Minnesota Now for Feb. 21, 2023

[MUSIC PLAYING] CATHY WURZER: It's Minnesota Now. I'm Cathy Wurzer. What should we talk about today? How about the impending winter storm? It's due to be a whopper. Meteorologist Sven Sundgaard has the latest. We'll hear from a lawmaker spearheading the efforts to legalize sports betting and recreational cannabis in Minnesota. He'll join us during a committee meeting.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

At the peak of the pandemic, the number of people living with domestic violence was surging, and its rise has yet to drop. We'll talk to a physician about how she tries to help. We'll continue our series on how to have fun in the winter with a conversation about curling. Is that the winter sport for you? Our guest will take us on the ice.

And the creative force behind the comic strip Curbside has a new graphic novel out about marriage-- his marriage. What insights can he share? We'll ask him. All of that and the Minnesota Music Minute? It comes your way right after the news.

LAKSHMI SINGH: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country is suspending its participation in the New START Treaty with the United States. NPR's Geoff Brumfiel says the suspension is the latest blow to arms control between the two superpowers.

GEOFF BRUMFIEL: The New START Treaty sets limits on the number of nuclear weapons the US and Russia are allowed to deploy. It's set to run through February of 2026, but both the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have created problems for the treaty. Required inspections of nuclear weapons came to a halt when COVID-19 started to spread and never resumed.

Russia canceled a meeting with the US to discuss reviving the inspection process late last year, and last month, the US found Russia in violation of the treaty. The suspension of New START comes just a few years after the US and Russia ended two other treaties designed to limit the danger of nuclear weapons. Geoff Brumfiel, NPR News, Washington.

LAKSHMI SINGH: President Biden returned today to the Royal Castle in Poland where he spoke a year ago as Russia had begun its invasion of Ukraine. Standing before a cheering crowd, Biden warned of hard and bitter days ahead, but he pledged continued NATO's support for Ukraine and justice for those behind war atrocities.

JOE BIDEN: We'll hold accountable those who are responsible for this war, and we'll seek justice for the war crimes and crimes against humanity continuing to be committed by the Russians.

LAKSHMI SINGH: Biden delivered his speech a day after he made an unannounced trip to the Ukrainian capital. During a part of his visit, sirens wailed, underscoring the immense risk the president faced in traveling to a region under Russian attack. The White House says it gave Russia heads up about Biden's visit to Kyiv hours ahead for deconfliction purposes.

Snow, freezing rain, strong winds, and record high temperatures are hitting parts of the US all at once. It's affecting large portions of the country. NPR'S Kristin Wright reports the harsh conditions are forecast to pick up even greater strength throughout the week.

KRISTIN WRIGHT: Heavy snow and blizzard conditions are forecast to be the worst. Across the Rockies, Northern Plains, and upper Midwest, well over a foot is expected in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin over the coming days. Frank Pereira is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

FRANK PEREIRA: We have pretty high confidence that this winter storm is going to be extremely disruptive to travel, infrastructure, livestock, and recreation in the affected areas.

KRISTIN WRIGHT: Out West, dangerous winds and wind chills are possible by midweek as temperatures climb to 40 degrees above normal in the mid-Atlantic, including 80 degrees forecast in Washington, D.C., for Thursday. Kristin Wright, NPR News.

LAKSHMI SINGH: The US Environmental Protection Agency is spearheading a toxic chemical cleanup from a train derailment in East Peloton, Ohio, earlier this month, and the EPA says Norfolk Southern will pay for it. Federal regulators warn Norfolk that if it fails to comply with the order, which includes taking all available measures to clean up contaminated air and water, EPA will do the work itself and charge triple. This is NPR News.

CREW: Support for NPR comes from NPR stations. Other contributors include Subaru. Introducing the 2023 Solterra, an all electric, zero emissions SUV with the standard capability of symmetrical all wheel drive. Learn more at subaru.com/solterra.

CATHY WURZER: Around Minnesota right now, skies are partly to mostly cloudy. Snow is on the way. It's snowing right now in Sioux Falls and Worthington. That's the leading edge of what is looking like a monster snowstorm. At noon in Bemidji, it's sunny and 0. It's sunny and 14 in Winona. And outside the Iron Range eatery in Crosby, Minnesota, it's sunny and 8 above.

I'm Cathy Wurzer with Minnesota News headlines. Governor Tim Walz says he has already issued emergency orders to the National Guard, the Minnesota State Patrol, and other agencies in advance of a potentially record setting winter storm. Walz spoke at a brief press availability this morning and said he hopes Minnesotans will heed the warnings and stay off the road but that the state was ready to help respond to emergencies.

TIM WALZ: And what they'll do now is they'll start to pre-position their equipment. They'll start to put folks on alert. Doesn't mean they'll bring them in, doesn't mean they'll put them on, but they're starting to alert the numbers that they're going to need. Those folks will be getting those calls this morning since we put that out. They'll be ready to go. And as this thing starts to materialize, then we cut off. All that pre-planning is already done.

CATHY WURZER: Lawmakers are also prepare to recess until next Monday after today so that lawmakers and staff won't have to travel to the Capitol if the storm blocks roads. The Minnesota State High School League says it's going ahead with the state girls hockey tournament and the state gymnastics competition in Saint Paul despite the storm.

League officials have told competing teams and their fans to make travel plans according to the weather, so outstate teams like Warroad, Hermantown, Proctor, Laverne, and Moorehead are leaving today to be in place by tomorrow. The start of the girls hockey tourney at The X in Saint Paul.

In other news, Democrats in the state legislature unveiled a new bill today that would legalize sports betting in the state. DFL representative Zack Stephenson of Coon Rapids says the bill would give each tribal casino across the state the ability to launch its own sports betting operation. People would also be able to place bets online. Proceeds would be used to fund gambling oversight, youth sports, and help for problem gamblers.

