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What becomes of Target Center if the Wolves move?

A new Timberwolves arena wouldn't just replace Target Center — it could reshape downtown Minneapolis.

News

As the Timberwolves/Lynx <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="search for a new home" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/07/07/timberwolves-lynx-new-owners-arena-location-options" data-vars-content-id="622f3372-2560-4245-98cb-7c5849cd846a" data-vars-headline="What becomes of Target Center if the Wolves move?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/07/07/timberwolves-lynx-new-owners-arena-location-options" target="_self">search for a new home</a>, the debate will soon heat up over what to do with the Target Center and its $53.5 million debt balance.Why it matters: This is a big and important piece of downtown real estate, and what to do with it should have developers, elected officials and urbanists dreaming.<ul><li>It will also become a key piece in the negotiations between the city of Minneapolis and team owners if they work out a deal for a new downtown arena.</li></ul>

St. Paul's Midway Marketplace could be poised for a comeback

Two new potential tenants have lined up for space in a complex where vacancies have mounted.

After years of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="mounting vacancies" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/10/17/midway-neighborhood-allianz-field-crisis-homelessness" data-vars-content-id="21def72b-9b0d-4349-b327-c58b368415a7" data-vars-headline="St. Paul&#x27;s Midway Marketplace could be poised for a comeback" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/10/17/midway-neighborhood-allianz-field-crisis-homelessness" target="_self">mounting vacancies</a>, a shopping complex in St. Paul&#x27;s Midway neighborhood appears poised for a comeback.Driving the news: A banner announcing an 80,000 square-foot indoor playground &quot;coming soon&quot; to the Midway Marketplace appeared last week on the former Herberger&#x27;s store, which has sat empty since 2018.<ul><li>Axios&#x27; messages to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Lululand Adventure Park" data-vars-click-url="https://lululandadventurepark.com/" data-vars-content-id="21def72b-9b0d-4349-b327-c58b368415a7" data-vars-headline="St. Paul&#x27;s Midway Marketplace could be poised for a comeback" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://lululandadventurepark.com/" target="_blank">Lululand Adventure Park</a> have yet to be returned, but the banner promises an arcade, augmented reality (AR) games and trampolines.</li></ul>Catch up quick: A company <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="with ties to the grocery chain H Mart" data-vars-click-url="https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/h-mart-korean-asian-grocery-supermarket-st-paul-mn/" data-vars-content-id="21def72b-9b0d-4349-b327-c58b368415a7" data-vars-headline="St. Paul&#x27;s Midway Marketplace could be poised for a comeback" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/h-mart-korean-asian-grocery-supermarket-st-paul-mn/" target="_blank">with ties to the grocery chain H Mart</a> recently bought other parts of the shopping complex that, until recently, housed a Cub Foods and an At Home store.<ul><li>It&#x27;s yet not clear whether the popular Asian grocer is actually moving in.</li></ul>Friction points: Vacancies at the Midway Marketplace have fueled neighborhood concerns about crime and trash.<ul><li>Conditions there have also invited <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="deeper questions" data-vars-click-url="https://streets.mn/2025/09/18/why-the-midways-suburban-design-is-killing-its-commercial-future/" data-vars-content-id="21def72b-9b0d-4349-b327-c58b368415a7" data-vars-headline="St. Paul&#x27;s Midway Marketplace could be poised for a comeback" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://streets.mn/2025/09/18/why-the-midways-suburban-design-is-killing-its-commercial-future/" target="_blank">deeper questions</a> about whether a car-centric, suburban-style shopping complex is a good fit for an urban transit corridor.</li></ul>Zoom out: Construction is progressing on an <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="office building and hotel" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/10/14/what-s-going-up-next-near-mnufc-s-stadium" data-vars-content-id="21def72b-9b0d-4349-b327-c58b368415a7" data-vars-headline="St. Paul&#x27;s Midway Marketplace could be poised for a comeback" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/10/14/what-s-going-up-next-near-mnufc-s-stadium" target="_self">office building and hotel</a> near neighboring Allianz Field.<ul><li>Minnesota United FC owner Bill McGuire is also now leading <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="redevelopment" data-vars-click-url="https://www.stpaul.gov/news/redevelopment-former-cvs-site-advance-saint-pauls-midway-neighborhood" data-vars-content-id="21def72b-9b0d-4349-b327-c58b368415a7" data-vars-headline="St. Paul&#x27;s Midway Marketplace could be poised for a comeback" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.stpaul.gov/news/redevelopment-former-cvs-site-advance-saint-pauls-midway-neighborhood" target="_blank">redevelopment</a> of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="now-bulldozed Midway CVS" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DWCIIxIjlfZ/" data-vars-content-id="21def72b-9b0d-4349-b327-c58b368415a7" data-vars-headline="St. Paul&#x27;s Midway Marketplace could be poised for a comeback" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DWCIIxIjlfZ/" target="_blank">now-bulldozed Midway CVS</a> lot.</li></ul>

Small Minnesota data centers fueling bigger AI backlash

Several relatively modest projects have sparked some of the loudest outcry.

