Steffen's Segments

By Eleanor Steffen The four Republican Minnesota U.S. representatives voted in support of a multitrillion dollar budget proposal on Tuesday that could target assistance programs such as Medicade, according to MPR News . Fourteen Minnesota Republican lawmakers wrote a letter on Thursday, Feb. 20, to the Republican Minnesota congress members to advocate for the continued funding of Medicade, according to the Minnesota Reformer .  The letter was sent in the wake of a budget proposal by U.S. House Republicans that would cut $880 million that fund programs managed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, such as Medicade, according to the Minnesota Reformer . The money is intended to be reallocated toward border and defense funding, and to promote tax cuts for America's most wealthy, says the Minnesota Reformer . The House of Representatives voted to adopt the budget proposal that calls for "$4 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in spending cuts", according to MPR .  Ov...

By Eleanor Steffen As a political storm brews, it can be very easy to be caught up in the whirlwind. But people in Minnesota are amplifying their voices to bring hope to communities that need it most. Now for the news. The rest is queer history:  A new history exhibit, "We Live On: Stories of Radical Connection", will begin a tour around Minnesota on Thursday, according to MPR News . The exhibit centers around the recorded testimonies of hundreds of LGBTQ+ Minnesotans, aiming to form communities and solidify the historical influence of queer culture, says MPR .  MN's modern magnets:  Niron Magnetics, a manufacturing company in Minneapolis, have developed a way to more sustainably create the magnets that fuel electronics and clean energy sources, according to CBS News  on Thursday. Niron discovered a process that takes two of the world's most abundant resources, iron and nitrogen, and produces a magnet that could be as much as 50% stronger than rare earth magnets, say...

By Eleanor Steffen Hamas returned the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the IDF on Thursday, but one has not been identified as a hostage, according to ABC News .  The hostages included Shiri Bibas, her 4-year-old son Ariel Bibas and her infant son Kfir Bibas, and Oded Lifschitz, 83, according to Al Jazeera .  Israeli officials identified the bodies of Lifschitz and Shiri Bibas's two sons, but the body of Bibas was not determined to be her own, according to ABC News . Forensic analysis did not indetify the body as another hostage. Hamas handed the bodies held captive in Gaza over to the Red Cross at a public ceremony held at the border, according to Al Jazeera . International representatives spoke out against the ceremony, finding the public display disrespectful. The handover of an unidentified body in the place of a hostage violates ceasefire agreements between Hamas and Israel, but the second phase of the three-stage ceasefire is expected to continue, according to ABC .

By Eleanor Steffen Legislation banning transgender athletes from participating in girls' elementary and secondary school sports was introduced to the Minnesota House on Wednesday, according to the Star Tribune .  The bill, introduced by republican Rep. Peggy Scott, targets transgender students that were assigned male at birth, according to the Star Tribune . Scott's bill states that someone's gender identity should be determined by their sex assigned at birth. This legislation follows the executive order passed by President Trump to ban transgender athletes that participate in the sports provided by educational institutions, according to MPR News . Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison presented opposition to this executive order on Thursday in favor of the state's constitutional law that protects human rights, according to MPR . Ellison maintained that the order did not take precedence over Minnesota's law. The Minnesota State High School League also said that e...

By Eleanor Steffen A water main break early Thursday morning flooded an intersection and nearby buildings in South Minneapolis, according to MPR News .  The Minneapolis Fire Department responded to a fire alarm around 3:30 am coming from 2221 W. 50th St, a building containing Terzo restaurant, the Paperback Exchange bookstore, the Sparrow Cafe, and apartments, according to the Star Tribune . Upon arrival, authorities found water flooding out of the restaurant, according to MPR .  The water flooded and froze over streets by the 50th Street and Penn Avenue South intersection, according to MPR . Maintenance crews were able to shut off the water around 7:30 am. Metro Transit routes 4 and 46 were forced to detour and several of the businesses occupying buildings on the impacted streets will be closed until further notice, according to the Star Tribune .  Paperback Exchange will be closed permanently due to the damage, according to MPR . The cause of the main break is still unk...

By Eleanor Steffen The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released the first study on the HFN1 bird flu outbreak on Thursday, according to NPR News .  The data collected in the study suggests that not all viral infections passed from dairy cattle to humans have been detected, according to NPR . The study's findings even include states where dairy cattle have not tested positive at all, says the network .  The CDC's study presents concern about the asymptomatic nature of infection and the subsequent potential for rapid transmission, according to NPR . The Trump administration's delay in publishing the research created an obstacle for those tracking the outbreak, such as scientists and public health officials, says the network . The HFN1 outbreak has also impacted consumers as the prices of eggs in the U.S. have hit an all-time high, according to the Associated Press . A dozen Grade A eggs is now about $4.95 in U.S. cities, nearly doubling the cost from January 2024 at...

