Twin Cities-area youth hockey coach dies after hitting head on ice

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Twin Cities-area youth hockey coach dies after hitting head on ice: [A beloved youth hockey coach]( from the communities of St. Michael and Albertville died over the weekend, the family confirmed. Harv Graczyk had coached youth hockey teams in the towns just west of the metro area for more than 30 years. - Delta relaunching nonstop service between MSP and Mexico City: It marks Delta's [third announcement of a new international destination]( for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport this year. - "Dump" or treasure? Minneapolis Park Board weighs Wirth house's fate: One of the perks of being a superintendent for the Minneapolis Park Board is living in a grand, six-bedroom house near Lake Harriet. Despite its prime location and enticing rent, only half of the park leaders have moved in over the years, leaving the 108-year-old Dutch Colonial mostly vacant for months at a time. With Al Bangoura, the incoming superintendent, likely to move in, [questions are swirling about the future of the house](. - Minnesota has plenty of jobs, but health insurance? Not so much. Nine years into a robust economic expansion, with Minnesota's unemployment rate at historic lows, the number of people on public health insurance for the poor [is still at historic highs.]( - U.S conducts airstrikes against extremists in Somalia, killing 62: Six U.S. airstrikes that killed more than 60 people in a coastal Somali town were pre-emptive strikes to prevent a major extremist attack, [according to a Somali intelligence officer.]( - Florida dad "shattered" after fatally shooting one son to save another: A sheriff says a Florida father is "absolutely shattered" after [fatally shooting his 30-year-old son]( who'd gotten into a confrontation with his younger brother over a game of pool. - Two killed when pickup strikes horse-drawn buggy in Stearns County: A Ford F-150 driven by Marc Lucas Knapp, 23, of Avon, was northbound on County Road 9 when it [struck the single horse-drawn buggy from behind.]( - With departure of Arby's, downtown Minneapolis has a fast food gap: Without notice or a farewell, Arby’s closed its downtown Minneapolis restaurant the weekend before Thanksgiving and a gap suddenly became clear: the biggest fast food joints have [abandoned the heart of the city.](  Watch this Man fights off attacking snake in Thailand police station: [He remains remarkably composed](, all things considered.  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - Garth Brooks adds second Minneapolis concert at Gov. Dayton's urging: The country music star [announced a second U.S. Bank Stadium show]( in May — at the gentle urging of Gov. Mark Dayton — after the first sold out in an hour with 50,000 people still hoping for tickets. - Dessa, Minnesota Orchestra to record live album at Orchestra Hall: The love affair between Dessa and the Minnesota Orchestra will blossom even further next spring, as they [announced plans to record an album together]( at a pair of concerts on March 26 and 28. - Twin Cities chefs take hot cocoa to a new level: It’s a sepia-tinged memory: The holidays. A nip in the air. A piping cup of hot cocoa. It’s prime time to indulge again. But the [toasty interpretations of the classic drink]( now on Twin Cities cafe menus resemble the cups from your memories only through the nostalgia you’ll feel while drinking them.  Sports roundup - Stefanski succeeds in debut, but tougher tests ahead: In his debut as offensive coordinator, Kevin Stefanski faced one of the NFL's worst defenses and his game plan led to [the Vikings' largest point total of the season](, writes Jim Souhan. - Week 15 results mean more potential playoff destinations for Vikings: A pair of upsets after the Vikings got off the field on Sunday mean [the Vikings’ list of wild-card scenarios]( is significantly longer than it was at the beginning of the day. - Saturday's all right for fighting at the Xcel: There was no love lost between the Wild and Flames on Saturday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center. [Just some blood.](  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Quote of the day “I haven’t had 50,000 people come to my events in my entire career.” -- [Gov. Mark Dayton](, during a conference call in which country music star Garth Brooks announced a second concert at U.S. Bank Stadium in May.  Worth a click My dad's friendship with Charles Barkley: Shirley Wang tells the heartwarming story of the long friendship between [one of the NBA's all-time great players and her father](, a cat litter scientist from Muscatine, Iowa.  Trivia winner Congratulations to Korrinne Kanne! Korrinne was randomly selected from among the readers who correctly answered that the New York Post was the tabloid that named Duluth one of the top Christmas towns in America. She wins a Star Tribune travel mug. Talkers Trivia will be taking a break for the rest of the year while your newsletter scribe is on vacation. It will return in the new year.  From the archives Dec. 17, 1963: Twenty-seven years after the death of Minnesota Gov. Floyd B. Olson, much of his personal property was auctioned to the public in Minneapolis. Olson's widow, who lived in Brainerd, decided to sell the objects, which had been in storage for decades. (Photo: Jack Gillis/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.](