Xcel Asks Customers To Turn Down Natural Gas Heat
Xcel Energy is asking certain natural gas customers, in three states, to turn down their heat. The request comes after a natural gas pipeline exploded in Canada Saturday morning.
Watch CBS News
Xcel Energy is asking certain natural gas customers, in three states, to turn down their heat. The request comes after a natural gas pipeline exploded in Canada Saturday morning.
The extreme cold isn't just uncomfortable. It's becoming expensive, too, especially for homeowners in rural Minnesota who rely on propane to heat their homes. Prices jumped last fall, and with several subzero nights this winter, the cost of propane continues to climb.
Frank Vascellaro and Chris Shaffer are braving the frigid weather and getting out to Minnesota's lovely, ice-covered lakes every Thursday and Friday until the middle of February. The second stop on this year's winter lake trip brought the fellas to Hackensack, Minn., a town in Cass County with a population of just over 300. Hackensack is a town with lots to do, and like many of the small towns the guys have been to, you can also find plenty of great places to eat. One of them is Lucette's Pizza.
It's a busy Friday afternoon at Parc Boutique in northeast Minneapolis. Racks full of women's fashions greet the customers. But Parc's owner, Thao Nguyen, says the recent cold snap has hurt her in-store sales. "It's harder for people to come into the shop," Nguyen said. Just like how tornadoes and hurricanes disrupt economic activity, there is also a steep cost to our cold weather. The lower the temperature drops, the fewer of us venture outside to shop, dine and recreate.
Thousands of Minnesota workers earn a minimum wage that's less today than it was in 1974 -- that's among the findings of a new state report on the minimum wage from the state Department of Labor and Industry.
Twin Cities fashion retailer Len Druskin will close several stores in the coming days and weeks in a restructuring effort. In an email by Michael Druskin, president of Len Druskin, Inc., the company will close three of its nine locations in the Twin Cities – all three of which are located in Gaviidae Common in downtown Minneapolis. LD Len Druskin and LD Blues will close on Sunday, Jan. 26, and Len Druskin Man will close sometime in February.
Scott Leitz, MNsure's interim CEO, is promising to make changes to the program after a review found problems with staffing, leadership and technology. "I felt it was very important for us to get a really good, clear and independent look at where we were at with regard to MNsure," Leitz said. The review by Minnesota-based Optum Health looked at MNsure's call center, program management and software.
This Friday, Jan. 24 is National Peanut Butter Day. According to the National Peanut Board, it takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter, and Americans spend almost $800 million a year on peanut butter.
In his twelve years as superintendent at Minnetonka Public Schools, Dr. Dennis Peterson has called off school three, maybe four times. Each time it was for snow, not cold.
If you think your furnace has been running a lot this January, you're absolutely right. CenterPoint Energy said the first major cold snap in early January set a new daily record for natural gas consumption.
A former day care owner in Moorhead has pleaded guilty to neglect and child endangerment after police found her drunk at her home.
The Eagan Outlet Center is nearly complete -- with tenants, that is. Paragon Outlet Partners, the retail real estate development firm working on the project, announced Thursday that tenant space is now 90 percent complete.
A Twin Cities hospital is trying to help cut down on health care costs by returning to an old-age idea: house calls. Fifteen months ago, North Memorial Medical Center launched a program called "Community Paramedics."
Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. will pay $2.2 million as part of settlement with the federal government over discrimination allegations involving three of its U.S. meat processing plants.
A store in Duluth caused an uproar by having a special sale for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A sign at Global Village read "MLK Day sale, 25% off everything black." The store also posted the sale on Facebook, drawing angry comments from across the country.
For six weeks in the summer, Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary School in North Minneapolis is home to one of 12 Freedom Schools across the Twin Cities.
A St. Paul, Minnesota, neighborhood that has struggled to keep businesses might be turning a corner.
A pattern of vandalism targeting young trees along the riverfront in St. Paul, Minnesota, has cost the city upward of $100,000 in damages.
Police in Minneapolis are citing a May incident involving a missing man found by a drone as a positive example of how the technology can be used to keep the public safe. City officials are considering trying out a drones-as-first-responders program that neighbors are concerned could really mean public surveillance.
Two Burnsville, Minnesota, parents are facing charges after medical officials found their child had "extensive bruising" following a welfare check at their home, according to court documents filed on Friday.