But of course, the story we're talking about-- and you will, too, especially by Thursday-- will be potentially historic winter storm that's incoming. 20 plus inches of snow and 45 to 50 mile an hour winds should get your attention. Joining us fresh from a lovely vacation in just in time for the storm is our meteorologist, Sven Sundgaard. Hey, welcome back.

SVEN SUNDGAARD: Hey, thanks for having me. I can't complain, I guess. I got recharged a bit.

CATHY WURZER: Good, I'm glad. And then right in time. Your timing is excellent. So I mentioned about 20 inches in our lead up to the conversation here. Who is likely to see 20 inches?

SVEN SUNDGAARD: The Twin Cities is in the thick of that. It could be us, anywhere from Marshall to Glencoe, you know, Mankato, Rochester-- and the Twin Cities, really, we are in the bull's eye of this system. And it's going to be a range of, on the low end in that heavy swath, maybe 14 inches. That's still very significant, but there could be some isolated spots that get up to two feet, so that's kind of the range we're dealing with here.

And it's going to depend specifically on the ratio of snow to water. This is not going to be a 10 to 1 event. It's probably going to average out to be about 16 to 1. So you take what is already an impressive storm with lots of moisture, over an inch of water, you multiply that by 16, you get how we get to these pretty incredible numbers here by the time it wraps up midday Thursday.

CATHY WURZER: Wow. OK. So I just was looking at some traffic management cameras out west. Looks like Hendrix, Minnesota, Sioux Falls, Worthington-- they're getting the snow right now. When might it be in the Twin Cities metro area?

SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yes. As you mentioned, it's mostly the southwestern counties right now-- Windham, Jackson, towards Marshall, mostly west of the Minnesota River. We can expect it to slowly crawl east this afternoon, probably making its way into the Twin Cities by 2:00, maybe as late as 3:00, 3:30 PM this afternoon. But it does look as though for that evening commute, it will be snowing.

And some of the heavier snowfall with this first round-- it is coming in two rounds, this storm. But this first round will probably be in that 4:00 to 7:00 PM time frame. So we won't have a lot of snow on the ground or the roads yet for the evening commute, but it will be snowing, so anticipate it being pretty slow then. And with this first round, we're looking at probably a good 4 to 7 inches from Redwood Falls through the Twin Cities-- maybe slightly less around Saint Cloud, just north of it, 4 to 6.

You get further north, quite a bit less, 2 to 3 around Brainerd. And then south, also a little bit less. Rochester may be 3 to 4 inches, and only about an inch in Albert Lea. So again, with this first round, too, it's going to be that swath of Marshall, Redwood Falls, through Glencoe and the Twin Cities that we get the heaviest.

CATHY WURZER: And don't be fooled, because the second round is coming.

SVEN SUNDGAARD: Yeah. It's important that people pay attention to the specific information this storm because you might see tomorrow morning, mid-morning, the snow lightens up or maybe even briefly stops. And they'll say, well, I only got six inches of snow. Well, that's just the first round. We'll get a bit of a midday lull, not a complete break.

But then as we head into the late afternoon, yeah. The snowfall rates really pick up. And it's this second round that's going to be the real doozy here. That's where we'll see the heaviest snowfall. Up to 1 to even 3 inch per hour snowfall rates are going to be possible in some of the heavier bursts. And where that heaviest band sets up is still a little bit of a question, so that's why we're going to see that range of 14 to as much as 24 inches of snow.

By tomorrow afternoon, we'll really know where that very narrow area of heavy snow sets up, but that second round is going to dump a foot to a foot and a half of snow from similar areas-- Redwood Falls through the Twin Cities into western Wisconsin. And this is when we'll see places like Duluth get in a little bit more of the snow, 2 to four inches of snow there. And they're looking at a potential total when you add up the two rounds for places like Duluth probably 8 to 10 inches. Still a significant storm by any measure, but significantly less than what we're going to see here in the Southern half of the state.

CATHY WURZER: Saw that guidance from NOAA earlier this morning about how they have storm impacts, and their categories-- there's from 0 to 5. And the Twin Cities is in, what? The extreme impact category? Actually, a swath of from Western through Central Minnesota into the Twin Cities. Have you ever seen that before?

SVEN SUNDGAARD: No. And this is something new that they've been trying for the last several years, and this is the first time that they've ever had the Twin Cities in that extreme impact, their highest level. That means travel will be next to impossible tomorrow night into early Thursday, so we really want to stress to folks-- whether this is the second biggest snowstorm or the fourth biggest snowstorm in Twin Cities history, this is something that most of us haven't dealt with in over three decades.

If you are under the age of 32, you've never seen a storm like this. This is probably going to beat the 2010 storm that took down the Metrodome roof. So this is something to really take seriously. Flights are going to be canceled. There's going to be probably a backlog of that. And roads are going to be just nearly impossible across Southern Minnesota.

And even though the snow will stop around lunchtime on Thursday, it's going to take some time to really clear up those roads, especially since it's going to get pretty cold here Thursday night into early Friday.

CATHY WURZER: And I believe that the Dome Buster-- wasn't that 17 inches?

SVEN SUNDGAARD: 17.1. And it does look as though we're likely to beat that.

CATHY WURZER: All right. Well, we will keep track of it. I know you will and the other meteorologists Thank you so much for this early update.

SVEN SUNDGAARD: You're very welcome, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to meteorologist Sven Sungaard.

[JONATHA BROOKE, "YOU OUGHTA BE SATISFIED NOW"]

It's time for our Minnesota Music Minute. This is the song, "You Oughta Be Satisfied Now" by the Twin Cities musician Jonatha Brooke. You can find more of Jonatha's music at jonathabrooke.com.

JONATHA BROOKE: (SINGING) You jacked me up and you run me down. You nagged at me, and you bawled me out. You made me leave town and now I'm Frisco bound. Well, you oughta be satisfied now, oughta be satisfied now.

