Officials anticipate that the rinks will reopen next week when the weather is expected to cool down back into normal winter temperatures.

William Bornhoft, Patch Staff

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) has announced the temporary closure of all outdoor ice rinks due to unseasonably warm temperatures.

The current warm weather, along with forecasts predicting continued mild conditions, has made it difficult to maintain safe ice surfaces, officials said.

As a result, MPRB operations staff have closed all outdoor rinks until colder temperatures return.

Officials anticipate that the rinks will reopen next week when the weather is expected to cool down. Residents are encouraged to check the MPRB website for updates on rink status before heading out.

For the latest information, visit MPRB’s official rink status page.

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Here's the full NWS forecast from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport:

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37. North wind around 10 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east southeast after midnight.

Saturday: A 40 percent chance of snow, mainly after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 36. Breezy, with a southeast wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow before midnight. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 29. South southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Sunday: A slight chance of snow before 10am, then a chance of rain between 10am and 2pm, then a chance of snow after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 41. South southwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13. West northwest wind around 15 mph.

Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 19. Northwest wind around 15 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 6. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 19. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday Night: A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 10. North wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

MINNESOTA — Public health officials are warning that a “quad-demic” — a contagious combination of COVID-19, influenza, RSV and the nasty stomach bug norovirus — is putting pressure on Minnesota emergency rooms and hospitals.

Respiratory viruses are at high or very high levels across most of the country, according to the latest surveillance report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency said in an update Friday that nationally, wastewater surveillance shows viral activity is high for influenza A and moderate for RSV.

While COVID-19 levels remain low across most of the nation, Minnesota is experiencing a surge, with high rates of both flu and norovirus, adding to the quadruple threat to public health.

Norovirus data from public health laboratories from around the country tallied by the CDC shows that Midwest states from Kansas to Michigan are the hardest hit by the highly contagious stomach bug, whose symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea. Norovirus positivity test levels in all regions of the country are as high or higher than last season’s peak nationwide.

In its most recent update on respiratory viruses, the CDC said COVID predictions for the next two weeks suggest that emergency department visits will remain at a lower level compared to prior winter seasons. Influenza predictions suggest that emergency department visits will be high and will increase in most states.

Find out what's happening in Minneapolisfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Here's the situation in Minnesota:

Minnesota Influenza Key Statistics

RSV: In Minnesota, the wastewater viral activity level for RSV is currently High

COVID-19: In Minnesota, the wastewater viral activity level for COVID-19 is currently Very High.

In mid-December, the Minnesota Department of Health reported more than 40 norovirus outbreaks — commonly known as the "stomach flu" — for the month, nearly double the typical number seen during this time of year.

Study: 20% of MN households are food insecure

New data shows a sobering reality for hunger in the state of Minnesota. One in five households are experiencing food insecurity. Second Harvest Heartland said this is the first-time ever it has conducted its own statewide hunger study.

The Brief

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - New data shows a sobering reality for hunger in the state of Minnesota.

One in five households are experiencing food insecurity. Second Harvest Heartland said this is the first time it has ever conducted its own statewide hunger study.

Food shelf visits to set new record

By the numbers:

Second Harvest Heartland said organizations rely on federal statistics on hunger relief every 18 months or so to inform strategy, which can often be a delayed reference point.

Second Harvest Heartland partnered with Wilder Research to conduct its first ever statewide hunger study. The organization said it wanted to better understand the current state of food insecurity in Minnesota to try to keep up with the growing need.

"One of our greatest insights is that one out of five Minnesotans cannot afford the food they need to thrive," said Sarah Moberg, Chief Operations Officer of Second Harvest Heartland.

According to the study, 20% of Minnesota households are food insecure, 18% of the state is supported by the emergency food system, and 30% of households in Minnesota are not confident about having enough food in the next year.

Second Harvest Heartland said food shelf visits over the last year will set yet another record.

Tackling root causes of hunger

Understanding the issues::

Second Harvest Heartland said their mission is not just about providing food, they want to grow awareness about the root causes of hunger and affordability.

"It could be, do you have transportation to get to a job. It could be the job and the hours and the childcare, all of those pieces have to work together in order for a family to be able to afford the food they need," said Moberg. "Often times, we know if a family has to make a tough choice about what to afford, food is the first thing they pull back on."

The organization also points to rising costs as a challenge many of these households face.

"Times are tough right now, so the cost of items like childcare, healthcare, housing, energy, all of those have been increasing. They’re increasing at a rate that many families are having a hard time keeping up with," said Moberg. "We know it’s a really difficult choice right now that many families are having to make."