In several Twin Cities communities, big fears about the future of AI are driving backlash to data center projects — even relatively small ones.Why it matters: Data centers are becoming a stand-in for broader anger at an AI future many Americans don&#x27;t want but fear they&#x27;ll have to pay for.<ul><li>New <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="statewide" data-vars-click-url="https://www.startribune.com/mn-politics-hot-dish-poll-takeaways-dems-gop-midterm-elections-outside-spending/601855488" data-vars-content-id="dd3f1f89-d2ab-4590-abaa-479cffc2a32f" data-vars-headline="Small Minnesota data centers fueling bigger AI backlash" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.startribune.com/mn-politics-hot-dish-poll-takeaways-dems-gop-midterm-elections-outside-spending/601855488" target="_blank">statewide</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="national polling" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/46250032.182768/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWlsbHRvd25wYXJ0bmVycy5jb20vaW5zaWdodHMvYmVoaW5kLXRoZS1iYWNrbGFzaD91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2xvZ2luJnN0cmVhbT10b3A/6577de049e5374e60a0e2e6eB9f5b2fce#_ga=2.102283201.1177888367.1783532777-1479187806.1769785246" data-vars-content-id="dd3f1f89-d2ab-4590-abaa-479cffc2a32f" data-vars-headline="Small Minnesota data centers fueling bigger AI backlash" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/46250032.182768/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWlsbHRvd25wYXJ0bmVycy5jb20vaW5zaWdodHMvYmVoaW5kLXRoZS1iYWNrbGFzaD91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2xvZ2luJnN0cmVhbT10b3A/6577de049e5374e60a0e2e6eB9f5b2fce#_ga=2.102283201.1177888367.1783532777-1479187806.1769785246" target="_self">national polling</a> suggests many voters are wary of the pace and terms of the buildout — and anxious about higher utility bills, home prices or environmental damage.</li></ul>

A decade without a major shopping center is squeezing Twin Cities retailers

Retail rents in the Twin Cities are growing faster than anywhere in the U.S.

Development

It&#x27;s been nearly 10 years since a large-scale shopping center opened in the Twin Cities, and despite a growing appetite for more space, there are no imminent plans for another. Why it matters: Retailers and restaurants looking to open shop are feeling the pinch. A recent JLL report says Twin Cities retail rents last quarter grew by 6.7% year-over-year, the largest hike in the nation.

Minnesota's least air-conditioned areas face greatest risk during heat wave

An estimated 89,000 Minnesota households lack AC.

Climate

It&#x27;s the hottest week of the year so far, and more than 89,000 Minnesota households are enduring it without air-conditioning.The big picture: An estimated 3.9% of Minnesota households lack AC, including some 37,000 in the Twin Cities, according to data the U.S. Census Bureau released in May.<ul><li>Households without AC face the greatest risk from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the massive heat dome parked over the Great Plains" data-vars-click-url="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/07/13/excessive-heat-persists" data-vars-content-id="e5849bca-3478-45ae-8712-f4bb415df79c" data-vars-headline="Minnesota&#x27;s least air-conditioned areas face greatest risk during heat wave" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/07/13/excessive-heat-persists" target="_blank">the massive heat dome parked over the Great Plains</a> this week.</li></ul>

Reaching 100 degrees is rare in the Twin Cities

We've hit triple digits just six times in the past 30 years

It looks like the Twin Cities <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="won&#x27;t quite reach" data-vars-click-url="https://www.fox9.com/weather/minnesota-weather-forecast-july-13-2026" data-vars-content-id="19e3233a-518e-4a87-9e43-e9fe06da819c" data-vars-headline="Reaching 100 degrees is rare in the Twin Cities" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.fox9.com/weather/minnesota-weather-forecast-july-13-2026" target="_blank">won&#x27;t quite reach</a> triple-digit temperatures this week, as some models had predicted. <ul><li>That shouldn&#x27;t come as a surprise. </li></ul>

I live near St. Paul's winter parking trial. Here's what I'm seeing.

St. Paul's pilot program could end the snow emergency as we know it.