You took my silver. You took my gold. You made me believe every lie that you told. Then you left me standing out there in the cold. Well, you oughta be satisfied now, oughta be satisfied now.

'Cause I'm down in this gutter. I'm hungry. I'm cold. You're drinking and gambling and you're wasting our dough. You'll never pay back that money you owe.

CATHY WURZER: 12:12 here on Minnesota Now. From MPR News. I'm Cathy Wurzer. At this point, we all know that there are countless effects of the pandemic that started in 2020. Have you heard of what experts are calling the shadow pandemic? It's the sharp rise in domestic violence has taken place all over the country in the past few years, and it's a very real safety concern.

We have Mayo Clinic family physician Dr. Jay Sheree-Allen back with us to talk about how she talks with patients who may be dealing with domestic abuse. So nice to hear your voice. It's been a while. How have you been?

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: It has been a while. It's so great to be here with you again, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: Thank you. Thanks for finding the time here. Well, let's begin with the problem. How much has domestic abuse cases gone up since the pandemic started? Do we know?

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: Yes, we do. We have some numbers. So I think the first thing to understand when we're putting this in context is that domestic violence is often underreported. So as alarming as the numbers are, the magnitude of the problem may actually be even more.

But according to the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, they've seen an increase in up to 8.1% following some of the lockdown orders in 2020. But there was actually an article in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine showing some global numbers upwards of 25% to 33% increase in domestic violence cases.

CATHY WURZER: Is it because of the lockdowns, that people were stuck together in a sense?

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: So we can't say because of the lockdowns, right? I think it had its place. It certainly was needed for public health interventions. But I think there were some unintended consequences-- things like increased financial stressors due to the lockdown, increased childcare burdens, which we've spoken about. And this has been very well documented, too, child care burdens.

Also thinking of loss of space with the people are most at risk with, right? Leaving and going to work or going to school creates some of that distance and puts you in contact with other people where you're able to ask more readily for help. But now if you're kind of all stuck at home, you're in a different situation, so it's multifactorial.

CATHY WURZER: Are those numbers as high even though the pandemic isn't forcing everyone to stay home anymore?

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: So data lags, and so now that we're kind of coming down from that, I'm curious to see what the numbers look like at this point. But data lags quite a bit, so we're still looking more at the 2020, '21, and early '22 data.

CATHY WURZER: What worries you the most about this rise in physical abuse?

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: I think I'm most concerned about victims being able to ask for help, asking for the help that they need, and fearing what they are at risk of losing if they do ask for help. Because again, we're seeing increased financial stressors, economic stressors. Job security has changed for a lot of people. I think there's a lot more at stake. And so I worry that victims may think twice about reaching out.

CATHY WURZER: Now as a physician, you must report abuse when you see it I'm curious about-- what signs do you look for in your patients?

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: So from the physician side of things, when I have the opportunity to have patients in front of me, I ensure that I have a conversation directly with that patient, right? So even if it means we need to call in an interpreter service, we need to excuse a guest or a family member or friend who's accompanied them to the visit and just have a private conversation-- I think it's important to hear directly from a patient.

If someone's always speaking up for them, answering questions for them, they're not making good eye contact-- even if you're doing your physical exam and you're like, oh, how did you get this bruise here? I think those are the subtle signs that lead us to having a deeper conversation.

CATHY WURZER: But of course, not all abuse is physical--

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: Yes.

CATHY WURZER: --as you know. And I'm wondering then, how do you suss out emotional abuse? Can you do that as a physician in just such a short time that you have the patient with you?

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: It's hard. It's possible, but it is hard. I think it's best-- and shameless plug here for family medicine. But when you have the opportunity to develop a rapport with your patients and build that longitudinal relationship, they know you. They trust you. You've seen them in good times, and so you're kind able to pick up on when something's off whether it may be an issue of domestic violence or not.

You can say, you're not quite yourself today. What's going on? Can we talk a little more? So you can, but it is it's very hard, and it requires you asking the tough questions even in an uncomfortable situation.

CATHY WURZER: I'm sure you have advice for folks who are currently in an abusive relationship. Maybe they might be listening here today. What steps should they take?

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: So I think it's a few things are important. If your life is in danger-- in the state of Minnesota on average the past few years, around 20 individuals are killed each year by intimate partner violence in this state. This is a situation where you do need to speak up. So if your life is in imminent danger, you call 911. You call for help immediately.

There are also other really good resources in this state specifically. The Minnesota Day One Crisis Line-- and their number is 866-223-1111. So giving them a call, they can help you to access some of the resources. So not necessarily an emergency, but you do need help with a plan-- they can help you in that regard here in Minnesota.

CATHY WURZER: We've all been in relationships where there are certain uncomfortable flags, something doesn't feel right. What are some of the warning signs that people can look out for early on in their relationship to keep themselves safe?

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: Yes. There are some of those signs as you've mentioned. There's a good website, thehotline.org, that I think does a wonderful job talking about a lot of this. But some of those-- always criticizing, always telling you that you're never doing anything right, extreme jealousy when you're spending time either with friends or away from that individual and discouraging you actively from spending time with others, and some of the insults, the shaming, the demeaning, especially in front of other people.

I think some of those big, big signs. And then another big one, controlling finances in the home without any sort of discussion or taking into account your needs. I think some those are some of those early signs to look out for.

CATHY WURZER: Kind of a personal question here, but how often do you deal with patients who are physically abused? Do you see it a lot?

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: It varies. Some of these cases-- as I mentioned, I'm in the clinic in family medicine. Many of these cases end up in the emergency rooms oftentimes, and so my exposure there is quite limited on that end. But helping patients to regain traction in their lives as they start to re-establish their lives away from abusers-- we see more of that in the clinic.

CATHY WURZER: Thank you for your work, too, and thanks for the information.

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: Yes, absolutely, absolutely. So again, please keep that number. Record it. Share it with a friend. Or simply the website, thehotline.org, I think does a great job outlining a lot of this.

