Why Minnesota's oak trees are going squirrely with acorns

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Why Minnesota's oak trees are going squirrely with acorns: If the squirrels seem happier than usual these days, it’s because this has been a bumper year for acorns. We’re not talking about just a few extra of the hard, woody capsules. The oak trees are literally going nuts, with some of them [producing up to 10 times their normal output.]( - St. Paul mayor declined last-minute offers to fund July 4 fireworks: The St. Paul Saints baseball team rounded up corporate sponsors for fireworks at CHS Field. Hiway Federal Credit Union offered to donate $50,000 that could be matched by other businesses. Council Member Jane Prince asked if she could solicit private donations. Mayor Melvin Carter and his staff [considered these offers but ultimately decided against accepting them](, according to e-mails and voice mails obtained by the Star Tribune through a public records request. - Hurricane Florence tears buildings apart as it rolls ashore in Carolinas: [Hurricane Florence lumbered ashore in North Carolina]( with howling 90 mph winds and terrifying storm surge early Friday, ripping apart buildings and knocking out power to a half-million homes and businesses as it settled in for what could be a long and extraordinarily destructive drenching. Florence's rain total will likely be staggeringly huge. Meteorologist Ryan Maue of weathermodels.com calculates that [the hurricane is forecast to dump about 18 trillion gallons of rain]( over a week over the North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Maryland. It doesn't include rain after it dissipates and its remnants circle back to the northeast. - Suspect pleads guilty to 1987 murder of elderly St. Paul woman: Octogenarian Lillian Kuller struck the intruder who burglarized her St. Paul home in 1987 and swore at him as the two tussled, but was strangled to death in a case that remained unsolved for 30 years. Serial burglar Michael A. Withers, 60, [pleaded guilty Friday morning to killing Kuller](, 81, as three of Kullers’ granddaughters watched in disbelief and anger while he recounted some details that contradicted police evidence. - Manafort pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate with Mueller investigation: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded guilty Friday to two federal crimes after cutting a deal with prosecutors and [agreeing to cooperate with the special counsel's Russia probe](. The move allows him to avoid a second criminal trial and ends Manafort's more than yearlong fight against investigators in the Russia investigation. - Kavanaugh denies sexual misconduct allegation: Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says [he "categorically and unequivocally" denies a sexual misconduct allegation]( from when he was in high school. The New Yorker reported [the alleged incident took place at a party]( when Kavanaugh was attending Georgetown Preparatory School. The woman alleging Kavanaugh attempted to force himself on her attended a nearby school, according to the New Yorker. - Edina's Fairview Southdale Hospital cited for secret videotaping: A federal Medicare investigation has found that [Fairview Southdale Hospital violated the privacy rights]( of certain patients by taping them without their knowledge during psychiatric evaluations in the emergency department. - Mass. officials work to pinpoint cause of "Armageddon"-like blasts: Investigators were working Friday to pinpoint the cause of [a series of dramatic natural gas explosions]( that killed a teenager, injured at least 25 others and left dozens of homes in smoldering ruins. Authorities said an estimated 8,000 people were displaced at the height of Thursday's post-explosion chaos in three towns north of Boston that were rocked by the disaster. - Search of Dallas police shooting victim's apartment was attempt to "smear" him, attorney says: An attorney for the family of a man shot dead in his own apartment by a Dallas police officer says [a police affidavit shows investigators immediately sought evidence to discredit the victim](. The affidavit shows that officers seized, among other items, 10.4 grams of marijuana and a marijuana grinder from Botham Jean's apartment. Attorney Lee Merritt said that showed investigators were immediately looking for drug paraphernalia. - U kicks off search for new president: The U’s governing Board of Regents is meeting Friday and is slated to approve a group of faculty, staff, students, regents and others that will help [recruit and vet candidates alongside a search firm]( the university hired this summer.  Watch this Kite-surfing in a hurricane seems like an incredibly bad idea: [And yet ...](  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - Parkway Theater reopens in south Minneapolis with a much-needed face-lift: The 1940s-era neighborhood theater at 48th and Chicago has opened with [a new mix of programming following a makeover.]( - SpaceX changes plans to send tourists around the moon: SpaceX said it has signed the first private moon traveler, with [some changes to its original game plan.]( - Former 400 Bar co-owner Tom Sullivan dies at 62: [Sullivan helped foster the careers of future local music stars]( including Mason Jennings, Haley Bonar and Caroline Smith.  Sports roundup - Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame is being revived by Star Tribune: If you're asking, "There's a Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame?" — you're forgiven. Ten hall of famers were celebrated as the Class of 2006 at halftime of the Gophers homecoming football game against Indiana on Nov. 4 of that year. Kirby Puckett. Sandy Stephens. Dorothy McIntyre. Rod Carew and six other stars were inducted, bringing the number of honorees to 72. [And then it went dark. Until now.]( - Here’s the test the Packers should administer while making the decision: If you wonder whether Rodgers is healthy enough to play in Week 2, he’s not healthy enough to play in Week 2. Another Rodgers injury would be terrible for him, his franchise and the league, [writes Jim Souhan.]( - "He was in a death spiral": Dennis Anderson recounts how quick thinking and good fortune helped a group of Minnesota men [save their buddy who was mauled by grizzly bears]( in the rugged Beartooth Mountains along the Wyoming-Montana border.  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Quote of the day “It's an uninvited brute who doesn't want to leave.” -- [North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper](, on the arrival of Hurricane Florence.  Worth a click Disaster in the Alps: "Thousands of people flock to the Alps each year to ski tour high-elevation routes, spending comfortable nights in a string of huts that serve wine and hot meals. This spring, a group of experienced skiers and their guide were trapped in a storm overnight on an exposed saddle. By morning, nearly all were dead or dying," [Outside magazine reports.](  Talkers trivia Want to win a Star Tribune travel mug? Today is Friday, so it's time for a trivia question. The correct answer can be found in a story that appeared in Talkers this week. We can't prevent you from simply Googling the answer, so Googling is encouraged! E-mail your answer to [talkers@startribune.com]( by midnight on Sunday night. A winner will be selected at random from the correct responses. That lucky reader will receive an official Star Tribune travel mug, as well as a shout-out in Monday's newsletter. Here is this week's question: Cirque du Soleil is offering refunds to audience members who were accidentally sprayed with what substance during a performance in Washington State? Good luck!  From the archives Sept. 14, 1958: The head of Abraham Lincoln carved from the world's largest known blue sapphire was part of a sapphire exhibit at J.B. Hudson Co. in downtown Minneapolis. (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.](