In the Star Tribune, Paul Walsh, Chao Xiong and Rochelle Olson report: “Late in their second day of deliberations Tuesday, the jurors in Kim Potter’s manslaughter trial issued a pair of questions in court, one suggesting that they’re having trouble reaching a consensus and a second asking to handle her gun outside of a box where it is secured with zip ties. The jurors ended deliberations for the day shortly after 6 p.m. … The jury’s question about a lack of consensus was similar to one asked during the 2017 manslaughter trial of Jeronimo Yanez, the St. Anthony police officer who was ultimately acquitted in the shooting death of Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights.”
MPR’s David H. Montgomery writes: “Minnesota’s population growth screeched to a halt in the past year, buffeted by COVID-19, slowing immigration rates and more people leaving the state. Overall the state’s population grew by just 225 people in the most recent year, which ran from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021. That’s the state’s slowest growth in decades. In 2019, the last full year before the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota added 31,291 people. … The growth slowdown wasn’t caused by any single factor. The state’s birthrate dipped 6 percent, while deaths — fueled by COVID-19 — shot up 14 percent, the biggest increase in decades.”
For CNBC Spencer Kimball reports, “Walgreens and CVS Health on Tuesday limited how many at-home Covid tests customers can purchase as demand for tests surges ahead of the holidays and as the omicron variant spreads throughout the U.S. Walgreens has imposed a limit of four at-home tests per purchase, while CVS is allowing six tests per purchase. The purchase limits apply in-store as well as online.”
FOX 9’s Jeff Wald reports: “Former Hutchinson, University of Minnesota and Minnesota Lynx star Lindsay Whalen is one step closer to calling herself a hall-of-famer. Whalen, currently the head coach for the Gophers’ women’s basketball team, on Tuesday was named a first-time nominee for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for the Class of 2022. She’s part of a group that includes Manu Ginobili, Tom Chambers, Chauncey Billups and Swin Cash. A news conference to announce the finalists for the 2022 class will be held on Feb. 18, 2022, during NBA All-Star Weekend.”
Hannah Yang reports for MPR: “When professor Nancy Fitzsimons arrived on the Minnesota State University campus in Mankato for fall semester, she noticed dozens of newly installed study booths for students. … Fitzsimons says she saw right away that the spaces were small and required a step to enter the booth, making them potentially inaccessible for people who have disabilities. Fitzsimons filed a federal complaint in September alleging that the study pods violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights says it is investigating the complaint. The university declined to comment on the investigation, but said in a statement it looks forward to working with federal officials to ensure it is meeting accessibility requirements.”
Tim Harlow of the Star Tribune reports: “Like many youth sports organizations, the Anoka Ramsey Athletic Association is pinched for gym space. Its many teams practice in high schools, churches and other rented facilities and often at late hours. But by the end of 2022, the organization serving about 4,000 youths in the northwest metro could have a home of its own. The association plans to build a 180,000-square-foot domed facility in Ramsey that likely would be the largest of its kind in Minnesota and possibly in the continental United States, said Dustin Reeder, the organization’s president.”
Says Hannah Levitt for Bloomberg, “Wells Fargo & Co. postponed its return-to-office plans indefinitely amid a worldwide surge in Covid-19 cases linked to the omicron variant. Employees will be briefed further on the bank’s plans in 2022, according to a statement. The San Francisco-based lender had said it intended to start bringing back employees who have been working from home beginning Jan. 10. That date was set after the company put off its planned Nov. 1 return.”
An AP story says, “Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has drafted a bill that would block teaching critical race theory in South Dakota schools, public universities and technical colleges. The Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports Noem announced the legislation on Monday. Critical race theory is an academic concept that originated in the 1970s. It focuses on how racism is embedded in legal systems in the United States. South Dakota education officials say critical race theory isn’t part of state curriculum in schools or colleges. But Noem said the theory teaches a false and divisive message.”
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