CATHY WURZER: All right. Appreciate it. Thank you so much, Doctor.

JAY SHEREE-ALLEN: Thanks for having me, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: Dr. Jay Sherree-Allen is a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic and host of the podcast Millennial Health. You can check it out wherever you get your podcasts.

CREW: Programming is supported by the Minneapolis Institute of Art offering inspiration, community space, family fun, date nights, and galleries to unwind and relax. Everyone is welcome always, artsmia.org.

CATHY WURZER: Coming up on the other side of this break, we're going to be talking to the chief author of a new bill that was introduced today in the legislature that would legalize sports betting in the state of Minnesota. That's been an issue that lawmakers have talked about over many sessions. So we'll talk to this year's chief author about whether he thinks this bill could pass this session. It's 12:22. Let's get a news update right now from Emily Bright. Hey, Emily.

EMILY BRIGHT: Hi, Cathy. President Joe Biden, in Poland after his lightning trip to Ukraine, is declaring that there are quote hard and bitter days ahead in fighting off Russia's invasion, but he's pledging that the United States and its allies will have Ukraine's back as the war enters its second year. The conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead, devastated Ukraine's infrastructure system, and wreaked havoc on the global economy.

The Supreme Court is taking up its first case about a federal law credited with helping create the modern internet. The law shields Google, Twitter, Facebook, and other companies from lawsuits over content posted on their sites by others. The justices are hearing arguments today about whether the family of a terrorism victim from California who was killed in Paris can sue Google for helping extremists spread their message.

The case is the court's first look at Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act adopted early in the internet age to protect companies from being sued over information their users post online. The companies say the law has encouraged the removal of harmful content.

Federal environmental regulators have taken charge of the clean up of the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment and chemical burn and ordered Norfolk Southern to foot the bill. The Environmental Protection Agency told Norfolk Southern to take all available measures to clean up contaminated air and water warning that if it failed to comply, the agency would perform the work itself and seek triple damages from the company.

And Minnesota, as well as much of the upper Midwest, is bracing for a historic winter storm that begins this afternoon and continues through Thursday. In Minnesota, a swath of the state that includes the Twin Cities, Marshall, Glencoe, and Mankato could receive 14 inches up to two feet of snow through Thursday. Duluth will see 8 to 10 inches.

The snow will be followed by bitter cold Thursday night with temperatures in much of the state falling near or below negative double digits. We'll have more news at 1:00 on MPR News.

CATHY WURZER: Thank you, Emily. By the way, Saint Paul just closed schools for the rest of the week. E-learning days tomorrow and Thursday. There's a snow day on Friday. That's sent to parents in the Saint Paul Public Schools via text. Just heard about that. I'm sure we're going to hear about more schools closing here in the coming days. Glad you're with us here. This is Minnesota Now.

Well, if you wanted to bet on the Super Bowl the other weekend, legally, you would have had to cross the border to Wisconsin, Iowa, or South Dakota. Sports betting is not legal in Minnesota, but the House Commerce Committee will consider a bill today that would legalize sports betting in Minnesota. There was a news conference about the bill this morning. DFL state representative Zach Stephenson is the chief author of that bill. He's on the line right now. Welcome to the program, Mr. Chair. How are you?

ZACH STEPHENSON: I'm well. How are you, Cathy?

CATHY WURZER: Good. Thanks for being here. Say, before we dive into your version of the bill, this issue has been around for a long while. It's gotten stalled along the way. Why is it important that Minnesota legalize sports betting when there are popular apps and websites available like DraftKings and FanDuel?

ZACH STEPHENSON: Yeah. Well, the issue is that all of our neighbor states and 30 states overall have legalized sports betting. This is an issue that's been coming across the entire country that people would like the opportunity to do here in Minnesota. In fact, people can do it illegally in Minnesota right now very easily by using offshore websites. So we want a safe, legitimate market here in Minnesota that has consumer protections and that treats the issue of problem gaming with the seriousness that it deserves.

CATHY WURZER: But if you legalize it to deal with problem gaming, isn't that enabling the behavior?

ZACH STEPHENSON: Well, I think the issue is that problem gaming is going to happen regardless, and you can either be honest about it and deal with it in an appropriate downstream way by having prevention treatment and education and by having consumer protections that enables us to exclude people who have prior problem gaming problems from the program, or we can continue with an illicit marketplace where people who have issues with gaming don't get the resources and help they need. And frankly, there's a stigma around it, and I'd rather be out in the open where we can deal with it more honestly.

CATHY WURZER: In the past, as you know, there's been tribal gaming opposition to sports betting. But a letter sent to you from the head of MIGA, the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, seems to indicate support. Under your bill, would the tribes control sports betting? Is that how you get buy in?

ZACH STEPHENSON: So we have an arrangement where the 11 sovereign tribes in Minnesota will each be offered a license to operate sports betting. That makes sense because the tribes are the most successful, longest running, safest, most heavily regulated gambling operators in the state of Minnesota.

And when this issue first came to my purview as Chair of the Commerce Committee, what I did was I traveled the state. I visited all 11 of the sovereign tribes in Minnesota. I talked to our professional sports teams. I talked to the racetracks. I talked to the university. I talked to problem gaming groups. And I try to build as much consensus as I can.

And that's I think why we have a bill today that has a pretty broad level of stakeholder support. I mean, you mentioned the tribes, but also Minnesota's professional sports teams. All of our professional sports teams support the bill.

CATHY WURZER: Does the state get a cut of revenue under this bill?

ZACH STEPHENSON: We would tax the mobile sports betting at 10% of net revenue, but it's important to understand that sports betting is a high volume, low margin business, which means this isn't going to be a really significant revenue driver for the state, and that's not the reason to legalize sports betting. On average, this is going to generate $10 to $12 million a year for the state.

In the context of a $60 billion budget, that's not a huge amount of money. What we will do with that money is put it towards things that are kind of directly related. One, about 40% of the money generated by the bill would go to treat and do education and prevention around problem gaming.

