A St. Paul condo building voted to go smoke-free. Then smokers got on the board.

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - A St. Paul condo building voted to go smoke-free. Then smokers got on the board. In St. Paul, Minneapolis and other metro cities, public smoking bans and city ordinances limiting who can buy tobacco, and where, are making it tougher to be a smoker. At Gallery Tower, a nearly 40-year-old building, the failed smoking ban remains a point of contention. It has spawned rumors that the board election was rigged, spurred tense interactions at board meetings and [made some residents afraid of running into each other.]( - Rideshare scooters appear on downtown Minneapolis streets hours before committee votes to regulate them: [As two-wheeled electric rental scooters descended on the streets of Minneapolis]( Tuesday, a City Council committee passed an ordinance that would require companies to obtain a license to operate motorized scooters in the city. The city's ordinance would mostly regulate the public right of way, such as where scooters should be parked, and would create a license agreement with operators. - Trump nominates conservative federal judge to replace swing vote on Supreme Court: [President Donald Trump chose Brett Kavanaugh](, a solidly conservative, politically connected judge, for the Supreme Court, setting up a ferocious confirmation battle with Democrats as he seeks to shift the nation's highest court ever further to the right.  [Here's some background on Kavanaugh](, who was a member of independent counsel Kenneth Starr's team that investigated President Bill Clinton before joining the George W. Bush administration. [Minnesota’s two U.S. senators are joining their fellow Democrats]( in raising concerns about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, even as Republicans urge a quick confirmation for President Donald Trump’s high court pick. [A 2012 article Kavanaugh wrote for the Minnesota Law Review]( arguing that sitting presidents should be immune from criminal investigations and prosecution is drawing new attention today. - Talk radio host, politician and bon vivant Barbara Carlson dies: Carlson’s was [a life lived large, loud and, seemingly, without a filter](. In a career that boldly swerved from real estate to Minneapolis city politics to the bombast of talk radio, the self-described “broad” often said or acted on whatever came into her head. In the end, the return of lung cancer she thought she’d beaten four years ago finally did what political opponents and the people she skewered on her radio show never could: Silence “Babs.” - After daring rescue, entire soccer team out of cave: A daring rescue mission in the treacherous confines of a flooded cave in northern Thailand has [saved all 12 boys and their soccer coach who were trapped]( deep within the labyrinth, ending a grueling 18-day ordeal that claimed the life of an experienced diver and riveted people around the world. - Trump pardons arsonist ranchers in case that inspired 2016 occupation: President Donald Trump has [pardoned two ranchers whose case sparked the armed occupation]( of a national wildlife refuge in Oregon. Dwight and Steven Hammond were convicted in 2012 of intentionally and maliciously setting fires on public lands. The arson crime carried a minimum prison sentence of five years, but a sympathetic federal judge, on his last day before retirement, decided the penalty was too stiff and gave the father and son much lighter prison terms. Prosecutors won an appeal and the Hammonds were resentenced in October 2015 to serve the mandatory minimum. - Topgolf wants to hire 500 before Brooklyn Center location opens in fall: A three-story golf driving range will soon stage ["ambition auditions" for the 500 or so people they want to hire]( before the glitzy and high-tech all-season center opens this year in Brooklyn Center. - No more peanuts on Southwest flights signals end of an era: The airline said Tuesday [it was pulling peanuts from all flights]( because of concern for passengers with peanut allergies. They will be replaced by pretzels and, on some longer flights, other free snacks.  Watch this Photographer has a very close encounter with curious polar bear: This nature photographer during [repeatedly chased away a young polar bear]( during a lengthy encounter at Cape Kozhevnikov in Russia.  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - Oklahoma TV anchor to take high-profile position at KSTP: The St. Paul-based television station has announced that Paul Folger, currently an anchor for the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City, will join its news team on Aug. 1, taking on one of the station's most prominent roles. Folger will be anchoring the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. broadcasts, instantly making him [one of the area's most high-profile TV personalities.]( - Square Lake Festival quaintly announces lineup in advance: Minnesota’s favorite movie, music, bicycling and camping festival – OK, also it’s only fest of that sort – [the Square Lake Music & Film Festival announced its 2018 lineup]( Tuesday morning just a month out from its return on Aug. 11. Organizers don’t have to get out ahead of it more because attendance at the day-long gathering near Square Lake Park by Stillwater is kept small, and tickets usually sell out. - I'm single and I love it, but Minnesotans don't seem to believe me: "I think marriage is wonderful. I love everything it represents — love, loyalty, commitment, joy, choosing someone else’s needs above your own. What I think is off-kilter is how marriage is advertised as the end-all/be-all — the only option for a truly fulfilling life. As a 30-year-old single woman in Minnesota, this message constantly buzzes around me," [writes Ellen Burkhardt.](  Sports roundup - 3M Open scheduled for July 4 weekend in Blaine next year: [The inaugural 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine]( will be played July 4-7, taking over for the just-completed A Military Tribute at Greenbrier. That tournament, held in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., since 2012, shifts to the fall schedule. - Thibodeau talks about free agency, Butler, other Wolves issues: Hours after the team signed Anthony Tolliver to a one-year, $5.75 million, Wolves coach/president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau [explained why he essentially swapped one “stretch” power forward for another]( after the team withdrew Nemanja Bjelica’s qualifying offer and agreed to terms with Tolliver a week ago instead. - Are the Twins serious about trying to get back in the race? The Twins have won five in a row and Cleveland has lost three straight. Is that enough of a reason to [pay a bit more attention to the Twins]( as we near the All-Star break?  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Quote of the day “Hopefully before I die, this building will be smoke-free. But who knows?” -- [Bianca Fazio](, a nonsmoker who has lived in St. Paul's Gallery Tower since 2000.  Worth a click As rural Iowa shrinks, one small town is betting on a "sinkhole" to save it: "The Main Street in Dysart is typical of those you find in other small Iowa communities — except for the giant gorge painted in the middle of the road. If you squint just right, it seems that the public library, a women's boutique and a Methodist church are about to be sucked into the bottomless pit. Cars parked nearby look ready to roll back into the gap. But despite the dilapidation the illusion represents, in actuality, it's a step toward preservation for the community of just 1,300," [the Des Moines Register reports.](  From the archives July 10, 1935: Workers laid the cornerstone of the Minneapolis National Guard Armory during a ceremony in downtown Minneapolis. National Guard records, newspapers and copies of the orders for construction were sealed in a metal box and placed within the stone. Taking part in the ceremony were, left to right, Paul Steenberg, Lt. Gillman Halien, R.R. Steenberg, kneeling, F.L. Donnelly and Major P.C. Bettenberg. The armory would go on to become the home of the Minneapolis Lakers, a parking garage and now an 8,000-seat concert venue.(Photo: Star Tribune) Connect with Star Tribune [facebook]([twitter]([google+]([pinterest]([instagram]([tumblr]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]( • [Unsubscribe]( This email was sent by: StarTribune, 650 3rd Ave S, Suite #1300, Minneapolis, MN, 55488 © 2018 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.](