Egg prices in the Twin Cities are no yolk.

Why it matters: The cost of a carton is soaring nationwide, breaking new records as the bird flu outbreak grows.

Zoom out: A dozen large eggs in the Midwest hit an "unprecedented" $6.07 in early January, surpassing the previous record of $5.46 set in December 2022, according to price-reporting service Expana.

State of the (local) shelves: We visited half a dozen Twin Cities grocery stores this week and while prices and inventory varied, the cheapest varieties of eggs were often out of stock.

• The lowest prices we found ranged from $3.49 (Trader Joe's) to $5.99 (Cub Foods).
• Organic ($5.99 at Kowalski's) or pasture-raised ($7.29 at Target) will set you back even more.

Threat level: The situation is also leading to shortages in the metro and across the nation.

Driving the shortage: A combination of the bird flu outbreak and facility fires led to the loss of about 40 million egg-laying hens across the country last year — with 43% of the total losses in November and December, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• "Production is extremely tight, probably at some of the lowest levels since avian flu started back in 2022," Brian Moscogiuri, a global trade strategist at California-based supplier Eggs Unlimited, tells Axios.

Plus: High demand over the holiday baking season played a role in both availability and cost, experts say.

Reality check: While eggs are often seen as an inflation poster child, at-home food prices in the Twin Cities have cooled and only grew by 1.2% year over year in November.

The bottom line: "The likelihood that eggs from infected poultry are found in the retail market is low," a spokesperson for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told Axios in an email last week.

Send this story to the baker in your life

Surprising nobody who's spent time in cabin traffic on Interstate 94, an Axios analysis shows Wright County was Minnesota's fastest-growing county in the last decade.

The big picture: The home of St. Michael, Albertville, Monticello and Buffalo has grown 9.4%, according to Census figures from 2014-2018 and 2019-2023.

• Wright was closely followed by three other outer-ring suburban counties: Carver (+8.2%), Isanti (+7.6%) and Washington (+7.5%).
• Rochester's Olmsted County (+6.8%) rounded out the top five.

The other side: The population shrank in several Greater Minnesota counties up north and out west.

Yes, but: Other rural counties were among the state's fastest-growing, including Douglas (Alexandria), Cook (Grand Marais) and two Brainerd Lakes area counties.

Go deeper: The fastest growing (and shrinking) U.S. counties

🗳 State Sen. Nicole Mitchell (DFL-Woodbury) will not vote remotely from her burglary trial in Becker County later this month, Senate DFL Leader Erin Murphy confirmed to Axios yesterday. (Torey via X)

• The decision, which Murphy said was made by Mitchell, means Republicans could have a 33-32 edge in the chamber on some days until the vacant Senate seat in Minneapolis is filled at the end of the month.

🛍️ Macy's will close its Burnsville Center and Maplewood Mall stores this year as part of a broader plan to shutter 150 locations by the end of 2026. (Axios)

🎨 The Uptown Art Fair will now be called the SoMi Art Fair and will remain at the Bachman's parking lot, where the event had been held temporarily last summer during road construction. (KARE 11)

Quote du jour

Today, special events are what keeps the doors open, and although people still want to own some good suits, they have much less occasion to get dressed up.

📡Get these events on your radar

Romance Writing Workshop: Plot Your Novel in an Hour at Tropes & Trifles on Jan 28: Former publishing executive and author Bryn Donovan will take you step by step through fun in-class exercises to generate a new story idea or give your existing idea more shape. $12.51.

Promoting your event? Email [email protected].

With holiday shows wrapping up, Twin Cities theaters are warming up for their winter performances.

• Here's a look at what's on stage:

👹 For little kids, "Leonardo! A Terrible Show about a Wonderful Monster" is playing at the Minnesota Children's Theater

• Now- March 9. $15 to $73

🏒 "Glory," based on a 1933 Canadian women's hockey team, is at the Theatre in the Round.

• Jan. 17-Feb. 9. $18+

✡️ Broadway's "Parade" is coming to Orpheum Theatre. Jan. 21-26. $46+

🕺🏾Summer nights in winter."Grease, The Musical" will be on Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' main stage.

• Jan. 31 -Oct. 4. $88+

🎭 Noted writer Bill Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is coming to The Guthrie.

• Feb. 1-March 23. $29+

⚾️ St. Paul's Youth Performance Company's "Diamond Dreams" tells the story of Toni Stone, the first woman to play in the Negro Baseball League.

• Feb. 14-March 2. $15

Share this with a theater patron

Prepare to stand in line for a Big Cup o' Joe — the cat, that is.

The latest: Feline fanatics across the metro have been clamoring for access to the den at Catzen Coffee, St. Paul's new cat cafe that has a designated seating area with seven free-roaming resident cats.

How it works: The space is split in two, with a coffee shop serving specialty drinks in a kitty-free environment and a glass-walled "cat den" that seats around 20 people.

The other side: Because the cats also have full-time access to private quarters in the basement, there's no guarantee you'll see all of them during your visit.

• Kids under 15 are only allowed in on Saturdays from 7am-9am.

💭 Audrey's thought bubble: Despite being a cat lover, I rarely visited the cat cafe near me because of the smell. I'm pleased to report the den was very comfortable, cozy and odor-free — and the coffee was excellent.

Stop by: Catzen Coffee, 1416 Grand Ave., is open Wednesday-Sunday starting at 7am, with reservations required on weekends.

Take a look inside via our Instagram