🔎 It&#x27;s Kyle — but this winter, call me &quot;The St. Paul Snowplow Stalker.&quot;St. Paul is experimenting with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new winter parking rules" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/01/07/st-paul-snow-emergency-parking-winter" data-vars-content-id="f946b8e6-ab72-43ac-a75a-f8364f6af95a" data-vars-headline="I live near St. Paul&#x27;s winter parking trial. Here&#x27;s what I&#x27;m seeing." data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/01/07/st-paul-snow-emergency-parking-winter" target="_self">new winter parking rules</a> in my neighborhood, and I&#x27;ve been watching closely to see whether the experiment is working.

Exploding trees in Minnesota's cold snap: Fact vs. fiction

Tree sap expands when it freezes, creating internal pressure. But does it cause trees to explode?

It&#x27;ll be so cold in Minnesota that trees might explode…<ul><li>Or so certain click-hungry <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="online meteorologists" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/maxvelocitywx/posts/pfbid02VmtRVE1WEkU1UMGZofbdpyCwcJ6Eq4z3pB2BnF6E5F8qhrazAYDKhSFcSr6vftcNl?rdid=82yH8r4SNxhGjfPm#" data-vars-content-id="fb189c3e-1327-4f18-8ebd-e947ff57c471" data-vars-headline="Exploding trees in Minnesota&#x27;s cold snap: Fact vs. fiction" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/maxvelocitywx/posts/pfbid02VmtRVE1WEkU1UMGZofbdpyCwcJ6Eq4z3pB2BnF6E5F8qhrazAYDKhSFcSr6vftcNl?rdid=82yH8r4SNxhGjfPm#" target="_blank">online meteorologists</a> would have you believe.</li></ul>Driving the clicks: Friday&#x27;s forecast daytime high (-7) would be the coldest in seven years, according to state climate records.

St. Paul's winter parking trial gains traction in second year

The city is trying to end snow emergencies as we know them.

St. Paul officials learned enough from last winter&#x27;s experiment with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="one-sided street parking" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/01/31/st-paul-trial-parking-pilot-snow-emergency-one-sided" data-vars-content-id="b9f2160c-a7c2-4bcc-ac8e-5d0f0d4cba31" data-vars-headline="St. Paul&#x27;s winter parking trial gains traction in second year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/01/31/st-paul-trial-parking-pilot-snow-emergency-one-sided" target="_self">one-sided street parking</a> to know they like it — even if the season wasn&#x27;t very snowy.Why it matters: St. Paul has launched its second winter of testing a snow-plowing strategy that could all but eliminate the need for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="costly and disruptive snow emergencies" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/03/11/st-paul-one-sided-street-parking-snow-winter-weather" data-vars-content-id="b9f2160c-a7c2-4bcc-ac8e-5d0f0d4cba31" data-vars-headline="St. Paul&#x27;s winter parking trial gains traction in second year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/03/11/st-paul-one-sided-street-parking-snow-winter-weather" target="_self">costly and disruptive snow emergencies</a>.

Missing from winter so far: The sun

The Twin Cities winter is off to a gloomy start.

The holiday season may have been merry, but it certainly wasn&#x27;t bright. By the numbers: The Twin Cities hasn&#x27;t had what the National Weather Service deems a &quot;clear&quot; day since Dec. 20.

Cold, snowy start to winter could be an appetizer of what's to come

The early snow could be an appetizer for a harsh winter

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="snow and cold of the last week" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/11/25/first-snow-holiday-travel" data-vars-content-id="425bdf7d-4580-40ea-ba24-46a9309c169a" data-vars-headline="Cold, snowy start to winter could be an appetizer of what&#x27;s to come" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/11/25/first-snow-holiday-travel" target="_self">snow and cold of the last week</a> appears to be the opening salvo in what could be a harsh Minnesota winter.State of play: Nearly 8 inches of snow has already fallen in the Twin Cities, and forecasted highs in the mid-teens on Wednesday and Thursday are about 20 degrees below normal for early December.

Season's first snow could gunk up holiday travel

After the snow, temperatures are expected to plunge.

The rain in Tuesday&#x27;s forecast will to turn to snow at night, bringing the Twin Cities its first accumulation of the season — right in time for peak holiday travel.The latest: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="National Weather Service" data-vars-click-url="https://x.com/NWSTwinCities/status/1993269913289392388" data-vars-content-id="43b312ce-2147-47ad-b5fe-db9598bfa6fb" data-vars-headline="Season&#x27;s first snow could gunk up holiday travel" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://x.com/NWSTwinCities/status/1993269913289392388" target="_blank">National Weather Service</a> has expanded a winter storm warning to cover the Twin Cities because a system it&#x27;s been tracking has shifted south.<ul><li>It expects most of the metro will get to 4 to 6 inches of snow by Wednesday morning, with higher totals in the northern suburbs and central Minnesota.</li></ul>

Late first freeze highlights Twin Cities' lengthening growing season

This year was the second-longest growing season since 1938.

