MPR News AM Update
 
March rolls in like a breezy lioness this year. Another shot of record warmth blows in on southerly breezes. Highs Friday will push into the upper 50s and 60s again across southern Minnesota. Get the latest weather news on Updraft.

Coming up on Morning Edition:  St. Paul City Council President Mitra Jalali is catching heat from a fellow council member who says Jalali adjourned their weekly council meeting on Wednesday before that member could introduce a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. Jalali joins MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to tell what happened from her perspective.

Coming up at 11 a.m.: Dr. Sandro Galea, epidemiologist and author of “Within Reason: A Liberal Public Health for an Illiberal Time,” joins host Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas to offer remedies for how public health can transcend absolutism and intolerance in order to promote well-being for all.
 
Child care closures renew worries around the economics of early learning

Minnesota’s pumped more than $1 billion into child care in recent years to raise wages and boost affordability for low income and middle class families. But challenges around staffing and wages continue to outrun the new money as demand for child care continues to rise.

A cost modeling analysis from the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the national nonprofit First Children’s Finance found the majority of child care centers aren’t making a profit, yet the cost of child care remains too expensive for most families.
 
St. Paul teachers, district enter last scheduled talks as strike date nears

Hoping to reach a deal on a new two-year contract and avoid a strike set for March 11, negotiators for St. Paul Public Schools and its teachers union meet Friday for what’s expected to be a marathon mediation.

While the strike threat is ratcheting up the pressure, both sides continue to talk and offer counter proposals. District leaders also recently suggested an arbitrated settlement, where both sides would abide by the decision of a third-party.

Union and district leaders say they’ve made significant progress in mediation but have yet to bridge gaps around wages and benefits.

 
What else we're watching: 

In Minnesota’s 3rd District, an open-seat opportunity isn’t high on national watch list. As Phillips prepares to move on, the race to replace him is off to a relatively quiet start. That’s notable because the lack of an incumbent offers a relatively rare opportunity for an opposing party to flip a district like this.

Minnesota legislation would prohibit discrimination against renters using Section 8 vouchers. The Housing Stability Act would add rental assistance under the definition of public assistance, which is a protected class under the state law.

Allianz Field's new menu brings out the flavors of Minnesota. Traditional stadium food may be a thing of the past. For those going to any Minnesota United games  this year, vegan turkey subs and empanadas will be on the menu.

Scores killed trying to get food from an aid convoy during a chaotic scene in Gaza. Israeli troops fired on a large crowd of Palestinians racing to pull food off an aid convoy in Gaza City on Thursday. More than 100 people were killed in the chaos.

Predators blow out Wild 6-1 to extend winning streak to 7 games. With the victory, the Predators moved eight points ahead of the Wild in the standings as both teams pursue one of the Western Conference’s two wild-card berths.

— Anna Haecherl, MPR News
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