Hot tub boats might set sail on the Mississippi River this spring.

Why it matters: As our colleagues in Chicago found, taking in a scenic cruise while chilling in a warm whirlpool is "so much fun."

Driving the bubbles: The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board is scheduled to vote tomorrow on a proposal to launch "Spacruzzi" watercraft rentals at Boom Island Park.

How it will work: A 90-minute rental will start at around $300, with prices rising to $425 on holidays and other peak times, Minnesota Hot Tub Boats founder Matt Witt told Axios.

The self-cleaning vessels, which feature a small deck area surrounding the hot tub, can hold up to six people, with a total weight limit of 950 pounds.

The fine print: A boating license isn't required, he said, because the electric boats have a max speed of just 5 mph.

• But all renters will have to go through a safety orientation and sign a waiver.

The boats will need to stay within a designated area — likely between the Nicollet Island railroad bridge and the Broadway Avenue Bridge.

• Witt said he plans to use sensors similar to those that keep golf carts off the green to ensure renters don't go beyond those limits.

Worth noting: Alcohol won't be for sale, but customers can BYOB.

• Witt told Axios that there will be limits on how much booze customers can bring aboard for safety.

What we're hearing: Witt said he was inspired to bring the concept to the Twin Cities after trying a similar rental service on Seattle's Lake Union.

• "It's such a cool thing to be able to boat around in the shadows of a skyline," he said. "I thought, 'this would totally work in Minnesota.' We love the outdoors, we love boating, we love the water."

What's next: Witt hopes to launch his service with two boats by Memorial Day, assuming his concessions agreement secures final Park Board approval this week.

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Operation Metro Surge took an "emotional toll," Minnesota's top federal judge said in a rare interview, as courts handled a deluge of wrongful detention challenges.

"If I went to a movie for two hours or just wasn't near my iPhone for two hours, that could be the difference between somebody being put on a plane and sent to Texas … and someone being ordered released."

Go deeper via Fox 9

🚗 In a federal court filing, Renee Good's partner demanded the government return the Honda Pilot she was driving when an ICE agent shot and killed her. (Fox 9)

🎤 Gov. Tim Walz delivers his final State of the State address at 7pm. (Background via Axios)

• He'll use the speech to tout some of his priorities for the final weeks of session, including a proposed tax on social media companies that faces tough sledding at the Legislature, according to excerpts provided to Axios.

🚔 A new State Patrol unit would provide security to lawmakers who face threats under a proposal that passed the Minnesota Senate yesterday, 45-19. (WCCO/Background via the Star Tribune)

🗳️ The Ramsey County DFL deadlocked on endorsing a candidate in the county commission race between St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker and State Rep. Maria Isa Perez-Vega. (Pioneer Press)

🏒 Injured forward Mats Zuccarello — the straw that stirs the Wild's power play — returned to practice yesterday and could play in tonight's Game 5 against Dallas. (NHL.com)

• For now, both Zuccarello and NHL regular season hits leader Yakov Trenin are officially listed as "questionable." The puck drops at 7pm.

📺 The Lynx will broadcast 29 games on Victory+, an ad-supported streaming platform that's free to users. (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)

• The Timberwolves are reportedly among three NBA teams in talks with Victory+ as FanDuel Sports Network collapses.

Plymouth could become the tenth metro-area city to ban flavored tobacco sales when its city council meets tonight.

The big picture: It's getting harder to find a menthol- or candy-flavored nicotine fix in the Twin Cities.

• Officials are trying to keep kids from getting hooked on smoking, vaping and smokeless tobacco.

Another 16 metro cities — including Shakopee, Prior Lake, Fridley, Columbia Heights, Mendota Heights and Lilydale — have some sort of restriction, according to the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota.

• For example, in Minneapolis and St. Paul, just adult-only tobacco shops can sell flavored products.
• Hennepin and Scott counties have also passed restrictions.

Zoom in: If approved, Plymouth's ban would take effect in 2028 and apply to e-cigarettes, vape products and smokeless tobacco.

More on Plymouth's ordinance

On this day in 1871, a strange creature was spotted swimming in Lake Pepin, according to the Minnesota Historical Society.

Locals along the Mississippi River have since named the monster "Pepie" and have held festivals and offered rewards to anyone who can prove they've found the creature through photographs or DNA.

The intrigue: There's been plenty of reports from people who claim they've seen the monster.

• One group said their boat's radars in 2009 picked up a large object 30 feet long and 6 feet wide and even sent a diver down, but it was too murky to see anything, according to a Pioneer Press story.

Reality check: Lake Pepin is only 60 to 70 feet deep, compared to the 700-foot-deep lake where the Loch Ness monster supposedly lives, the Pioneer Press pointed out.

• How scary could Pepie really be?