Life Time fitness clubs ban TV news from its big screens

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[Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Life Time fitness clubs ban TV news from its big screens: Whether fake or real, leaning to the left or trending to the right, Twin Cities-based Life Time has [scrubbed the all-news channels from its television offerings]( at its clubs around the country. - Winter causing misery in Minnesota with frostbite, busted pipes: An arctic blast that has much of the nation in an icy grip [is taking a toll on Minnesotans](, sending dozens to hospitals with severe frostbite, bursting water pipes and flooding homes, sidelining cars with dead batteries and flat tires and backing up ore boat traffic on Lake Superior. - MSP airport is No. 1 in on-time performance, report finds: Nearly 86 percent of flights operating at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport arrive or depart on schedule, and that makes it [one of the most punctual airports in the world](, according to the OAG Punctuality League. - Researchers discover major vulnerabilities affecting nearly all of world's computers: The two problems, called Meltdown and Spectre, [could allow hackers to steal the entire memory contents of computers](, including mobile devices, personal computers and servers running in so-called cloud computer networks. There is no easy fix for Spectre, which could require redesigning the processors, according to researchers. As for Meltdown, the software patch needed to fix the issue could slow down computers by as much as 30 percent — an ugly situation for people used to fast downloads from their favorite online services. - Sessions likely to end policy on legalized marijuana: Attorney General Jeff Sessions is [rescinding the Obama-era policy that paved the way for legalized marijuana]( to flourish in states across the country, two people with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. Sessions will instead let federal prosecutors where pot is legal decide how aggressively to enforce federal marijuana law, the people said. The move comes days after pot shops opened in California, launching what is expected to become the world's largest market for legal recreational marijuana and as polls show a solid majority of Americans believe the drug should be legal. During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump said [he would not crack down on states that legalized marijuana]( and "it should be up to the states, absolutely." Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., blasted Sessions' reported decision and [threatened to hold up Justice Department nominees]( "until the Attorney General lives up to the commitment he made to me prior to his confirmation." - Trump disbands controversial voter fraud commission: President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday [disbanding his controversial voter fraud commission]( amid infighting, lawsuits and state officials' refusal to cooperate. Trump convened the commission to investigate the 2016 presidential election, after alleging repeatedly and without evidence that voting fraud cost him the popular vote. - Trump threatens legal action against Bannon over quotes in new book: The president launched [a scathing attack on former top adviser Steve Bannon](, responding to a new book by reporter Michael Wolff that portrays Trump as an undisciplined man-child who didn't actually want to win the White House and quotes Bannon as calling his son's contact with a Russian lawyer "treasonous." - Minnesota police licensing board to toughen conduct standards: Minnesota’s top police licensing authority plans to [strengthen the professional standards for law enforcement officers]( amid fallout from a Star Tribune series on police misconduct. - Authorities seek help to find missing Little Canada teenager: Authorities said Ashley Ann Baker of Little Canada was [last seen leaving her house on Friday]( wearing a black jacket with a “V” on it and steel toe boots. Her cellphone is turned off. - Ganders Outdoors confirms four new Minnesota locations: The owner of Twin Cities-based Gander Outdoors, supplanting its bankrupt predecessor Gander Mountain, [has announced an accelerated and ambitious expansion](, with dozens of stores opening in the coming months in Minnesota and many other states. - Virginia Republicans hang on to House of Delegates after random drawing: A Republican won a Virginia state House of Delegates race so close that its outcome was determined by [pulling the candidate's name out of a ceramic bowl Thursday.]( - Minnesota records fewest traffic deaths in more than 70 years: Traffic fatalities on Minnesota roads [were at their lowest number since 1943]( and the second lowest since 1926, according to preliminary numbers released Wednesday by the state Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety.  Watch this Little boy barrels into the water, unaware of the sharks nearby: [This recent video shot in the Bahamas]( demonstrates why it's important to always be aware of your surroundings, especially in the ocean.  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - Fans of Wayzata Irish pub go berserk after we snubbed their beloved bar: Ignore this Irish pub at your own peril. A Star Tribune reporter did — [and abruptly suffered the consequences](. - Ice cream made out of snow turns cold shoulder to safety concerns: The taste, or thirst, for snow seems to be at an all-time high lately, with mouthwatering pictures of snow cream and slushy drinks popping up on Instagram feeds and Pinterest — along with recipes. But is it safe to eat snow? [That depends, scientists say.]( - New app helps blind travelers get around MSP airport: With the help of "smart glasses," a remote assistant [guides vision-impaired passengers around the crowded terminal.](  Sports roundup - Even as Super Bowl "road team," Vikings would get all the advantages of home: If the Vikings were to win the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 21, they’d spend Super Bowl week practicing and dressing in their normal environs, even though [they’d technically be the road team on Feb. 4.]( - Afton skier officially qualifies for Olympics: Jessie Diggins’ results in the first two months of cross-country skiing competition were good enough to [secure her spot at the Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea.]( - White Bear Lake girls' hockey assistant resigns after entering locker room without knocking: Former Gophers hockey captain Kevin Hartzell wrote about the situation in a column for Let’s Play Hockey magazine. Hartzell wrote that [he went into the locker room without knocking first](, in pursuit of two players who were 10 minutes late getting on the ice for practice.  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Quote of the day “That's pretty wimpy.” -- [Pete Boulay](, climatologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, on the meager 17 points racked up so far this winter in the so-called Misery Index.  Worth a click How Minnesota is using a nonprofit to hide its Amazon HQ bid from public: "Four months after Amazon announced plans to build a second corporate headquarters – setting off a nationwide competition – Minnesota has concealed its Amazon bid through the use of a nonprofit whose board includes representatives of many of the state’s top companies," [Public Record Media reports.](  From the archives Jan. 4, 1951: One of two 30-foot neon signs was lighted for the first time on top of the Star and Tribune building in downtown Minneapolis as part of a "Light Up the Sky" ceremony celebrating the newspapers' Sunday circulation. 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