Foxconn's planned Wisconsin manufacturing plant pivots away from manufacturing

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Foxconn's planned Wisconsin manufacturing plant pivots away from manufacturing: Foxconn Technology Group said Wednesday it is [shifting the focus of its planned $10 billion Wisconsin campus]( away from blue-collar manufacturing to a research hub, while insisting it remains committed to creating 13,000 jobs as promised. The much-ballyhooed facility was heralded by President Donald Trump and former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to return manufacturing to the Midwest and the United States. Foxconn, a major supplier to Apple, is the world's largest contract maker of electronics and China's largest private employer. - Deep freeze brings natural gas shortage, frostbite: As of 8 a.m., the National Weather Service [reported temperatures in the upper 20s below zero]( throughout the Twin Cities area with windchill readings in the low minus-50s. Park Rapids in northwestern Minnesota led the way in the state Wednesday with a temperature of minus-42 and a 64-below windchill. Residents just beyond the Twin Cities are being urged by Xcel Energy to lower thermostats to 60 due to a "significant strain" on the natural gas system because of the extreme cold. Minnesota parents are [scrambling to cover childcare]( during this impromptu winter break. If you live in the Twin Cities, are stuck at home with the kids and aren't getting paid, your employer may be breaking the law. [Here's a refresher on the safe and sick time ordinances]( in Minneapolis and St. Paul. [Here's a list of things that are closed today]( due to the extreme cold. - After the snowstorm, Minneapolis sidewalk inspectors check up on shoveling: The inspections are [one of several new strategies to keep nearly 2,000 miles of sidewalks clear]( for pedestrians during the winter. The city is also weighing whether it should shovel major corridors, as some suburbs do. - Minnesota lawmaker wants to end per diem payments for legislators: Most Minnesota state legislators receive thousands of dollars each year in per diem payments in addition to their salaries and expense reimbursements — a practice one legislator is pushing to end. The pay subsidies are a “loophole” to bolster lawmakers’ salaries, said Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, [who wants to end per diem payments](, but only during the months the Legislature is in session. - Trump blasts "naive" intel chiefs on North Korea, Iran: President Donald Trump [lashed out at his intelligence chiefs]( on Wednesday after they told Congress that North Korea is unlikely to dismantle its nuclear arsenal and that the Iran nuclear deal is working. Democratic lawmakers serving on Congress' intelligence committees accused Trump of undermining U.S. intelligence professionals. - "Empire" actor alleges racist, homophobic attack in Chicago: ["Empire" actor Jussie Smollett told police]( he was walking downtown near the Chicago River at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday when two masked men hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him, beat him, threw an "unknown substance" on him and put a rope around his neck. The 36-year-old actor, who is black and gay and plays the gay character Jamal Lyon on the Fox television show, took himself to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment. Chicago police say they've reviewed hundreds of hours of footage from downtown surveillance cameras but haven't found footage yet of the alleged attack. - 800-stall parking garage proposed next to Minneapolis Fed in North Loop: The five-level Heritage Land Parking Ramp [would be constructed on a parking lot]( northwest of the Federal Reserve’s building off Cedar Lake Trail not far from the Mississippi River, according to city documents. - Lawmakers want to make Labrador retriever Minnesota's official dog breed: A group of legislators wants to enshrine the Labrador retriever as the official dog breed of Minnesota, touching off a debate Tuesday about [which kind is best to represent the state.](  Watch this You can't unsee this deepfake mashup of Steve Buscemi's face on Jennifer Lawrence's body: "Deepfakes" are extremely lifelike computer-generated fake photos and videos. The potential for abuse of this emerging technology is extremely high, but [it also allows things like this to exist.](  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - St. Paul dancer who rose to national acclaim is dancing back from tragedy: Neli Petkova, who earned national prominence as a ballroom dance competitor with her professional and personal partner Nick Westlake, [is dancing once again]( after a collision with a light rail train killed him in 2017. - SPCO heading to New York for Lincoln Center's prestigious "Great Performers" season: [St. Paul Chamber Orchestra will perform in New York City]( next year for the “Great Performers” season at Lincoln Center, featuring some of the world's most celebrated classical artists. - Join these Star Tribune employees on a sugar-free February challenge: Added sugar is everywhere, from chicken stock to ketchup to salad dressings and flavored yogurt. [What happens if you try to avoid it for a month?](  Sports roundup - The hockey game that WAS played as scheduled yesterday: This is not an attempt to shame the schools around Minnesota that were wise enough to call off every scheduled athletic contest on Tuesday. Every contest except for one — the storied hockey rivalry between Warroad and Roseau. Along Minnesota's border with Canada: [Game On means the game is on.]( - Gophers hope to erase memory of Illinois rout: The Gophers’ NCAA basketball tournament résumé and national reputation still are hurting from the damage done Jan. 16 — the night in Champaign, Ill., when they were crushed by 27 points by a bottom-of-the-Big Ten opponent. The Illinois team that dominated the Gophers 95-68 will be on the other bench again Wednesday night at Williams Arena as Minnesota [looks to take another step in its recovery process.]( - Tony Romo goes from talented quarterback to TV's "Romostradamus": Once a scrambling, sometimes fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants quarterback, Romo the CBS game analyst deciphers a defense with such pre-snap precision that he consistently tells us not only what we’ve seen but [what we’re about to see.](  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Quote of the day “You can tell there’s a lot of snowbirds that haven’t coordinated their snow removal effort, but we’re getting the word out.” -- [Kevin Henke](, a Minneapolis sidewalk inspector.  Worth a click The science behind the polar vortex: [This very cool feature from the New York Times]( breaks down the global wind patterns responsible for bringing all this frigid arctic air to much of the midwestern United States.  Pic of the day Jan. 29, 2018: Miles, a University of Minnesota student who declined to give his last name because he said his mom would be mad at him for how he was dressed, crossed University Avenue SE in shorts. (Photo: Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune) Connect with Star Tribune [facebook]([twitter]([google+]([pinterest]([instagram]([tumblr]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]( • [Unsubscribe]( This email was sent by: StarTribune, 650 3rd Ave S, Suite #1300, Minneapolis, MN, 55488 © 2019 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.](