Fall&#x27;s first freeze arrived Friday, ending one of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="longest growing seasons" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/09/30/heat-wave-could-hit-twin-cities-with-a-record-90-degree-temperature-on-friday" data-vars-content-id="1c401d04-b081-46f6-94cc-57d0e191ffb4" data-vars-headline="Late first freeze highlights Twin Cities&#x27; lengthening growing season" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/09/30/heat-wave-could-hit-twin-cities-with-a-record-90-degree-temperature-on-friday" target="_self">longest growing seasons</a> in the Twin Cities&#x27; recorded history.By the numbers: 199 days passed between spring&#x27;s last sub-freezing temp (on April 8) and Friday&#x27;s 30-degree low.<ul><li>It&#x27;s the second-longest growing season <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="since 1938" data-vars-click-url="https://mrcc.purdue.edu/newclimate/station/seasonal-statistics" data-vars-content-id="1c401d04-b081-46f6-94cc-57d0e191ffb4" data-vars-headline="Late first freeze highlights Twin Cities&#x27; lengthening growing season" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://mrcc.purdue.edu/newclimate/station/seasonal-statistics" target="_blank">since 1938</a> — topped only by 2016&#x27;s 220 days — and well above the historical average of around 167 days.</li></ul>Between the lines: Historically, a 199-day growing season would be more typical of Kansas City than Minnesota — but &quot;it&#x27;s where our Twin Cities climate is quickly headed,&quot; meteorologist Sven Sundgaard <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="wrote for Bring Me The News" data-vars-click-url="https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-weather/frost-finally-hits-twin-cities-ending-one-of-the-longest-growing-seasons-on-record" data-vars-content-id="1c401d04-b081-46f6-94cc-57d0e191ffb4" data-vars-headline="Late first freeze highlights Twin Cities&#x27; lengthening growing season" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-weather/frost-finally-hits-twin-cities-ending-one-of-the-longest-growing-seasons-on-record" target="_blank">wrote for Bring Me The News</a>. <ul><li>&quot;Will our climate mimic Kansas City&#x27;s in 30 years or 70 years?&quot; he added. &quot;That&#x27;s the real question.&quot;</li></ul>

Canada won't play Minnesota's wildfire smoke blame game

Experts say smoky summers are now the norm in Minnesota, and preventing wildfires pose challenges.

Minnesotans are inhaling <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="another plume of smoke from Canada this week" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/05/08/wildfire-smoke-minnesota-air-quality-2025" data-vars-content-id="250458ca-9b1a-403c-b6fc-f5297c75a4a7" data-vars-headline="Canada won&#x27;t play Minnesota&#x27;s wildfire smoke blame game" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/05/08/wildfire-smoke-minnesota-air-quality-2025" target="_self">another plume of smoke from Canada this week</a>, and an attempt to blame Canada&#x27;s handling of wildfires is being met with eye-rolls north of the border.Why it matters: Experts say smoky summers are likely the new normal in Minnesota and many parts of North America unaccustomed to dealing with the haze as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="climate change" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/06/25/extreme-wildfires-doubled-climate-change" data-vars-content-id="250458ca-9b1a-403c-b6fc-f5297c75a4a7" data-vars-headline="Canada won&#x27;t play Minnesota&#x27;s wildfire smoke blame game" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/06/25/extreme-wildfires-doubled-climate-change" target="_self">climate change</a> turns the continent&#x27;s forests into tinderboxes.

A map of Census tracts in Minnesota with darker colors indicating parts of the state where a larger share of homes lack air conditioning. Much of the northeastern part of the state is shaded darker, with the lowest rates of air conditioning in the city of Duluth. The highest rates of air conditioning are in the southern part of the state and the Twin Cities metro area.

Share of households without air conditioning

Data: U.S. Census Bureau's Local Air Conditioning Estimates; Map: Kyle Stokes/Axios

A bar chart that shows days with triple-digit high temperatures by decade at MSP Airport. The count peaks at 25 days in the 1930s and falls to zero in the 1960s. Most later decades remain low, ranging from one to seven days, including one in the 2020s.

Climate 🌿

Minnesota's least air-conditioned areas face greatest risk during heat wave

Reaching 100 degrees is rare in the Twin Cities

I live near St. Paul's winter parking trial. Here's what I'm seeing.

Winter whimpers as warm air arrives in Minnesota

Exploding trees in Minnesota's cold snap: Fact vs. fiction