Wright County, Minnesota, sheriff's deputies are investigating after a vehicle hit a man, injuring him and killing his dog Friday morning.
People in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness won't be able to have a campfire beginning Saturday due to "continued dry conditions" in northern Minnesota, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
A 62-year-old woman is dead after driving underneath a semitruck on a highway in Evergreen Township, Minnesota, on Thursday night, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating after a small plane crashed in Winona County, Minnesota, Thursday evening.
Twenty-four months after Nikki Anderson disappeared without a trace in Dakota County, Minnesota, her sister says her family is left with no answers and plenty of questions.
A Wisconsin family lost their ten-month-old daughter after she swallowed a water bead. They blame Target and the water bead manufacturer for her death.
Francesca Hong has not backed away from calls to defund and abolish the police, raise taxes on the wealthy, and create a state-owned bank — positions now facing voters in a state Trump has carried twice.
A former Wisconsin judge will soon learn her sentence for felony obstruction for helping an immigrant evade federal officers.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that guardianship records sought by the Wisconsin Voter Alliance to identify ineligible voters are not public records under state law.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has transferred $1 million from his former congressional account to a super PAC supporting Michael Alfonso, his 26-year-old son-in-law, who is running for Duffy's old Wisconsin seat in an Aug. 11 primary.
The city of St. Paul, Minnesota, is taking a stand and closing encampments amid growing concerns.
Baseball fans might remember the Metrodome's iconic blue seats, and now in Atwater, Minnesota, spectators can once again grab a blue seat and watch a game.
Tucked away in the Midway neighborhood in St. Paul is a community treasure many have come to love and respect.
What started as a small fundraiser following one of Joe's surgeries at Gillette Children's has grown into a community tradition that has raised nearly $100,000 for the hospital.
A trip to the video store was once a weekly ritual, and now one Minnesota movie lover is trying to bring that experience back.
A landmark housing bill automatically became law overnight after President Trump declined to sign it.
Graham Platner had until 5 p.m. on Monday to formally suspend his campaign or he would remain on the ballot in November.
In the plan under discussion, the Secret Service and the White House would be able to open and close sections of the fencing, sources said.
Eight months ago, Hegseth told top military leaders there would be "no more beardos" and "fat troops."
President Trump said Friday he won't sign the law, but a U.S. official said he isn't expected to veto it either.
A Wisconsin family lost their ten-month-old daughter after she swallowed a water bead. They blame Target and the water bead manufacturer for her death.
For many Minnesotans, the road to the Fourth of July starts with a short drive across the St. Croix River to Wisconsin to stock up on fireworks. The kinds of pyrotechnics that can be legally ignited in Minnesota might be surprising.
Insurance experts say hail damage claims that once averaged $10,000–$15,000 now routinely reach $40,000–$60,000, even as many policies have shifted away from full replacement coverage.
Hundreds of workers, employed by Delaware North Company to serve food and drinks, say they are fighting for livable wages and healthcare benefits.
Target is tapping designer and TV personality Isaac Mizrahi for a newly created role as creative director at large as the discounter aims to reclaim its reputation for stylish clothing on a budget.
Two Burnsville, Minnesota, parents are facing charges after medical officials found their child had "extensive bruising" following a welfare check at their home, according to court documents filed on Friday.
A Twin Cities fire chief is accused of sexually assaulting and grooming a teen girl enrolled in the Fire Explorers job-shadowing program, charges filed in Anoka County reveal.
A 17-year-old boy faces a weapon charge in connection with the fatal shooting of another teen at a Twin Cities park on Sunday.
An employee at a St. Paul, Minnesota, daycare who was fired after allegedly hitting a 4-year-old in the face multiple times now faces a gross misdemeanor charge.
Two people were hospitalized after a domestic stabbing in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, early Friday, according to police, and one of them will be jailed after release.
More than 75,000 Minnesotans have been approved for the state's paid family and medical leave program, which launched at the beginning of the year.
Skip the latest fad diet. The best way to manage your weight might already be sitting on your plate.
Dozens of Twin Cities hospice workers are walking the picket line Monday in a one-day strike after nearly a year of negotiations for an inaugural union contract.
As Mayor Jacob Frey pledges a crackdown at open-air drug markets in Minneapolis, WCCO found brutal honesty about the situation from people who say they actively participate in the illicit trade.
Noah Walden says he didn't notice anything unusual while eating. About three days later, he began experiencing stomach pain that continued to worsen over the next several days.
