New York tabloid sends Christmas love to Duluth

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - New York tabloid sends Christmas love to Duluth: Like another feather in its cap, Duluth got an extra stuffer in its stocking recently when a New York tabloid named it one of the 10 best Christmas towns in the nation. The Lake Superior city is in the company of towns such as North Pole, Alaska, Santa Claus, Ind., and Bethlehem, Penn. [So why did Duluth make the list?]( - Gambling growth boosts U.S. Bank Stadium reserves: Pulltabs and other charitable gambling have [generated so much revenue to pay off U.S. Bank Stadium’s debt]( that corporate taxes are no longer needed for that purpose, state officials say. - Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen sentenced to three years in prison: Michael Cohen, who as President Donald Trump's personal lawyer and fixer once vowed he would "take a bullet" for his boss, [was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison]( for an array of crimes that included arranging the payment of hush money to two women that he says was done at the direction of Trump. - Minnesota lawmakers draft remedies for soaring insulin prices: A group of state legislators said Tuesday that it is considering regulations — even price controls — [to rein in the soaring cost of insulin](, which has crimped the budgets of thousands of Minnesota families and caused some diabetics to ration the medication. - Two Illinois militia members accused in Bloomington mosque bombing to be tried in Minnesota: Michael Hari, Michael McWhorter and Joe Morris have been in federal custody since March on [charges out of both Illinois and Minnesota](. Charges against Morris and McWhorter were consolidated Tuesday and will be overseen by Senior U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank in St. Paul. - Scammers may have gained access to Ramsey County clients' personal info: Scammers who hacked into the e-mail accounts of Ramsey County employees this summer had access to [the personal information of about 500 people]( who used some of the county's health and social service programs, according to county officials. - Met Council to vote on barriers to protect bus drivers from assaults: The measure, approved by the council's Transportation Committee on Monday, comes after [several high-profile assaults of drivers]( over the past year, many of which were widely disseminated on social media. - St. Paul's Rice street says goodbye to "Bones": Michael A. “Bones” Hartzell was never a man of words. But with every swish of his broom, every scratch of his rake and every scrape of his spade, he professed his love for St. Paul’s Rice Street. On Tuesday, hundreds of Rice Streeters [told him they loved him right back.](  Watch this Display of raw power turns southern Minnesota horses into viral video stars: Wearing winter shoes to help with traction, two Belgian draft horses [pulled a semitrailer truck up an icy driveway]( on a southern Minnesota ranch.  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - Savage man's successful jingles tout everything from pizza to electric back shavers: Todd Millenacker lost a pizza-eating challenge but [landed a song in a national ad campaign.]( - Barron, Wis., singer makes it to the finals of NBC's "The Voice": Chris Kroeze, a rocker with more than a few country attributes, was [one of three singers who made it to the field of four]( based on their performances Monday night. - KARE's Belinda Jensen dishes on 25 years of predicting the weather: Meteorologist Belinda Jensen has had [a long career that she didn't forecast.](  Sports roundup - Several Gophers football players disciplined, face possible bowl game suspension: [At least six Gophers football players have been disciplined]( and have not been allowed to practice recently in preparation for the Quick Lane Bowl for violating team rules, multiple sources told the Star Tribune. The players face suspension and could miss the Dec. 26 bowl game against Georgia Tech in Detroit. - Natalie Darwitz adds another first to her stellar hockey career: A U.S. women’s national hockey team member at age 15, Olympic medalist at 18 and game-changing college coach at 31, Natalie Darwitz accomplished so much at such a young age. But never, ever has she faced something as daunting as this: Speak 10 minutes uninterrupted about herself, as she will Wednesday night in Nashville, where she’ll become just the fifth woman — and first from Minnesota — [inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.]( - Cousins' play led to DeFilippo's firing, could Zimmer be next? Kirk Cousins' performance Monday at Seattle got offensive coordinator John DeFilippo fired, a move that should be viewed as a possible preview of coming events, [Jim Souhan writes.](  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Quote of the day “You throw out enough crap, and something eventually gets some attention, which is actually what happened.” -- [Todd Millenacker](, a Savage man who has a side gig writing ad jingles.  Worth a click Workers are ghosting their employers like bad dates: "Economists report that workers are starting to act like millennials on Tinder: They’re ditching jobs with nary a text. ... Janitors, baristas, welders, accountants, engineers — they’re all in demand, said Michael Hicks, a labor economist at Ball State University in Indiana. More people may opt to skip tough conversations and slide right into the next thing," [the Washington Post reports.](  From the archives Dec. 12, 1977: David Byrne, center, was surrounded by members of his family during a reunion in Williston, N.D., after being on the road for about two and a half years. Byrne, 20, had been traveling around the world by bicycle since July 15, 1975. He expected to return to his starting point of Amery, Wis., by Christmas, thus completing his trip. In the end, he pedaled more than 26,000 miles. (Photo: Darlene Pfister/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.](