U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte made up robbery story, police say

To view this email as a web page, [click here] [Star Tribune] Talkers Top stories - U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte made up robbery story, police say: A Brazilian police official is telling The Associated Press that [American swimmer Ryan Lochte fabricated a story about being robbed at gunpoint] with three other swimmers in Rio de Janeiro to cover up an incident at a gas station. [Two of Lochte's teammates were pulled off a flight] to the U.S. yesterday and ordered to remain in Brazil until they provided testimony to investigators. In a remarkable statement, a spokesman for the Olympics asked everyone to "give these kids a break," despite the fact that Lochte is 32 years old. [Michael Rand writes] that "the most ridiculous thing about this Ryan Lochte story is the fact that the most ridiculous thing is not the story itself." - Gas leak closes I-94 at Lowry Hill tunnel: Both directions of Interstate 94 at the Lowry Hill Tunnel in downtown Minneapolis are closed after [a natural gas leak was reported in the area], the Minnesota Department of Transportation said. - Ilhan Omar answers questions about marriage history: Ilhan Omar, whose victory in a Minneapolis DFL primary last week means she likely will become the nation’s first Somali-American legislator, released [a statement Wednesday that sought to clear up questions] about her marital history. - Gawker to shut down in wake of Hulk Hogan judgment: "After nearly fourteen years of operation, Gawker.com will be shutting down next week. The decision to close Gawker comes days after Univision successfully bid $135 million for Gawker Media’s six other websites, and four months after the Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel revealed his clandestine legal campaign against the company," [Gawker reports.] Despite all its faults and questionable decisions over the years, Gawker was a new media pioneer that launched the careers of many of the internet's most talented and entertaining young writers, and for that it will be missed. One writer, Adrien Chen, has [penned this tribute to his former employer] for the New Yorker, titled "Gawker was a great place to become a journalist." Read Felix Salmon on the implications of a billionaire using his vast resources [to litigate a disfavored media outlet to death.] - Shakopee gives Shutterfly another year to meet job goals: The photo company, which opened a manufacturing plant in Shakopee in 2014, [fell 28 jobs short of the 258 jobs that it agreed to create within about two years]. Both the Scott County Board and the Shakopee City Council voted 4-1 this week to extend the deadline, while also reducing Shutterfly’s tax abatements by 11 percent to reflect the shortage. - Ex-Viking Darren Sharper sentenced to 18 years for rapes: Former NFL star Darren Sharper [has been sentenced to 18 years and four months in prison] in a case where he was accused of drugging and raping as many as 16 women in four states. - Obama administration will stop using private prisons: The Justice Department says [it's phasing out its relationships with private prisons] after a recent audit found the private facilities have more safety and security problems than ones run by the government. - Ruby Tuesday closing several Twin Cities restaurants The Tennessee-based casual restaurant chain, citing a slowdown in the casual dining scene nationwide, is closing 95 of its "underperforming restaurants," i[ncluding all but four locally.] - Canister labeled "radioactive material" washes up on Wisconsin beach: The small, shiny object caught the eye of beachgoer near the mouth of Wisconsin’s Poplar River on Wednesday morning. A closer look revealed something more ominous than just a lost trinket: [a mysterious container with the inscription “caution-radioactive material.”] - Dayton releases two years of tax returns: [Gov. Mark Dayton reported total income of $385,000 last year] and $380,000 the year before that in tax returns he voluntarily released on Thursday. - New 20-story ride coming to Valleyfair: Visitors will be able to soar high above the Shakopee amusement park next year on [a new ride called the North Star.] Watch this A Trump campaign spokesman's awkward moment on CNN: Donald Trump's lawyer and campaign surrogate Michael Cohen made "Says who?" an instant internet meme yesterday when he appeared to be unaware that his boss is down in virtually every recent poll during [this incredibly uncomfortable interview with CNN's Brianna Keilar.] Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com]. Trending - Minnesota man finds himself playing bridge with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett: When Bjorgvin Kristinsson took to playing bridge as a kid growing up in Iceland, he had no idea it would eventually land him [a spot on a team with two of the world's richest men.] - "Brady Bunch's" Jan makes a killing on Malibu home she bought at 11: The Los Angeles Times reports actress Eve Plumb, who played Jan on the 1970s sitcom, has sold a Malibu beach house for $3.9 million, 47 years after [buying it for $55,300 at the age of 11 in 1969.] - Amy Schumer "disappointed" by comedy writer's rape comments: "The star and creator of 'Inside Amy Schumer' commented on the most recent actions of one of the former writers of her show, Kurt Metzger, who has created a great deal of controversy online for his comments on rape accusations and the comedy world," [Vulture reports]. In unrelated news, ["Inside Amy Schumer" will be on hiatus] for the "foreseeable future" while Schumer works on other projects, the comedian said. - How Minnesota's largest library stacks up nationally: A Star Tribune analysis of national library data found that, among major U.S. library systems, [few match the per-capita resources of Hennepin County.] Sports roundup - Can Cordarrelle Patterson save his career with the Vikings? To carve out a significant role on offense for the first time since the first half of the 2014 season, [the wide receiver likely needs to show the Vikings some proof] that he took seriously their requests to become a more polished pass-catcher. - Five Vikings players to watch tonight in Seattle: Don’t call this a revenge game as a Vikings preseason win on Thursday night would pale in comparison to both losses last year and the meaningful player evaluations to come at CenturyLink Field. [Here are five Vikings who will be playing to solidify their roles or roster spots.] - Former Gopher gets his place in 5,000-meter final: After initially being denied, the former Minneapolis South and Gophers runner's [appeal for a spot in the 5,000-meter finals was granted late Wednesday] following a final-lap fall in Rio. - Lindsay Whalen focuses on gold, not distractions: [The U.S. women's basketball team will face France in the semifinals today], and Whalen may have only two Olympic games remaining in her career. Quote of the day “I don’t have much social life. All of my friends are in their 70s.” -- Bridge player [Bjorgvin Kristinsson], 46, of Richfield, who recently played in a tournament with billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Worth a click Your guide to every national park in America: [This handy feature from the Washington Post] commemorates the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service with a ton of information about every park, and lets you track and share how many you've visited. From the archives Aug. 18, 1979: President Jimmy Carter goes for a jog on a high school track in Prairie du Chien, Wis., during a stop on a weeklong cruise down the Mississippi River with his family. The Carters joined about 150 other passengers traveling between St. Paul and St. Louis aboard the Delta Queen steamboat. (Photo: Eric Pianin/Star Tribune) Connect with Star Tribune [facebook] [twitter] [google+] [pinterest] [instagram] [tumblr] [Sign up for more newsletters] • [Subscribe to Star Tribune] • [Privacy Policy] • [Unsubscribe] This email was sent by: StarTribune, 650 3rd Ave S, Suite #1300, Minneapolis, MN, 55488 © 2015 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.]