Blowing Snow, No Visibility Close Highways in Northwest Minnesota

Five highways in northwest Minnesota are closed today (Thurs) due to zero visibility and stalled vehicles on the roadway. 

MnDOT has shut down Highways 1, 2, 75, 175, 220. No travel is advised on Highways 9, 102, and 11. 

A winter weather advisory is in effect for areas of west central and central Minnesota. Winds are blowing 45 to 50 miles per hour and the falling snow is creating hazardous travel conditions. 

Some areas in southern Minnesota are receiving rain that will change over to snow as temperatures fall this afternoon.

DFL Statement on House Republicans’ Health Care Vote

A bipartisan discharge petition exists in Congress to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies and prevent skyrocketing premiums at the start of the year. 

Despite this, 4 Minnesota Republicans in Congress, including Michelle Fischbach of District 7 and Pete Stauber of District 8, have declined thus far to work across the aisle to lower prices.

Fischbach and Satuber gave examples of some workers in Moorhead and Duluth would see a monthly increase in premiums of 95 dollars.

DFL Chair Richard Carlbom said “A bipartisan path exists. The House already has several Republicans joining Democrats to protect working families by extending ACA subsidies.

Regional Colleges Receive Emergency Grants

Red Lake Nation College and White Earth Tribal and Community College are among ten Minnesota colleges and universities that have received emergency grants from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.  

This funding is awarded to private, non-profit postsecondary institutions and tribal colleges so they can provide support to students facing emergency housing, food, and transportation costs that would otherwise prevent them from completing their education. 

Red Lake Nation College has been awarded $150,000 and White Earth Tribal and Community College has received a $29,750 grant.

Scientists Warn Funding Cuts Could Stall Walleye Recovery

Scientists say recent funding cuts could jeopardize efforts to restore Minnesota’s walleye population. The DNR relies on advanced computer modeling to study factors affecting walleye survival. In August, the Trump administration froze federal funding for the project, including money for researchers. Officials are noting the freeze is part of a larger scale push to scale back federal spending on climate-related initiatives.

Christopher Rounds is a scientist who studies walleye in Minnesota and he said “I probably go outside like five times a year and sit behind a computer the rest of the time,” says the U of M graduate student and researcher at the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center.

Rounds is one of the team members investigating the reasons walleye are faring better in some Minnesota lakes and rivers compared to others. The state DNR has collected so much data on walleye over the decades that it’s difficult to make sense of it without advanced computer modeling, said Rounds. It is Rounds’ job to analyze that data, testing different variables to gauge their influence on walleye survival.

CWD Management Hunt This Weekend

The Minnesota DNR is preparing for a late-season chronic wasting disease deer hunt this weekend. Minnesota hunters can harvest up to five deer this weekend as the Minnesota DNR prepares for a late-season chronic wasting disease deer hunt this weekend. Wildlife Supervisor Erik Hildebrand says the special hunt is part of an effort to slow the spread of CWD and noted that permit areas with CWD are in the southeast part of the state.

He says it’s voluntary to submit deer samples for CWD testing with a five-deer bag limit but most hunters don’t take more than two and again that weekend kicks off this Friday the 19th.