If you are tired of seeing temperatures that are below zero, this cold snap will end before noon. We are supposed to climb out of the negativity by 11 a.m. By sunset it will be in the 20s and stay that way overnight.  

Last night the Minneapolis Public School Board's Committee of the Whole met. As always, Melissa Whitler live-tweeted during the meeting. A few highlights:

"MPS will go back to in-person learning on Monday, January 31, as planned for the first day of the third quarter. [Superintendent] Graff says the district has ordered more KN95 masks for students & is working with the state to obtain more KN95s for staff."

"MPS has also obtained more voluntary COVID test kits for students. District will remain in person going forward as long as there are no more system wide issues making it impossible to stay open."

Melissa will publish a summary of the meeting tomorrow. This week we will be publishing stories about how students and parents have experienced this distance learning period.

You have two days left to submit your feedback to the City about the Hennepin Redesign. Comments close after Friday Jan. 28.

We have been sharing your perspectives on our aptly named Hennepin Redesign Perspectives page.

This week we also highlighted some of the more detailed responses on our main website from a resident concerned about how side-street parking is going to work out and local business owners that have already gone through a reconstruction period.

Thank you for submitting your perspectives. We will keep posting them, so please share your thoughts with us on the perspectives page.

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LINK ROUNDUP
Minnesotans of color share their love of winter biking, tips on how to get started, and where to find community. (Sahan Journal)

Mpls St. Paul Magazine published "10 New Mexican Spots Around the Twin Cities." I was excited to see veteran-owned Órale Mexican Eats in Tangletown highlighted. Be sure to check out the beautifully named Wet Tacos at the Pourhouse in Uptown. "Not for the prudish, [Xaviera Estrada's] street food is about permissive indulgence and sloppy good times."

Today the Met Council is considering a measure that would increase the price tag of the Southwest light-rail line by $210 million. (Star Tribune)

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COMMUNITY ACTION
Hello, Kingfield! I will be at Butter tomorrow from noon-2 p.m. for community hours. Swing by and tell me about your neighborhood, suggest stories you'd like to see us do, or show me pictures of your pets. It's a super chill vibe, as the kids say. (Do they say that?)

Join Hennepin County's Plastic-Free Challenge that runs Feb. 1-28. You can create your own team or join an existing one. Teams rack up points for reducing plastic use at home, in the community, and at the grocery store.  "Our actions can help protect water, address climate change, improve our health, and create a plastic-free world."

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OUT & ABOUT
Today at 12:30 p.m., Alliance Français is holding a drop-in, mixed level conversation class. It is a great way to increase vocabulary and practice French in a casual and relaxing environment. They suggested to register by Monday, but just blame me for the late sign-up.

Tomorrow night, the Walker is screening an excerpt of the new TPT documentary, "Film in the Cities: Radical Roots of Youth Media," focusing on the early days of Film in the Cities, a revolutionary Twin Cities youth–based media arts movement. Producer Miranda Harincar and Twin Cities PBS executive producer Daniel Bergin will be in attendance.

“Imagine what our neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person.”  -Fred Rogers (and Melody)

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