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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting the Twin Cities.

Axios Twin Cities

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Get smarter, faster about what’s happening in your backyard with local reporters Nick Halter, Audrey Kennedy and Torey Van Oot.

Axios Twin Cities Thought Bubble

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A guide to fun things to do in Twin Cities this weekend.

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Weekender

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It's a great day to follow us on Instagram. We're sending one follower (and a guest) on a free trip to D.C. for Axios' big What's Next Summit, April 3-6.

How it works: We'll cover your Summit tickets, airfare, hotel and meals. Plus, you'll get to meet Axios Twin Cities' Audrey Kennedy and take a tour of Axios HQ.

Entering is easy. Just follow @axiostwincities and @axios on Instagram, then tag another smart professional in the comments of the giveaway post. We'll pick the winner on March 3. 

Win a trip to Axios' What's Next Summit

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Photo: Chen Mengtong/China News Service via Getty Images

Axios event

It&#x27;s a great day to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="follow us on Instagram" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cah7-LWFiuC/" data-vars-content-id="7f38d62f-33f2-4d84-8257-b1b55eb7d95b" data-vars-headline="Win a trip to Axios&#x27; What&#x27;s Next Summit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cah7-LWFiuC/" target="_blank">follow us on Instagram</a>. We&#x27;re sending one follower (and a guest) on a free trip to D.C. for Axios&#x27; big <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="What&#x27;s Next Summit" data-vars-click-url="https://whatsnextsummit2022.splashthat.com/" data-vars-content-id="7f38d62f-33f2-4d84-8257-b1b55eb7d95b" data-vars-headline="Win a trip to Axios&#x27; What&#x27;s Next Summit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://whatsnextsummit2022.splashthat.com/" target="_blank">What&#x27;s Next Summit</a>, April 3-6.How it works: We&#x27;ll cover your Summit tickets, airfare, hotel and meals. Plus, you&#x27;ll get to meet Axios Twin Cities&#x27; Audrey Kennedy and take a tour of Axios HQ.

Things to Do

Axios Twin Cities, anchored by Torey Van Oot, Nick Halter and Audrey Kennedy, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard

Got a string of holiday lights that's not shining so bright? Here are your options for disposing of duds:

Defunct or used lights and extension cords can be recycled for free at Hennepin County drop-off facilities, located in Bloomington and Brooklyn Park.

Ramsey County residents can contact a recycling company or swing by the Household Hazardous Waste site in St. Paul.

Of note: Non-LED displays can go in the trash, per Ramsey County. 

But you shouldn't put string lights of any variety in your curbside recycling bin — they can get tangled in machinery at sorting facilities.

Where to recycle holiday lights that don't work in the Twin Cities

Don't put the string of bulbs in your recycling bin.

Photo: David Brewster/Star Tribune via Getty Images

Got a string of holiday lights that&#x27;s not shining so bright? Here are your options for disposing of duds:<ul><li>Defunct or used lights and extension cords can be recycled for free at<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" Hennepin County drop-off facilities" data-vars-click-url="https://www.hennepin.us/dropoffs" data-vars-content-id="9806143a-2789-4c8c-a8a1-f1ba56bdcbf4" data-vars-headline="Where to recycle holiday lights that don&#x27;t work in the Twin Cities" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.hennepin.us/dropoffs" target="_blank"> Hennepin County drop-off facilities</a>, located in Bloomington and Brooklyn Park.</li><li>Ramsey County residents can <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="contact a recycling company" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ramseycounty.us/content/holiday-lights" data-vars-content-id="9806143a-2789-4c8c-a8a1-f1ba56bdcbf4" data-vars-headline="Where to recycle holiday lights that don&#x27;t work in the Twin Cities" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ramseycounty.us/content/holiday-lights" target="_blank">contact a recycling company</a> or swing by the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Household Hazardous Waste site" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/recycling-waste/collection-sites/household-hazardous-waste" data-vars-content-id="9806143a-2789-4c8c-a8a1-f1ba56bdcbf4" data-vars-headline="Where to recycle holiday lights that don&#x27;t work in the Twin Cities" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/recycling-waste/collection-sites/household-hazardous-waste" target="_blank">Household Hazardous Waste site</a> in St. Paul.</li></ul>Of note: Non-LED displays can go in the trash, per Ramsey County. <ul><li>But you shouldn&#x27;t put string lights of any variety in your curbside recycling bin — they can get tangled in machinery at sorting facilities.</li></ul>

Ice skating at city-run outdoor rinks will begin soon across the Twin Cities. 

Driving the news: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board staff will start watering city rink sites in evenings and mornings this week, in hopes of having the ice fully operational by January. 

Where to skate: Minneapolis is planning on maintaining 47 rinks across 23 parks this winter. St. Paul will have more than a dozen rinks at eight sites.

Be helpful: If you show up and find snow on the ice, parks officials ask that you give them a hand by shoveling it off the rink and over the boards. 

Track the status of rinks in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Here's where you can ice skate at Twin Cities parks this winter

There will be no shortage of options once ice forms.

