last year, and now Republican lawmakers are pushing new legislation aimed at reducing fraud within the program. The federal government requires states to keep their SNAP payment error rate below six percent to continue receiving full federal funding. But according to Representative Nolan West (R–Blaine), Minnesota’s rate is closer to nine percent. West says that even though some of those errors are administrative, the state can’t afford to ignore them. “The fraud issue is a humongous problem, but the error rate, regardless, some of those are administrative, as you mentioned, we have to address that,” West said. West argues it’s crucial to prevent improper payments before they go out the door.
>>Propane Demand Normal
(Undated) — The head of the Minnesota Propane Association says this winter’s heating season is going smoothly across the state. Executive Director Dave Wager says the biggest challenge hasn’t been supply; it’s been the weather. He says there have been no major supply issues so far this winter. About 12 percent of Minnesota households rely on propane as their primary heat source.
>>U of M Study Finds More Teen Sleep is Linked to Less Sedentary Time
(Minneapolis, MN) – A new study from the University of Minnesota suggests teens who get more sleep aren’t any less active during the day. School of Public Health researcher Kayla Johnson says parents often worry that a later school start means less time for exercise, but the data show the opposite. She says the results really show teens who sleep more actually spend less time sitting around. The study followed 260 ninth-graders and found that more sleep and later sleep schedules were linked to greater physical activity, not less. Johnson says the findings support the growing push to delay high school start times, calling it a needed public-health step as teen sleep continues to decline.
>>Lake City Declares “Taylor Heise Day”
(Lake City, MN) — Lake City is honoring hometown hockey star Taylor Heise after her standout performance in the U.S. women’s Olympic gold‑medal win. On the day of the championship game, city leaders officially declared it “Taylor Heise Day.” Heise—who grew up in Lake City, about 90 minutes south of the Twin Cities—assisted on the overtime, game-winning goal that lifted Team USA over Canada, two to one. The goal was scored by her teammate, Megan Keller.
