MPR News AM Update
 
Good morning,

Frigid temperatures will blow into Minnesota by Thursday morning behind our Wednesday snow. Lows will dip to near minus 10 up north with teens above zero in the south. Get the latest on Updraft.

🎧 Have you lost sleep worrying about the climate crisis? Or maybe you’re anxious about the surging cost of housing and health care. Or you’ve gotten discouraged about the growing gap between rich and poor in Minnesota. Coming up at 9 a.m. on Thursday, MPR News host Angela Davis talks about how the state’s top policy school is training young leaders learning to address some of these “wicked problems,” and how all of us can learn from their fresh ideas and optimism. 
 
A young girl talks into a microphone
What is gender-affirming health care? 'Trans refuge' bill would help kids get it

Minnesota’s Legislature is considering a bill that would make the state a safe haven for transgender youth seeking health care. That means trans youth traveling from other states would be protected in seeking gender-affirming health care in Minnesota.

Parents Hao and Gretchen Nguyen, who have a six-year-old trans daughter and spoke in support of the bill at a hearing last month, say it’s a big deal for trans youth in Minnesota and across the country.

“It should be as simple as it is for Hao and I to take Asher to the doctor for every parent,” said Gretchen Nguyen. “It shouldn’t matter where they are. I also see this as helping to affirm those that are here and making sure that they’re secure in the fact that their representatives have their back.”

But what exactly is the bill seeking to protect? We asked parents, a doctor and the state’s first openly trans legislator what gender-affirming care means. Here are some of the questions they answered.
A mom poses for a photo with her two sons
'I'm really worried about it': As federal emergency food help ends, Minnesotans voice concerns

Emergency federal benefits that help Minnesotans pay for food are set to run out this month. And even with some state funding set to boost food shelves, people who need help and nutrition groups say more needs to be done.

“I'm really worried about it, because, oh my God, have you seen grocery store prices?” Marie Kent said. “And we're going to go back to living very, very, very simply, as opposed to just very simply, when it comes to food. I'm a little nervous, but I think it'll be okay? I'm a little nervous.”
 
What else we're watching:
Could allowing more nuclear power help Minnesota’s switch to carbon-free electricity? Supporters of advanced nuclear technology say it’s smaller, safer and more flexible than the nuclear plants built a half-century ago. But what to do with radioactive waste remains a problem. 

'Wild West': Minnesota authorities worry THC edibles market may outrun the law.  Demand is high for THC products in Minnesota, yet basic questions around what’s illegal and what happens when the cops get called have largely gone unanswered. A smoke shop transaction that ended with a 70-year-old diabetic in the hospital offers a look at the problem authorities face as the market expands.

Art Hounds: Galleries at Bloomington's Artistry busy with three shows.
The Partly Tame trio performs an eclectic evening concert in St Cloud and an hour-long performance  “Once on This Island, Jr.,” makes the Broadway show accessible to younger viewers at Stages Theater.

Session fundraising lockdown doesn’t close off all avenues.
State lawmakers and their caucuses can’t raise money from certain sources while the Legislature is in session. But lawmakers can — and do — help their parties rake in contributions.


— Sam Stroozas, MPR News
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