Another 40% of the money would go to youth sports, in particularly areas that have high levels of juvenile crime because we know that when kids are busy playing sports, they're not busy getting into trouble doing other things. And the balance of the money would go to fund the regulation and consumer protections that are necessary to make sure this is a safe product for Minnesotans to participate in.

CATHY WURZER: So I notice as I'm quickly going through the bill here-- Canterbury Park and the [? harness ?] track seemed shut out of this deal. Why is that?

ZACH STEPHENSON: Well, again, I think the issue here is this would be the most significant expansion of gaming in the state of Minnesota since the tribal compacts were signed about 30 years ago. And so when I put the bill together, the question was, who makes sense to work with for this significant expansion?

And I think the entities that have the most experience, have the most success, are the most highly regulated are the tribes. They're also geographically dispersed throughout the state in rural Minnesota and closer into the metro, so I think they make sense as a partner.

CATHY WURZER: Could there be a point though, where Canterbury and the [? harness ?] track are cut in on the deal at all, or are they completely out in the cold?

ZACH STEPHENSON: We're going to keep talking to everybody. I will tell you that there's a lot of resistance to the capital of expanding gambling at the tracks and other places. I'll also note that the letter of support that the professional sports teams gave in support of my bill indicates that if anybody else was able to do it other than the tribes, then they want to do it, too.

In other words, if we were to include the tracks in the sports betting bill, then we should also include the teams. That's their position. So then you're really talking about expanding this much further than I think most legislators would be comfortable with. So I don't anticipate seeing expanded gaming at the tracks as a result of this bill.

CATHY WURZER: So let me ask you. Last year, legalized sports betting stalled in the Senate. Are you pretty confident you have the votes this time around?

ZACH STEPHENSON: There's a lot of new faces in the Senate so we've got to have a lot of conversations, But I think we have good momentum there. My Senate counterpart who's carrying the bill, Senator Klein, is working hard, and I'm optimistic that it will get it done.

CATHY WURZER: I'd like to change topics for a moment because you're also the chief author of the bill that would legalize cannabis in Minnesota, recreational cannabis, and that was in the House Finance and Policy committee today. One issue they came up was keeping medical and recreational marijuana separate. Can you speak to why that decision was made?

ZACH STEPHENSON: So we really want to keep a good medical program in Minnesota, and the reason for that is pretty straightforward. There are people for whom the adult market wouldn't work. One example is children. There are children who have terrible seizure disorders, for example, that are effectively treated with cannabis.

And if we allow the medical program to go away, those kids are not going to have access to the medicine they need to have a good quality of life. So it's really important for us to continue the medical program going into the future and make sure we stabilize it because in states that have legalized adult use cannabis, there have been some challenges for the continued existence of the medical program.

CATHY WURZER: As you know, some local governments are concerned. Are there concerns to enact tougher restrictions included in the bill?

ZACH STEPHENSON: Yeah. So what we have done here is establish a system of really strong regulation that's primarily at the state level. That way, there is a consistent approach across the entire state. Other states that have legalized cannabis have allowed local communities, counties, cities to opt out and say, I'm sorry. We're not going to have any cannabis in this county.

What that does is it really feeds the illicit marketplace. It gives them a place where they can thrive. And one of the goals of this bill is to transition from an illicit marketplace to a legitimate marketplace, so we want that regulation at the state level.

At the same time, we know that local units of governments-- cities and counties-- are probably better positioned to do some of the enforcement work, making sure that dispensaries aren't selling to kids, making sure that dispensaries aren't selling products that aren't approved for sale by the statewide agency. So there's a dual approach here where the state does a lot of the regulation, and then we partner with our local units of government on enforcement-- some happening at the state level, some happening at the local level.

CATHY WURZER: Because there was the mess last year when it came to THC and the state kind of let the local governments deal with it on their own, would this put the existing edible, beverage, hemp-derived THC producers out of business?

ZACH STEPHENSON: No, it would not put them out of business. It would create a regulated marketplace around them that would solve some of the problems that have cropped up since that bill passed last year. So for example, we would move those edible products, the gummies, behind the counter in establishments to try and limit youth access to it.

But these products have proven very popular with consumers and with businesses. And in fact, there's been a really positive thing for a lot of our craft breweries, the local breweries, that are offering THC-infused beverages. So that market is not going away. We just want to put some guardrails on it-- some reasonable regulations and restrictions-- to make sure that we have safe products that are staying out of the hands of kids.

CATHY WURZER: All right, Mr. Chairman. I know you're busy. Thanks for your time here this afternoon.

ZACH STEPHENSON: My pleasure. Anytime.

CATHY WURZER: Representative Zack Stephenson is the chief author of a bill to legalize sports betting and another bill to legalize adult use cannabis in Minnesota. On Minnesota Now this season, we're finding joy in winter with our series Winter Play. We're sharing stories about what brings Minnesotans delight during these long, snowy, and cold winter months.

Finding joy this time of the year is a must for living in Minnesota, and we can't talk about winter in the state without talking about curling. Some call Minnesota the home of curling in this country. There are at least 23 curling clubs, and the sport is continuing to grow across the state. Jason Botterill understands the draw of the sport. He's the Board President of the Dakota Curling Club located in Lakeville. He's on the line. Hey, Jason.

JASON BOTTERILL: Hi.

CATHY WURZER: How in the world did you get started curling?

JASON BOTTERILL: I got into curling almost by happenstance. The club in Lakeville hosts our local high school teams, and my wife who is a teacher happened to have one of the students participating in that program come through her class and mention it. I've always liked watching curling on TV during the Olympics and things like that, and she mentioned that there was a curling club.

And a couple of minutes later with Google, I found the club and found out that I could sign us up for an introductory league. And I think before she knew what was happening, we were signed up with another couple friends of ours and ready to start our journey into curling.

