St. Paul officials have declared a snow emergency Thursday after more than seven inches of snow fell in the metro from a winter storm that started Wednesday.

“After last night’s heavier-than-expected snowstorm, I am calling the first snow emergency of my administration,” said St. Paul Mayor Koahly Her, in a statement. “The ice ruts that plagued our streets for weeks just melted. I won’t risk relying on unpredictable spring weather to melt or meaningfully clear our streets, and I am confident our professional group of plow drivers, ticketing crews, and city staff will get the job done

Beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday, all NIGHT PLOW ROUTES will be plowed. Motorists should not park on Night Plow Routes, which include downtown and all streets with signs posted “NIGHT PLOW ROUTE” and “NIGHT PLOW ROUTE THIS SIDE OF STREET.” Those vehicles  not moved from Night Plow Routes by 9 p.m. will be ticketed and towed.

And, beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday all DAY PLOW ROUTES will be plowed. Do not park on Day Plow Routes. Day Plow Routes are

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not marked by signs. If there are no “Night Plow” signs posted within the block, then consider it a Day Plow Route. Those vehicles not moved from Day Plow Routes by 8 a.m. on Friday, will be ticketed and towed.

The snow emergency will last 96 hours — until 9 p.m. Monday.

City officials note that ticketing and towing will occur with this snow emergency. A temporary towing ban that Mayor Kaohly Her put in place on Jan. 19 will be suspended until Tuesday.

For more information go to: stpaul.gov/departments/public-works/snow.

By JOSEPH WILSON

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — On the climb to Livigno, atop the mountain pass before the road glides down to the village hosting snowboarding at the Winter Olympics, there sits a lonely customs checkpoint. Its guardhouse and gate are the only signs of an internal fiscal border within Italy, one that encircles the snow-blanketed valley and the duty-free status it has enjoyed for centuries.

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The tax exemption that makes Livigno a shoppers’ paradise, paradoxically, has left it not receiving the full economic bonus from hosting the Olympics, at least in the short term. On the contrary, shopkeepers are getting squeezed — even if hotels and restaurants are packed and cashing in. Still, everyone is hopeful the Games will yield a longer-term upside for the village.

Questioning economic benefits is routine for Olympic host cities, and it’s been the talk of the town on Livigno’s main street during the Games. Unlike in other Olympic mountain venues, business owners told The Associated Press that athletes, fans, workers and volunteers have boxed out visitors who come chasing duty-free deals in what is usually a bumper month.

“I’m not positive about the Olympics, because usually you are working more than double in this period, because this period for us was a high season. Now, this period is like our low season,” said Olga Salari, owner of a toy story full of Lego sets. Olympic visitors, she added, “don’t even visit the shops.”

How bad has it been? Salari said she has already seen a 70% drop in sales compared with an average February. The Olympics run from Feb. 6-22.

Visitors to all six mountain venues must have either accreditation, accommodation reserved, event tickets or a ski pass — and so can’t be day trippers only out for a deal.

Duty-free since Medieval times

Livigno is nicknamed “Little Tibet” for its historic isolation and the snow-clad peaks that surround it. This village near the Swiss border has had sales tax exemptions since medieval times, which allowed the impoverished, cut-off area to bring in goods.

When a paved road leading south, and later a tunnel north to Switzerland, finally arrived in the 20th century, that duty-free status became an economic elixir because it attracted tourists.

Visitors can purchase 300 euros ($356) worth of goods without Italy’s 22% sales tax. There are specific limits on perfumes, cigarettes, cigars, liquor and gasoline.

Livigno’s tax break has made it a haven for skiers who seize the chance to pick up a watch, cosmetics, perfume, electronics or a carton of cigarettes before the drive home to Austria, Germany, Switzerland and elsewhere. Outside of the Olympics, anyway.

“The tourists are more interested to see the competition. They’re not so focused on shopping,” said Manuel Galli, whose family owns an electronics store.

