Star Tribune
Criminy! More snow on the way
In a maddening spring weather shift, forecasters say about 1 inch to 5 inches of snow is headed to the Twin Cities Sunday.
The change is sure to set teeth gnashing, as the white stuff follows a string of record- breaking 88-degree days this past week — weather that melted massive ice mounds and coaxed trees to burst green buds all around the metro.
But the taste of summer was fleeting. The National Weather Service says flurries are back in the forecast, and are likely to begin Sunday evening.
Depending on how much temperatures drop, snow totals could reach six inches in St. Cloud, Hutchinson, and Mankato before heading east. Hinkley, The Twin Cities and Albert Lea could see one to five inches.
Rochester and Red Wing are slated to get up to 3 inches Sunday night and up to 5 inches by Monday.
But take heart.
“Our temperature Monday morning will be subfreezing, but by mid-afternoon we warm into the mid 40s. At this point the sun is strong enough that any snow that does fall won’t stick around very long,” said Paige Marten, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen.
Her advice? “Close your blinds for a few hours and you won’t even know it’s there.”
Star Tribune
Kristi Noem’s Trump loyalty rewarded with top Homeland Security job
Now, SoDak’s capital, Pierre, is approximately 1,100 miles from the Mexican border and some 589 miles from America’s best border crossing — Minnesota’s Northwest Angle. But what Noem lacks in qualifications, she more than makes up for in unhesitating, unquestioning, uncritical capitulation to Trump’s every whim. And Homeland Security will be the agency tasked with those mass deportations Trump promised on the campaign trail.
The infuriating idea that random rich guys could move American troops around like pawns on a chessboard if they threw enough money at a politician prompted Congress to ban the use of private funds for interstate guard deployments. A law that didn’t need to exist before Noem came along.
Her attempt to cover up the fact that she rented out 48 National Guard troops for a billionaire’s pet project cost South Dakota $42,000 to settle a lawsuit with the watchdog group that blew the whistle. The funds covered the legal costs to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington after the South Dakota National Guard stonewalled their request for public records on the stunt deployment. Those records also showed that even after the billionaire chipped in, South Dakota taxpayers had to pay an additional $500,000 for the deployment.
For five years, Kristi Noem placed Donald Trump’s wishes above the needs of her own state. This is her reward.
Star Tribune
Trump picks South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to serve as homeland security secretary
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R) to serve as his homeland security secretary, picking another loyalist for a crucial role after he campaigned heavily on fortifying the border.
The selection was confirmed by people familiar with the choice who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a decision not yet made public. Spokespeople for Trump’s transition team and Noem did not respond to requests for comment.
As homeland security secretary, Noem would lead a sprawling federal bureaucracy with a $60 billion budget and more than 230,000 employees.
The role is key to Trump’s domestic policy agenda, especially given his pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and impose a crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border. Noem is the latest high-profile choice related to border security that Trump has made since defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election a week ago.
As well as customs, border and immigration enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security oversees the response to natural and man-made disasters, anti-terrorism work and cybersecurity. It also houses the Secret Service, which has been under scrutiny for months after the attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign rally this summer.
Trump took steps Monday toward his campaign promises to close the border to migrants and deport undocumented immigrants on a massive scale with two senior appointments to the incoming White House.
Trump announced that Tom Homan, former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, would serve as “border czar,” in charge of border security as well as deportations. Former speechwriter and campaign adviser Stephen Miller — who helped develop policies during Trump’s first administration, including the ban on travel from Muslim-majority countries and the separation of families at the border — is expected to become a deputy chief of staff.
Noem, a farmer and rancher, has served as South Dakota governor since 2019. She previously served as the state’s at-large member of Congress and in the state legislature.
Star Tribune
Mankato mosque says it was targeted by arsonist
Members of a Mankato mosque say they’re asking for the public’s help after what they call a “brazen” attempted arson on Sunday.
A man held a lighter to leaves and brush at the Islamic Center of Mankato as children studied inside, said Abdi Sabrie, a cofounder and board member of the mosque.
“It was very intentional. … He wasn’t in a hurry,” Sabrie said in a call on Tuesday.
The arson attempt was unsuccessful, causing no injuries or significant damage. Attendees inside the mosque awaiting a midday prayer chased the man away, Sabrie said.
He said the man left on an expensive-looking fat-tired bicycle. Surveillance video shared by the Islamic Center of Mankato shows a man wearing a red and black jacket.
Members of the Islamic Center, as well as the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), are asking the public to provide the police with information on the suspected arsonist.
“We are deeply troubled by this incident and call for a thorough investigation to bring the perpetrator to justice,” said Jaylani Hussein, CAIR-Minnesota spokesman in a statement Monday.
Hussein said the incident marks the 40th attack on a mosque in Minnesota over the past three years. Among these incidents is a series of attacks on Muslim houses of worship. In 2023, one attack led to a St. Paul mosque being heavily damaged by fire.
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