CATHY WURZER: Do you remember what it was like on that first day?

JASON BOTTERILL: It was exciting. It was intimidating, but we were welcomed in so graciously that we felt comfortable almost instantaneously. But like learning anything new, it was certainly something that we had to take our time with. But we had fun almost instantly.

CATHY WURZER: I've done curling once. I went to the Saint Paul curling club for a story. And I remember getting on the ice, and I fell so many times, I had bruises up and down from my hip to my ankle bone. I just thought it was horribly embarrassing. Did you have that same experience or am I just a klutz?

JASON BOTTERILL: Every single person who has ever curled for any extended period of time has fallen, and anybody who tells you differently is lying.

CATHY WURZER: OK, good.

JASON BOTTERILL: It just is a fact of life.

CATHY WURZER: What equipment do you need?

JASON BOTTERILL: If you're just starting out and you were showing up for your first introductory class, typically you just need something that will keep you dressed appropriately for the temperature in the ice shed-- around 40 degrees, so a really nice temperature, especially in a Minnesota winter-- and a clean pair of athletic shoes. That's everything that you'd need to get started. Clubs will provide the rest of the equipment. But as you get into it, if you want, you'd to be looking to pick up your own set of curling shoes that are specially designed for curling and a broom.

CATHY WURZER: OK. Now, what kind of person would do well at curling?

JASON BOTTERILL: Just about anybody is the honest answer. I do a lot of the instructing at our club, and I've found that the people that take to curling the easiest-- the only common thread that I found is they tend to have a background in either dance--

CATHY WURZER: What?

JASON BOTTERILL: --yoga, or gymnastics are the three things that people have pointed to that really have allowed them to excel.

CATHY WURZER: I can see the gymnastics given how you have to kind of drape yourself on the ice, in a sense, as you're throwing the rock down-- is that right, the rock?

JASON BOTTERILL: Yep, the rock or stone. They're used pretty much interchangeably.

CATHY WURZER: OK. As you're kind of gliding it down the ice, it seems like you do need to be pretty lithe. You have to be pretty flexible.

JASON BOTTERILL: That's one of the wonderful things about curling is even if you can't get yourself folded up like a pretzel and get down on the ice like that, there's ways that you can curl from a standing position and allows people from all walks of life, all ages, all different abilities, to come and experience the sport for a lifetime.

CATHY WURZER: How has curling changed the way you embrace winter?

JASON BOTTERILL: Well, we know that winter is long and cold in Minnesota. And if we don't look forward to it for some reason, it's going to be pretty miserable, of course. And so prior to getting into curling, we would typically look at the winter season as board game season. We'd stay inside, and we'd play a lot of board games.

Now, we go out. We are much more social. Curling is a very social sport, and we look forward to seeing the same people season after season, week after week, and really enjoying a sense of community that we have throughout the winter months and really look forward to seeing the people that we don't see as often during the summer months as we kind of head out to do our different summer activities, of course.

CATHY WURZER: I have to say, going to a bonspiel, there is a definite sense of camaraderie. It's quite fun.

JASON BOTTERILL: Absolutely. I describe a bonspiel to any new curler as, it's a party over the weekend, and there happens to be some curling.

[LAUGHTER]

CATHY WURZER: And just a little bit of adult beverage.

JASON BOTTERILL: Yeah, that tends to show up from time to time.

CATHY WURZER: And sometimes when you're actually on the ice. That's nice. What's your advice for someone who has-- as you say, you watched it during the Olympics. And a lot of people do, and then they get really fired up, especially watching the Minnesota guys. And they look at this and they think, oh, I want to give it a shot. What's your advice?

JASON BOTTERILL: My best advice is come on out and try it. We offer learn to curl classes, which are a two hour introductory class, to take somebody who's never even seen the sport of curling even from that point to having fun in two hours or less. I would say we have got 100% success rate in that goal of everybody at the end of it is at least having fun with it.

And from there, you can kind take it as far as you want. If you want to go and compete and play in the Olympics, there's paths to get there. If you want to get together your family or your friends and have something that gets you out of the house and meet new people over the course of the winter, you can turn it into, really, a very social outing, and it's a lot of fun that way.

CATHY WURZER: By the way, what do you love about curling?

JASON BOTTERILL: I love the people. There are those that know me that would say that I love the competition more, but really, it's the people. All of the support, the camaraderie, and the friendships that we've made becoming part of this community.

And knowing that the curlers that you find not only in our club but across the state, across the country-- we're all so like minded in welcoming in all comers that it's a huge community to be a part of almost overnight, and it's such a wonderful feeling to know that you can go to just about any club anywhere and feel just as welcome as you are at your home club.

CATHY WURZER: Now, the people are great. But when you watch curlers, say, John Shuster and his team-- I mean, there is some intensity on the ice, right? And I don't understand the game very well, but I mean, they look like they're looking for angles, and you've got to throw the rock down there just at a certain way. Is that kind of a fun part of the deal, too?

JASON BOTTERILL: Absolutely. it's like a lot of other sports like billiards or like golf in that there's ways that you're looking to execute things. And if everything went perfectly exactly how you want it to go every single time, quite frankly, it'd be a pretty boring sport. It's really about figuring out, how do you make the best out of the situations that are imperfect?

And trying to figure out a way that you can out strategize and outthink and execute your opponent that's not simply about being a bigger, faster, stronger athlete. There's so much more to the strategy aspect of the game that it presents challenges to people not only on a physical level, but also on an intellectual level to make it much more of a well-rounded sport.

CATHY WURZER: There's a lot of finesse to it.

JASON BOTTERILL: Absolutely.

CATHY WURZER: By the way, do you have to be of a certain age or can you be a more seasoned individual and still learn?

JASON BOTTERILL: There is no age limit whatsoever. In fact, the Guinness World Record for world's oldest curler is north of 100, and she's still going strong up in Canada.