Photo courtesy of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board

Ice skating at city-run outdoor rinks will begin soon across the Twin Cities. Driving the news: Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board staff will start watering city rink sites in evenings and mornings this week, in hopes of having the ice fully operational by January.

Vaccine-or-test mandates for indoor dining go into effect in Minneapolis and St. Paul on Wednesday, Jan. 19. Here are answers to some common questions on the orders:

Q: Are all restaurants covered by the requirement? 

A: No, St. Paul's order only covers establishments licensed by the city. That means coffee shops, fast food chains and other places that do not serve alcohol are exempt, according to the Pioneer Press.

Q: Does "fully vaccinated" means having a booster shot? 

A: No. The orders state that fully vaccinated means two weeks after completing a full series, but booster shots aren't required. 

Q: Do the orders apply to banquets at hotels and weddings?

A: Yes, this applies to them. Steve Hark, who owns several event centers in Minneapolis, told Nick that corporate clients are postponing events because the mandate is too difficult for them to enforce. 

But Hark said couples are sticking with their wedding plans. "A lot of the couples were already asking their guests to be vaccinated to attend or take the COVID test."

Q: WCCO Radio's Chad Hartman asked Mayor Jacob Frey why Minneapolis is requiring testing for kids age 2 to 5. 

A: Frey said he'll remove that requirement. On Friday, the city followed through with an updated order that does just that.

Questions about Twin Cities indoor dining vaccine mandates, answered

Illustration of a loon with a word balloon with a question mark coming out of its mouth.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Vaccine-or-test mandates for indoor dining" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2022/01/14/minneapolis-st-paul-vaccine-mandate-indoor-dining" data-vars-content-id="ebbff0c7-51a5-481a-a242-1083abef3f41" data-vars-headline="Questions about Twin Cities indoor dining vaccine mandates, answered" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2022/01/14/minneapolis-st-paul-vaccine-mandate-indoor-dining" target="_self">Vaccine-or-test mandates for indoor dining</a> go into effect in Minneapolis and St. Paul on Wednesday, Jan. 19. Here are answers to some common questions on the orders:Q: Are all restaurants covered by the requirement? A: No, St. Paul&#x27;s order only covers establishments licensed by the city. That means coffee shops, fast food chains and other places that do not serve alcohol are exempt, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="according to the Pioneer Press" data-vars-click-url="https://www.twincities.com/2022/01/13/update-st-pauls-vaccine-or-test-mandate-only-applies-to-about-one-third-of-restaurants/" data-vars-content-id="ebbff0c7-51a5-481a-a242-1083abef3f41" data-vars-headline="Questions about Twin Cities indoor dining vaccine mandates, answered" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.twincities.com/2022/01/13/update-st-pauls-vaccine-or-test-mandate-only-applies-to-about-one-third-of-restaurants/" target="_blank">according to the Pioneer Press</a>.

News

Sweet Martha's cookies don't taste nearly as good the next day, but we've got a hack to share. 

The fix: Thomas Oide, an Axios data visualization journalist who also lives in Minneapolis, air-fried his Minnesota State Fair leftovers at the suggestion of colleague Jacque Schrag. The goal was to recapture the magic of a fresh batch. 

How he did it: "I set my air fryer to 400° and put the cookies in for one minute, which is just enough time to heat through the cookie and restore the gooey center. Any longer than a minute will burn the cookies," he told us. 

Yes, but: You’ll need to eat them fast. After 5 to 10 minutes, the cookies reverted back to their stale, joyless state. 

Minnesota State Fair tip: Air fry those leftover Sweet Martha's

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Sweet Martha&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sweetmarthas.com/" data-vars-content-id="edcfc534-2a89-461d-8dce-19a61fa15df3" data-vars-headline="Minnesota State Fair tip: Air fry those leftover Sweet Martha&#x27;s" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sweetmarthas.com/" target="_blank">Sweet Martha&#x27;s</a> cookies don&#x27;t taste nearly as good the next day, but we&#x27;ve got a hack to share. The fix: Thomas Oide, an Axios data visualization journalist who also lives in Minneapolis, air-fried his<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" Minnesota State Fair" data-vars-click-url="https://www.mnstatefair.org/" data-vars-content-id="edcfc534-2a89-461d-8dce-19a61fa15df3" data-vars-headline="Minnesota State Fair tip: Air fry those leftover Sweet Martha&#x27;s" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.mnstatefair.org/" target="_blank"> Minnesota State Fair</a> leftovers at the suggestion of colleague Jacque Schrag. The goal was to recapture the magic of a fresh batch. <ul><li>The verdict: It worked! </li></ul>How he did it: &quot;I set my air fryer to 400° and put the cookies in for one minute, which is just enough time to heat through the cookie and restore the gooey center. Any longer than a minute will burn the cookies,&quot; he told us. Yes, but: You’ll need to eat them fast. After 5 to 10 minutes, the cookies reverted back to their stale, joyless state.