What you can do:

Learn more here about the organization’s goal to cut the number of food insecure households in the state in half by 2030 by clicking here.

The Source: Second Harvest Heartland, Wilder Research.

Updated: 3 hours ago

62 investigations underway involving federally-funded Minnesota child care centers

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) confirmed to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS its Office of Inspector General has 62 active investigations into family child care and child care centers in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) across the state.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS looked into some of the child care centers that receive the most of the federal funding available in the CCAP program which is regulated by DHS.

One day care center in Minneapolis, Quality Learning Center Daycare, had 95 violations between 2019 and 2023, according to DHS records. Those violations range from “failure to keep hazardous items away from children” to “no records for 16 children.” In 2022, DHS placed the facility on a conditional license.

But, state records showed Quality Learning Center Daycare still received $7.8 million in federal tax money since 2019 despite its regulatory issues. Its conditional license was removed in 2024.

Another business in Minneapolis, Minnesota Child Care Center had 36 violations between 2021 and 2023—some of them serious. The child care center’s violations included failure to request initial background checks on six staff members in 2023 and failed to request repeat background checks on eight staff members in 2024. Ultimately, the state accepted corrective documentation on the violations.

Minnesota House Speaker Designate, Rep. Lisa Demuth (R) told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS this showed “oversight is incredibly lacking.”

Demuth asked, “Are we keeping kids safe in Minnesota? And, what you have showed me here, brings that very much into question.”

Demuth also said the Legislature needs to take a closer look at the information provided by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

“You have pages here that are publicly available, with repeated failure to keep hazardous items away from children,” said Demuth. “Failure to maintain adequate staff-to-child ratios. Background checks. Failure to keep personnel files. These are repeated violations.”

DHS declined an interview request but issued the following statement:

DHS Licensing monitors licensed child care centers, like Quality Learning Center, Inc., for compliance with licensing or certification requirements, including health and safety standards. This monitoring is conducted during an unannounced annual visit, and the results of the visit, including the type of visit, date of visit, and any violations, are posted to the DHS Licensing Information Lookup site. Licensors and/or Investigators may also visit the program in response to licensing violation or maltreatment allegations.

When it is determined that one or more licensing violations has occurred, a correction order may be issued. The correction order lists citations for the violations and specifies corrective actions the childcare provider must take. Programs are typically ordered to correct the violation immediately. DHS also evaluates the nature, severity, or chronicity of licensing violations and the effect of the violation on the health, safety, and rights of persons served by the program to determine whether a more serious sanction, such as a conditional license, is warranted.

A conditional license requires compliance with special terms for the program to continue to operate. Licensors also conduct additional reviews during the conditional license period to monitor for compliance with the terms of the conditional license, and health and safety standards. If any additional violations are noted, a correction order or more serious sanction may be issued.

Quality Learning Center, Inc.’s license was placed on conditional status for two years, beginning on June 8, 2022. In addition to annual licensing visits, licensors conducted additional licensing reviews to monitor for compliance with the terms of the conditional license and assist the program in elevating their level of compliance with licensing requirements overall. During this time, when one or more licensing violations were found, a correction order was issued, which includes information as to what corrective action the facility needs to take to come into compliance with the violations. DHS continued to evaluate the nature, chronicity, and severity of the additional violations and corrective actions taken by the provider during the 2-year conditional period to determine whether additional licensing sanctions were necessary. It was determined that no action beyond a correction order was warranted at that time, and the program’s conditional license expired on June 7, 2024.

KSTP reached out to the two day care centers by calling the phone numbers listed on their licenses but has not yet heard back.

Information about stopping CCAP payments

Typically, if a provider’s license is active, licensing violations alone would not affect a provider’s ability to receive child care assistance payments (CCAP), except when licensing officials issue an order of suspension, revocation, or decertification to that provider. For example, a provider with a conditional license may receive CCAP if they meet all other registration requirements.

DHS staff work with local agencies to monitor providers’ compliance with CCAP laws, policies and rules. If there are CCAP violations, DHS’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) actions can include providing technical assistance, issuing a child care assistance correction order, assessing an overpayment or terminating a provider from the program.

DHS’s OIG can only act to stop or end a provider’s payments in specific circumstances allowed by state laws, including when a provider intentionally gives false information on its CCAP billing forms or submits false attendance records; a provider is operating after a suspension or revocation of its license; there’s a credible allegation of fraud; and/or a provider refuses access to attendance records. Providers under a payment stop can continue operations and billing, but the CCAP payments are suspended until the basis for the withhold no longer exists.”