CATHY WURZER: What? All right, there's hope for me then. All right. Jason, it sounds like an awful lot of fun. I might have to get back out and give it another shot.

JASON BOTTERILL: Come on down and see us, and we'll make sure it's a fun time.

CATHY WURZER: Jason, thank you for your time today.

JASON BOTTERILL: Thank you very much for having me. It's been a blast.

CATHY WURZER: Jason Botterill is the board president of the Dakota Curling Club in Lakeville. Now, this weekend, there will be a number of curlers gathering in Mapleton, Minnesota, for the mixed state championship that's at the Heather Curling Club February 24 through the 26.

It's 12:42 here on Minnesota Now. Well, I tell you what. It is time for a little bit of music. This is where we throw open the doors to the studio. Other DJs pick the music we listen to. Today, we're going to hear from LadyJ. She's the host of the show "Songs of the Soul" on community radio station KFAI featuring blues and soul, R&B, funk, and jazz. She's fantastic. She always shares the story behind the band, so let's hear what she has to play for us today.

LADYJ: Cathy, you're going to love this song. It's from 1967 and is by a band that was intended to only be a studio band for Stax Records. However, their popularity grew as Stax Records grew, and there was no holding back The Bar-Kays. They worked behind performers such as soul man Otis Redding and blues great Albert King. What you're going to hear is their breakout hit, "Soul Finger."

[THE BAR-KEYS, "SOUL FINGER"]

CATHY WURZER: Nice selection. LadyJ, host of the show "Songs of the Soul" on KFAI broadcasting from South Minneapolis.

CREW: Support comes from The Walker, presenting Grammy winning jazz vocalist Cecile Maclaurin Salvant for [INAUDIBLE], a musical journey of myth and song, paired with new animation February 24 and 25. Tickets at walkerart.org.

CATHY WURZER: If you've ever driven by the Buffalo Ridge in southwestern Minnesota, you'll see the horizon dotted with wind turbines. It's been that way since 1994 when the first turbines were built. What makes that part of Minnesota the ideal location for harnessing the wind, and what is the Buffalo Ridge atop which the turbines do their work?

Jim Cotter is professor of geology at the University of Minnesota Morris. Every month on Minnesota Now, Professor Cotter tells the story of our state through geology. Hey, welcome back.

JIM COTTER: Thanks, Cathy. It's nice to be back.

CATHY WURZER: Explain to folks. What is the Buffalo Ridge?

JIM COTTER: So it's a ridge, which is a linear hill-- in southeastern Minnesota, as you pointed out-- that generates a lot of wind, and it's known as being part of what's called Minnesota's Wind Belt. If you look at any map of either wind speeds or wind energy in Minnesota, Buffalo Ridge really stands out. There's over 1,000 turbines up there.

CATHY WURZER: All of Western Minnesota is pretty windy. It must be a function of the elevation, right?

JIM COTTER: That's exactly right. It stands about 200 feet higher than either, say, Lake Benton, which is north of it, or Pipestone, which is south of it. And as the air mass is forced up and over the ridge, it speeds up. It's kind of like putting your finger over the edge of a hose. The same volume has to come out, so it speeds up to do that.

CATHY WURZER: I know there's a geologic story behind the Buffalo Ridge. How did it form?

JIM COTTER: Yeah, that's right. Buffalo Ridge is just the Minnesota part of a very large feature that's mostly in Eastern South Dakota and North Dakota called the Coteau des Prairies. The Coteau des Prairies is a flat iron shape, kind of a wedge, that's over 200 miles from north to south and 70 miles wide from east to west.

It's really a big feature, and its high point is about an elevation of 2,200 feet. And if you go from that high point down to, say, the Minnesota border or Big Stone Lake, you drop in elevation 1,000 feet. That's about 30 miles, that distance is. But when you think about it, the distance from Big Stone Lake down to New Orleans is 1,000 feet, so it's really a lot of relief for the western part of Minnesota.

CATHY WURZER: So talk about how this formed. Probably before glaciation, right?

JIM COTTER: Yeah, that's what most people think. It's an interesting kind of geologic problem that I think most people believe has been solved. It probably was a topographic high before glaciation, probably a place where bedrock stood higher than the surrounding landscape. Once glaciation began, that bump would cause the glacier to deposit sediment around it.

And over time, it built up enough material that it was large enough to actually split the glacier in half. And so a portion of it goes down the Minnesota River Valley in Western Minnesota, but the other part goes down the James River Valley in South Dakota. And this is something that's really unusual because most of the time, rivers flow together to join a larger river.

There's a confluence of rivers, and you make a bigger one. But this is a unique instance where actually two rivers split apart. And that's unusual, at least on Earth. On Mars, the Martian channels-- their valleys split apart. t I once heard that as NASA started studying the Martian channels, they used the Coteau as a model for how drainages might be split. It's really, really an interesting place.

CATHY WURZER: What does the Coteau look like for folks? Can you describe it? Can you go out there and take a peek?

JIM COTTER: It really is a beautiful place to visit. It varies from place to place. In Minnesota, the Buffalo Ridge part, it's a hill that's kind of subdued landscape, but rivers and creeks have cut these really interesting valleys into it. The Prairie Coteau Scientific and Nature Area really give a good sense of what the Minnesota part is.

But in the north end of the Coteau, right at the North Dakota, South Dakota border, Minnesotans would describe it as lake countries. There's lake upon lake upon lake. An example is Pickerel Lake State Park in South Dakota. It's a beautiful lake, and it has a really interesting geologic history.

But the lakes are a little bit different in South Dakota because of the high evaporation rates and because the bedrock is that salty, cretaceous seaway I talked about a couple of months ago. Sometimes they turn salty, and sometimes they're a little bit redder than Minnesota lakes. It's just an interesting place to visit.

CATHY WURZER: Yeah, it sounds like it. Well, I appreciate your time here, Dr. Cotter. Thank you so much.