Czechia’s Radek Houser competes during the men’s snowboard cross qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Some mountain venues are already getting a boost

According to a report by Italy’s Banca Ifis, the overall economic impact of the Games is expected to reach 5.3 billion euros ($6.2 billion). Of that, 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) is estimated to be spent by tourists at the host sites during the next 18 months. The bank did not break that down by venue location. Milan Cortina organizing committee president Giovanni Malagò cited more than 5 billion euros in an interview with Italian radio station RTL.

The committee has said that the Olympics have spurred Italian authorities to upgrade the electrical distribution systems of Livigno and the other mountain host sites. Improvements to Livigno’s health clinic and rail service are also legacy investments.

A man takes a photo as a worker plows snow at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Bao)

Other mountain venues’ stores seem to be getting an economic boost.

Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Vice Mayor Roberta Alverà told the AP by text message that the town has seen “a significant influx of people.”

And they’re not just filling hotels and restaurants. Visitors, as well as Italians who own second homes in the posh town, are also filling the shops along Cortina’s pedestrian-only Corso Italia that runs through the center of town.

In Bormio’s historic center, the cobblestone walkways have been filled with fans throughout the men’s Alpine ski racing program, and its shops have seen plenty of activity.

Hope for a publicity payoff

Sergio Schena, a member of the organizing committee for the area of Livigno, said it’s normal for some businesses to see more activity than others, but the long-term impact will be positive. The global spotlight should draw tourists from farther away, as happened in Turin after it hosted in 2006, he said.

“What we expect to happen is that the markets change, and we get more tourists from the United States and Asia,” Schena said.

That doesn’t suit some shop owners. Salari said her business model is based on people driving to Livigno and using the extra trunk space to take home purchases. She fears tourists who travel by plane will only buy goods small enough to fit in their luggage.

People walk through a street during the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Bao)

Still, most people in Livigno — even the other shopkeepers — are hoping Schema is right, trusting that the televised images of snowboarders and freestyle skiers soaring off its slopes and snow park have put Livigno on the world map, and will eventually attract even more tourists.

“This is very important because (the Games) are providing 360-degree publicity around the world and Livigno is coming across very well,” said Derio Claoti, the owner of a shop that sells perfumes, whose sales have taken a 70% sales hit.

A few doors down, at the Golden Clock shop for luxury watches and jewelry, Damiano Longa said he expects his drop in sales will ultimately be worth it.

“We hope that the advertising that it’s making for Livigno will work for the future,” Longa said.

Associated Press writers Colleen Barry in Milan, Andrew Dampf in Cortina and Pat Graham in Bormio contributed.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

By MEG KINNARD

The Federal Communications Commission is investigating ABC’s “The View” over possible violations of the requirement that broadcast stations give equal time to political candidates when they appear on-air, according to the head of the agency that oversees U.S. broadcast airwaves.

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“The FCC has an enforcement action underway on that,” Chairman Brendan Carr told reporters after an agency meeting Wednesday, in response to a question about whether there were an investigation into the daytime series over potential violations of the “equal time” rule. “And we’re taking a look at it.”

James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the Senate in Texas, appeared on “The View” on Feb. 2. U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who is running against Talarico for the nomination, has also been on the show.

The Trump administration has taken steps to clamp down on talk shows, which the FCC has suggested may be “motivated by partisan purposes.” Earlier in the week, late-night host Stephen Colbert said CBS executives had pulled an appearance by Talarico on his program over fears it ran afoul of equal time provisions.

The FCC issued new guidance in January to late-night and daytime hosts that they needed to give political candidates equal time. There are exceptions to the rule, including for newscasts, “bona fide” interview programs, and coverage of live events or documentaries. Carr has raised questions about the talk show exemption and whether it should stand.

“The FCC has not been presented with any evidence that the interview portion of any late night or daytime television talk show program on air presently would qualify for the bona fide news exemption,” according to the agency’s public notice last month.

Carr, a Trump appointee, suggested last year that investigating “The View,” whose hosts have frequently been critical of the Republican president, might be “worthwhile.”