By Eleanor Steffen Minnesota says the federal funding of programs such as education set states up for success, but the executive branch may disagree. Let's see what the news has to say. Is fed. ed. dead? : The Trump administration has decided this week to cut contracts with the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, a research agency that uses data to determine the eligibility of states and districts for federal funding, according to MPR News . Minnesota school district staff worry this decision could have the biggest impacts on students with disabilities or low-income families, according to the network . Meal maintenance:  Minnesota education leaders, educators, and parents advocated for the continued funding of the state's free lunch program at a panel on Wednesday, according to CBS News . The program offers free breakfast and lunch to students regardless of their family income, but school districts are concerned that the program will not withstan...

By Eleanor Steffen In the wake of a new administration and the first week of Black History Month, activism has started to pick up across the nation. Minnesota is no exception and the news says it all. New square, no problem?:  Construction was delayed for George Floyd Square in Minneapolis on Thursday as the project's final product has yet to be decided, according to MPR . Property owners aim to maintain the intersection,  Minneapolis City Council members are advocating for a pedestrian plaza,  and local activists advise that the cost of construction be reallocated to social programs and housing, according to the network . Project vs. Protest:  In opposition of Project 2025, a conservative political proposal that has become associated with the Trump Administration, a protest was organized outside of Minnesota's capital building in St. Paul on Wednesday, according to Fox 9 . This protest was part of the 50501 movement that aimed to assemble protests at all 50 of the n...

By Eleanor Steffen The Minneapolis Police Department released the first progress reports of mandated police reform efforts initiated in 2023 on Monday, according to KSTP .  The reform efforts, a systemic response to the murder of George Floyd in 2020, are part of a court-ordered agreement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, with progress monitored by the organization Effective Law Enforcement For All (ELEFA), says KSTP . ELEFA's report determined that the Minneapolis Police Department had shown operational improvements, such as introducing public meetings and more extended requirements for training, says the station .  Along with the agreement, a federal consent decree further enforcing police reform was also settled between the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Department and the city of Minneapolis, according to ABC News . Despite this, the Trump Administration put a freeze on all agreements settled within the last 90 days, said the network on Friday. This ...

By Eleanor Steffen Hamas named three Israeli hostages on Friday set to be released in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners, according to NBC News . The three male hostages are Eli Sharabi, 52, Ohad Ben Ami, 56, and Or Levy, 34, says the BBC . Eighteen hostages and 383 prisoners have been exchanged since the beginning of the ceasefire on January 19, according to the broadcaster . The exchange is part of the first phase of a multi-stage ceasefire agreement established between Hamas and Israel, says the BBC . But before releasing the names on Friday, Hamas accused Israel of violating ceasefire agreements by withholding aid at the border for Palestinians still in Gaza, according to NBC . Israeli military agencies denied the accusation, says the network . It is expected that the Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages will still be returned to their homes respectively on Sunday, according to NBC . 

By Eleanor Steffen The midair collision of two aircrafts over the Potomac River in Washington, DC on Wednesday has yielded no survivors, according to CBS News . The aircrafts, an American Airlines jet and a Blackhawk Army helicopter, contained a collective 67 people, according to WTVM . Aboard the commercial airplane were some of the United States' and Russia's top competitive figure skaters, says the station . The bodies of 41 victims were recovered from the Potomac River on Friday, says CBS News . The aircrafts' black boxes, which were also recovered, contain flight data recorders that are predicted to assist with the investigation, according to NBC News. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are uncertain of the cause of the collision, says NBC . According to the network , a source revealed to NBC that an air traffic controller was individually directing both plane and helicopter flights, an effort that customarily requires two controllers. As of Fr...

By Eleanor Steffen Federally-funded child care programs in Minneapolis have repeatedly violated safety regulations that could put children at risk, said KSTP  on Tuesday.  Jay Kolls of 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS investigated the quality of Child Care Assistance Programs (CCAP) in the Minneapolis area, finding records of 131 safety violations in just two of the city's programs alone, said KSTP . Minnesota's CCAP, providing child care for low-income families, receives about $34 million in federal funding annually, according to KSTP . Rep. Lisa Demuth of Minnesota is calling for "an immediate investigation into these centers and to pause payments" funding the CCAP centers, according to a news release from the GOP House . Currently, 62 ongoing investigations of child care centers across the state are being performed by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, according to KSTP . 

By Eleanor Steffen Following the recent executive orders presented by the Trump Administration, the Twin Cities area is expected to see some changes, but will it? See what the news has to say. Walz's two cents: Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and other Minnesota lawmakers have plans to file a lawsuit against the Trump Administration in order to prevent the freeze on federal funding, according to CBS News . An estimated 1,000 state programs and a monthly $1.8 billion of federal funding are threatened by the freeze, says CBS .  Tip of the ICE-berg:  As more emphasis is placed on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara has maintained that the city's law enforcement will not question legal status, according to MPR News . The University of Minnesota and the campus's police will follow suit, unless a federal warrant is issued that directs otherwise, says The Minnesota Daily . Target is the new target:  With President Tru...