JIM COTTER: You're welcome, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: Jim Cotter is professor of geology at the University of Minnesota Morris. It's 12:50 here on Minnesota Now. Here's a question for you. How does marriage define a relationship? Saint Paul-based cartoonist Rob Kirby wrestles with this question in a new graphic memoir, Marry Me a Little, about his experience marrying his longtime partner, John.

The two got hitched back in 2013 just after gay marriage was legalized in the state of Minnesota. Rob is best known for his comic strip Curbside, which ran in dozens of LGBTQ and alternative papers in the US and Canada from 1991 to 2008. His new book is out today. We get to celebrate together. Hey, Rob. Welcome to the program.

ROB KIRBY: Hey, thanks for having me.

CATHY WURZER: I'm so pleased you could be with us. It might be kind of tough for some younger folks to imagine, but there was a time when gay marriage was a really contentious political issue. The vast majority of folks support it nowadays. Talk about, what was it like to live in the environment, especially prior to 2013? Politicians would fight about this issue in debate. It got really contentious. How do things feel different now, 10 years later?

ROB KIRBY: Well, yeah. I mean, back then, marriage rights-- to be honest, it wasn't really on my radar that much. I think it's my fatalistic streak talking. I just didn't think it was really going to happen even though it was slowly brewing.

And when it suddenly began to happen state by state with Minnesota in 2013 being number 12-- which we were very proud of-- and then nationally just a couple of years later being legal throughout the country, it was a whirlwind and a huge cultural shift. I'm very happy that for younger people now, it seems like a given. I mean, we'll see what happens in the future. But for now, things seem fairly secure, I think.

CATHY WURZER: How has your relationship and the idea of a successful marriage evolved over the years?

ROB KIRBY: Well, I mean, I think I talk about it in the end of the book. I kind of sum up that it's a collection of little things and big things and arguments and quirks and private jokes and doubts and commitments and work and play and joy and grief. That sums up, to me, what a relationship is.

It's an accumulation of so many things-- emotions and occurrences and events, both in your purview and without. I hadn't pre-written any of that when I wrote that part of the book. In the winter of 2022, I was wrapping up the book, but I was trying to distill it all into something simple, something easily imparted.

And that's what it came up with. And to me, personally, for John and I-- we've made it through, and that's something to celebrate. And that's marriage license or no marriage license.

CATHY WURZER: I like the way you describe it. And then you have a phrase at the end of the book, too. "Day to day life stacking up into years gone by." It's really beautiful.

ROB KIRBY: Thank you.

CATHY WURZER: And that does really reflect that, what marriage can be. You've been called unromantic, but you know what? I mean, writing a memoir about your love for someone feels really quite romantic. Why did you want to put yourself and your partner on the stage that a memoir creates?

ROB KIRBY: Well, I think I wrote about my experience through a personal lens because that's how I roll as an artist, a cartoonist, and I think a dry historical account could definitely work. But I think any story is more interesting and more relatable when you personalize it.

And I was writing more from a sense of ambivalence towards marriage at the outset rather than a starry-eyed sort of romanticism, but I think my attitude in the book progresses from that ambivalence to a kind of wholehearted acceptance, especially when I was standing in the lobby of the Government Center with a few near and dear ones around us pledging my vows. I mean, I got really caught up in the moment.

CATHY WURZER: Marry Me a Little, of course, is also the title of a charming and bittersweet musical revue that features songs by Stephen Sondheim. I'm sure you know about it, right? Two singles share a Saturday night of very sweet fantasies about relationships, and they never leave their solitary apartments. So did you did you deliberately want to use that title given the Sondheim musical?

ROB KIRBY: Yeah. I mean, it was just because it's such a rich song. It has so much emotion. Again, my ambivalence and John's ambivalence about marriage-- we just weren't really sure if it was something we really needed to do. It just summed it up best, and I just borrowed it. Thank you, Stephen Sondheim, for writing that amazing thing, and I hope that's cool that I borrowed your title.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

CATHY WURZER: One of the challenges in writing a memoir is succumbing to doubt. Is my personal story interesting enough to hook readers? Did that pop up for you?

ROB KIRBY: No, because I think that this-- and my experience has borne this out. Marriage and weddings are things that people have deep feelings about and ambivalences about, and everyone has a story. If you're not married, you've been to a wedding or you have loved ones that have gotten married.

It is an endless source of fascination. And that's why I even put in some stuff about marriage from movies because in movies and popular culture, it is heightened. There's drama inherent in a wedding, and they just, of course, play that up for farce or drama.

And yet in real life, it's mostly a lot of quotidian boring events. Picking the wine is not exactly a dramatic thing, but I tried to make it humorous.

CATHY WURZER: Or the flavor of the cake, that kind of thing.

ROB KIRBY: Yeah, yeah.

CATHY WURZER: What do you remember about your day, your wedding, looking back?

ROB KIRBY: I remember-- again, when I was standing in the courthouse with Judge Cutter and we were giving our vows, that's when I fully gave over to it. Yes, this is great. And it was very surreal. It was very floaty through the whole thing. And then afterwards, having this wonderful dinner at the restaurant Alma in Minneapolis-- our favorite restaurant-- and with more people joining us.

It was a wonderful day, and it was very special. And it was a really nice way to ritualize our relationship-- cement it. Even though I will-- again, the wedding was great and all that, but our relationship with solid anyway. This just kind of like was kind of a public affirmation of it. A performance, maybe, if you will.

CATHY WURZER: Perhaps. It's a lovely book, Rob. Well done. Thank you so much.

ROB KIRBY: Oh, thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

CATHY WURZER: Rob Kirby is a Saint Paul-based cartoonist and the author of several books, including Marry Me a Little. He'll have a book reading signing an interview at Magers and Quinn Booksellers, 7:00 PM, March the 16th. You can register on the Magers and Quinn website.

Thank you so much for joining us here on Minnesota Now. That was quite a program. It always is. We appreciate you tuning in Monday through Thursdays here on MPR News.