A St. Paul, Minnesota, neighborhood that has struggled to keep businesses might be turning a corner.
It's another action-packed weekend here in Minnesota, featuring hot dogs, book fairs, community celebrations and more.
Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh pop star best known for singing the chart-topping power ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in 1983, has died. She was 75.
AI-generated actor Tilly Norwood is set to star in her first feature film, with her creator saying that "art will be imitating life."
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were married as they celebrated their wedding with hundreds of guests Friday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The Minnesota Twins announced Friday that catcher Ryan Jeffers has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list after missing nearly two months with a left hamate bone fracture.
Vaughn Grissom went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 to snap a five-game skid at Target Field in Minneapolis.
Gavin Williams pitched seven dominant innings, Gabriel Arias, Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey hit home runs and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 to avoid a three-game sweep.
Alan Roden's RBI single in the ninth inning helped the Minnesota Twins beat Cleveland 6-5 for their fourth straight win over the Guardians.
Kayla McBride scored 23 points, and Minnesota beat the Connecticut Sun 86-80 to give Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve the WNBA record for career wins.
Minnesota Republicans head into an August primary shaped by a president who has lost the state three times but still commands outsized loyalty from its conservative base.
Minnesota Republicans head into an August primary shaped by a president who has lost the state three times but still commands outsized loyalty from its conservative base.
Mike Lindell, who leads the Minnesota Republican gubernatorial primary at 27%, is proposing conditional non-resident visas for undocumented immigrants with no criminal record — a position that differs from the Trump administration's approach.
Mike Lindell says he called President Trump before entering the Minnesota governor's race and asked for an endorsement, but Trump has not given one — though he said in December that Lindell deserves to be governor.
One of the most-watched primary match-ups pits Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan against U.S. Congresswoman Angie Craig in the race for the DFL nomination for U.S. Senate.
There's a scenic, nearly century-old spot in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where right now you'll find thousands of flowers in bloom.
Baseball fans might remember the Metrodome's iconic blue seats, and now in Atwater, Minnesota, spectators can once again grab a blue seat and watch a game.
It's a lake cruise in the middle of town, and there's more than pelicans on the Pelican Breeze tour in Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Currie, Minnesota, is truly small-town America. The population hovers at just over 200. But on the northern outskirts, you'll happen upon a place with plenty of bells and whistles: End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum
School's out, summer's here, and if you're heading to the lake on Highway 10, you may just stumble upon hidden treasure.
Catching a flight with just a carry-on can make travel feel easy. No need to check a bag and all your belongings stay with you. But quite often, that suddenly changes before boarding.
Skip the latest fad diet. The best way to manage your weight might already be sitting on your plate.
There's no doubt your air conditioning unit is working overtime this week as oppressive heat blankets Minnesota.
In every corner of the metro, and across Minnesota, you'll find construction crews ripping up roads and rebuilding bridges. WCCO looks into whether the piles of rubble they create can get a second life.
Water beckons Minnesotans this time of year, especially our lakes. But something in it can turn us away, even if other animals and organisms need it.
The Minnesota State Fair has unveiled its new foods for 2026.
A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Tuesday night.
A look at the newest addition to the polar bear population at St. Paul, Minnesota's Como Zoo.
From food shelves to school programs, our team is proud to serve where it matters most.
Hot and humid conditions are here to stay across Minnesota for the next several days. Meteorologist Adam Del Rosso has the latest on the heat wave.
In Minnesota, weather can be all over the place. Here at WCCO, we want to give you what you need to prepare for what's happening next.
Heat indexes will be above 90 degrees on Saturday and Sunday afternoon in the Twin Cities, according to NEXT Weather meteorologist Lisa Meadows.
High temperatures across the majority of Minnesota will be in the 80s or 90s on Saturday, according to NEXT Weather meteorologist Lisa Meadows.
WCCO meteorologist Lisa Meadows says we are heading into a long, hot stretch of weather.
An opportunity to take a trip around the world in a single day. The International Festival of Burnsville is taking place in July 18, 2026.
Lumberjack Days heads into Stillwater July 17-29, 2026. Here's what you can expect if you attend.
Freedom Schools across the Twin Cities foster environments that support young people.
Reg Chapman updates on the latest news of the day.
Hot and humid conditions are here to stay across Minnesota for the next several days. Meteorologist Adam Del Rosso has the latest on the heat wave.