Good morning, Minnesota. Happy Tuesday!

Here's the latest news from across the state to start your day. ☕

WEATHER

🥶 Northern Minnesota could experience wind chills as low as 20 below zero on Tuesday morning. Highs will be in the single digits and teens.

Get the latest weather news on Updraft.

Owl ‘irruption’ brings joy for birders, concerns for owls in northeast Minnesota

An uncommon owl “irruption” has brought large numbers of owls to northeast Minnesota, and also brought a ton of tourists and birders flocking to see them. Several owls have been killed and injured by vehicles.

‘This Is Fine’ meme-inspired portrait and other works by Minneapolis artist Russ White

Minneapolis artist Russ White, known for his bright, photo-realist portraits of Minnesota locals, presents “Sitters,” a series of eight acrylic and digital collage paintings at Gallery 120 in Inver Grove Heights that explores complex beauty and themes of abundance.

NEWS ROUNDUP

🔎Musk’s role raises legal alarms With access to classified info and taxpayer funds, Musk’s DOGE is facing lawsuits and questions over conflicts of interest.

🚓 Monitor says MPD making progress in complying with state agreement; challenges remain. The independent evaluator monitoring the city of Minneapolis’ agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights says the city’s police department is making progress in meeting the terms of the court-enforced pact.

🕯️ Family of MSU Mankato student killed in landslide at Minneopa State Park sues DNR. Jack Loso was 19 when he died on Dec. 2, 2023. According to the complaint he visited the lower falls with two family members and followed marked paths and signs.

🎒 Child care options start to rebound as Minnesotans return to the office. On Monday, Twin Cities providers and state officials marked a milestone with the reopening of New Horizons Academy in Crystal after closing there 20 years earlier.

🚨 Body found along road in Hastings; police investigating possible link to suspicious fire. The man’s identity has not been confirmed. But according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Hastings police, authorities believe the incident is connected to a missing person case and suspicious fire reported in neighboring Denmark Township early Saturday morning.

Correction: Yesterday's newsletter included the wrong description and link to a story about a U of M student facing harassment on social media. The following is the correction version.

🏳️‍🌈 Disabled U of M student speaks out after anti-trans commentators blast his video. A University of Minnesota student is speaking out after several right-wing commentators criticized his videos on social media related to a gender-affirming operation, drawing hateful attention and leading Meta to shut down his accounts on Instagram and Facebook.

MUST LISTEN

🎧 A Minnesota nursery‘s hydrangeas shared the red carpet at the 2025 Grammys. A century-old Minnesota plant nursery shared the spotlight with celebrities at the Grammys last night — supplying pink, blue and purple hydrangeas for the red carpet.

🎧 Minnesota USAID contractor: Program’s future is unclear. The future of the U.S. Agency for International Development is unclear after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the agency of “insubordination” and acting against American interests.

🎧 Listen to today's headlines on our Minnesota Today podcast.