The FCC has not responded to a message seeking comment on “The View” or Colbert’s show.

On Wednesday, Carr said watching the fallout from Colbert’s characterization of what happened with Talarico “was probably one of the most fun days I’ve had in the job,” adding that the candidate “took advantage” of media attention ”apparently for the purpose of raising money and getting clicks.”

The equal time provision applies only to broadcast, not streaming or internet programs. Colbert later posted the Talarico interview to YouTube, where it’s been viewed more than 7.5 million times — several times what the comic’s CBS program draws each night.

Talarico reported that he had raised $2.5 million in campaign donations in the 24 hours after the Colbert interview.

A spokesperson for “The View,” did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Thursday.

CBS says Colbert was provided “legal guidance” that broadcasting the interview with Talarico could trigger the equal time rule. Colbert said on his show Tuesday night that while Carr said in January he was thinking about getting rid of the exemption for late-night talk shows, “CBS generously did it for him.”

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

By DAVE SKRETTA, AP Sports Writer

MILAN (AP) — Alysa Liu is left to bear the ambitions of the American figure skating team on Thursday night, when the last of the “Blade Angels” with a legitimate shot at the Olympic gold medal tries to catch Japanese teammates Ami Nakai and Kaori Sakamoto during the women’s free skate at the Milan Cortina Games.

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Nakai, Sakamoto and Mone Chiba give Japan the chance for the first-ever women’s podium sweep.

Then there is Adeliia Petrosian, the young Russian sprite competing as a neutral athlete, and the only one of the contenders who has the ability to land a quad jump. She could shake up the entire competition with one big performance.

Those are the key players as the final night of figure skating drama unfolds at the Winter Games.

“Of course I want a medal. It would be very nice,” said Sakamoto, the bronze medalist from the 2022 Beijing Games, who trails Nakai by just a point in what is likely her final Olympics. “But I want to let everybody know what I’ve done over my career. I want people to know that there was a skater of this kind in Japan who had performed for a long period.”

Indeed, the Olympic gold medal is just about the only thing the 25-year-old Sakamoto has yet to win in her career.

At the opposite end of the longevity spectrum is Nakai, the 17-year-old inspired by the great Mao Asada. She will be the final skater on the ice after a brilliant performance Tuesday night, when she landed one of two triple axels in the entire women’s short program.

Chiba trails both of her Japanese teammates along with Liu, but the world bronze medalist is firmly in the mix.

“Being in Italy, with the music ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ I hope to skate as well as possible,” Chiba said, “and see how things are.”

Liu, who is two points out of first place, was the only skater to wedge herself among the Japanese trio.

The 20-year-old from the San Francisco Bay area has been on a dream ride ever since her two-year retirement, which had allowed her to reprioritize the things in her life and rediscover her love for skating. Liu became the first American world champion since Kimmie Meissner in 2006 last year in Boston, and now she could end an even longer U.S. drought for women at the Olympics.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” has not played for a podium ceremony since Sarah Hughes triumphed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

“I don’t think about stuff like that,” said the carefree Liu, who finished sixth at the Beijing Games, shortly before walking away from the sport. “My goal is just to do my program and share my story.”

Petrosian is the wildcard in the competition simply because she is so largely unknown.

The 18-year-old from Moscow has been unable to compete on a global stage because Russia remains banned from international events following its invasion of Ukraine. The few glimpses that people have seen have come from domestic events, where scores are typically inflated, and where the competition is far different from what Petrosian is experiencing at the Olympics.

Yet the latest pupil of controversial coach Eteri Tutberidze, Petrosian has proven in Milan that she could well become her nation’s next gold medalist, following in the footsteps of compatriots Adelina Sotnikova, Alina Zagitova and Anna Shcherbakova.

The last non-Russian to win the Olympic gold medal was South Korea’s Yuna Kim at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

“At first I was worried, not about my skate, but about my (emotional) state. This was the most important start of my life,” Petrosian said following her short program Tuesday night. “I hope this will help me with my free skate.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics