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Good morning, Minnesota! La Jefa and I have taken to calling it "independent study dinner" when we both have plans in the evening and this is one such night. Will I make healthy choices? Probably not 🍕 On to the news 📢

Elizabeth Flores/The Minnesota Star Tribune

Have you tried sitting on the bench outside the Minneapolis Central Library lately? Or taking a stroll down the stairs connecting the Minnesota History Center to downtown St. Paul?

If so, you've noticed the bulky fencing surrounding both of these public spaces.

While some public officials say the fences are necessary to deter nuisance behavior and homeless encampments, critics contend the structures are eyesores that make it look like Minneapolis and St. Paul have thrown in the towel when it comes to solving any of those issues.

“It looks like you’re in a war zone,” Minneapolis Park Board Commissioner Becky Alper said. “These are not decorative.”

So, how did we get here? And who makes the call on when and where to erect these fences? Reporter Greta Kaul has the full story at the link here.

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Glen Stubbe/The Minnesota Star Tribune

The new year is off to a busy start, and we couldn’t be happier. January is often a sleepy time for food writers; restaurant news tends to be quiet, and our cooking ambitions are more sedate after a season of excess.

Not this year. In the past week we’ve reported on Travail's reopening the beloved i.e. Italian Eatery, Sean Sherman's new counter-service restaurant, Isles Bun & Coffee's being named world’s best cinnamon rolls and Bebe Zito’s big plans. There’s more news coming, too.

Assistant Taste editor Nancy Ngo has been scoping out decadent deals at local stores and restaurants for those of us with champagne tastes (but beer budgets) — bargain crab legs! — and Beth Dooley is back in the kitchen with tips on taking home-cooked meals from simple to spectacular.

And after taking a two-week break to eat at home with our families, our weekly “5 best things our food writers ate” is back tomorrow. If there’s a hidden gem in Minnesota we should try – and you’re willing to divulge – give us a shout at taste@startribune.com. We love getting recommendations as much as giving them.

--Nicole Hvidsten, Taste editor

pantografata via Instagram

Does anyone else miss the eerie fog that hung over the Twin Cities for much of the last week in December? I mean, yes, snow would have been nice, but it was certainly a nice consolation prize. It really gave the lights downtown a pleasant airiness.

Alas, the fog may be gone, but at least we can relive it with this moody frame from Instagram user pantografata.

Click or tap on the image above to see it on Instagram.

Eder Campuzano, reporter

David Taintor, editor