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By Janet Moore

Daffodil fields near Lisse, Netherlands.                                Janet Moore/The Minnesota Star Tribune

Hello Dishers! Did you miss me? (Likely not, but that's OK.)

I've been in the Netherlands soaking up temperatures that were a tad warmer than Minnesota's, world-class museums, stroopwafels, daffodils (see above), so-so beer (leave that to the Belgians) and, of course, the fabulous, world-class bike infrastructure. Dishers, as your transportation reporter for the past decade, it completely blew my mind. 

The Dutch government has consistently invested in bike infrastructure since the 1920s and it shows. I saw all types of bikes and every kind of human on them, including many, many older people. It's not an investment that seems particularly valued in the United States, even though the Twin Cities is one of the most bike-friendly urban areas in the country. Please do email me if you'd like to further discuss at janet.moore@startribune.com.

Speaking of bikes, our Bob Timmons has the latest on the state's e-bike rebate program, which experienced a bumpy start when it was rolled out last year.

On to the news of the day: Now that Gov. Tim Walz has ordered much of the state's workforce to report to the office at least 50% of their scheduled workdays beginning June 1, the discussion is whether the missive will help revive downtown St. Paul.

St. Paul's Downtown Alliance estimates there are about 20,000 government jobs in ZIP codes encompassing downtown, the Capitol complex and the West 7th area, based on U.S. Census data. Those jobs, most of them with the state, make up roughly one-third of the area’s workforce. The state leases office space in a number of downtown buildings.

While the influx will certainly help the city's struggling small businesses, some say more needs to be done to integrate office buildings in the city's core with housing and entertainment. Katie Galioto and Josie Albertson-Grove have the story here. 

Our columnist Jennifer Brooks has some thoughts about forcing people to work in the office. Remember, this is OPINION, folks. Read it here.

On a somewhat similar note related to reviving cities post-pandemic, Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert said in his state of the city address Tuesday that Duluth must embrace its downtown as a residential hub. But first, people must feel safe and the city itself needs to be cleaned up. Jana Hollingsworth has the story here.

Here's the latest on former state Sen. Justin Eichorn, the Grand Rapids Republican who was arrested last week and charged with attempting to solicit sex from a minor.

In a federal court hearing Tuesday, the government alleged that the Grand Rapids Republican was familiar with soliciting for sex on the internet and tried to have his wife clean his St. Paul apartment of a gun, laptop and cellphone before FBI agents could search it. Eichorn's lawyer said the U.S. Attorney’s Office was cherry-picking statements from jail phone calls between Eichorn and his wife. Jeff Day has the latest details here.

And in a related story, Sen. Robert Farnsworth was elected chair of the Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board, replacing Eichorn who had served on the board since 2017 and as its chair since February. Farnsworth, a Republican from Hibbing, has been a board member since 2023. IRRRB is an economic development agency that provides funding to businesses in northeastern Minnesota. Read Christa Lawler's story here.

Want to jet to Greenland to see what all the geopolitical hoo-hah is about?

Starting March 30, Icelandair will easily connect Minneapolis-St. Paul and its other U.S. gateways with Greenland's capital Nuuk. Story here.

You'll recall that President Donald Trump is talking about acquiring Greenland, now Danish territory, in some fashion, and Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance are slated to visit there Friday.

Minnesota health officials on Wednesday were evaluating cuts to the state’s COVID-19 and broader public health response programs after learning that the federal government had immediately frozen $226 million in support. 

The cuts were “sudden and unexpected ... and unprecedented” for a federal agency that usually gives notice of funding reductions so state agencies can adjust, Dr. Brooke Cunningham, the state health commissioner, said in a written statement. 

Cunningham said in an interview the funding may have been to COVID initiatives by name, but supported a broader array of public health programs, including efforts to restore childhood vaccinations when measles is a rising threat. Jeremy Olson has the story.

The governor is slated to meet with the Catholic bishops of Minnesota this morning.

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The Atlantic on Wednesday released the entire Signal chat among senior national security officials, showing that Defense Secretary and Forest Lake native Pete Hegseth provided the exact timing of warplane launches and when bombs would drop — before the men and women flying those attacks against Yemen’s Houthis this month on behalf of the United States were airborne.

The disclosure follows two intense days during which leaders of Trump’s intelligence and defense agencies have struggled to explain how details — that current and former U.S. officials have said would have been classified — wound up on an unclassified Signal chat that included Atlantic Editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.

The White House has said no classified information was posted to the Signal chat. But Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he and Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the committee’s top Democrat, plan to send a letter to the Trump administration requesting an inspector general investigation into the use of Signal. More here.

Federal employees in Minnesota fired about six weeks ago are struggling to deal with the ensuing chaos that resulted, including court challenges, appeals and seemingly never-ending limbo. Story here.

Yesterday, Emily's List put U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minn., "On Notice," meaning he's among 46 House Republicans as top targets for defeat in the 2026 midterm elections. The Democratic pro-choice organization say these districts constitute the party’s best path to flip Republican-held seats in the U.S. House.

And, Trump said Wednesday that he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports starting in April, a move the White House claims would foster domestic manufacturing but could also put a financial squeeze on automakers that depend on global supply chains. Economists say car prices will increase. More here.

Here's the legislative calendar detailing events at the Capitol today.

House GOP education leaders will respond to Walz's budget recommendations and unveil a "Save Our Schools" education plan at a news conference today.

Former state Sen. Melisa López Franzen will officially launch her campaign today for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat Tina Smith. Franzen and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan are the only Democrats so far to launch campaigns for the spot.