Pothole repairs to reduce I-35W to single lane in Minneapolis

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Pothole repairs to reduce I-35W to single lane in Minneapolis: [Drivers can expect delays in the downtown Minneapolis construction zone]( on I-35W Monday and Tuesday as the Minnesota Department of Transportation patches potholes. - Ice jams, melting snow escalate flooding in Minnesota, region: Crews in southern Minnesota used pumps and backhoes Sunday to [battle flooding caused by melting snow and ice chunks]( that choked creeks, sending water spilling onto nearby land. In other parts of the Midwest, surging waters overwhelmed rivers and forced residents from their homes in Iowa and Nebraska. - Klobuchar, other 2020 Dems quickly take aim at O'Rourke: Back when he was still just teasing a presidential run, Beto O'Rourke told Vanity Fair he was "born to be in" the race. Now that he's campaigning to far greater media attention and much larger crowds than many Democrats who've been competing longer, they are taking offense at the former Texas congressman's sense of entitlement. [Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar drew the sharpest such contrast]( on Sunday, saying "I wasn't born to run. But I am running" while acknowledging, "Oh, that's the Beto line." - St. Paul gunman killed man who came to defense of shooter's girlfriend, charges say: A 19-year-old man was charged Monday with [fatally shooting a 21-year-old man in the eye]( during an altercation inside a Frogtown home. - Minnesota food bank turns shipping container into lettuce farm: It’s the busy planting season for Eric Reller all year round inside a dark shipping container in Brooklyn Park. The freight container holds a mini hydroponic farm where he plants seeds and rows of lettuce under LED lights. But the leafy greens aren’t for sale. Instead, the lettuce is sent to Twin Cities nonprofits that provide meals to people in need through [a new pilot program from Second Harvest Heartland](, Minnesota’s largest food bank. - Public access to hundreds of St. Paul police reports restricted by "lockdown" policy: From 2011 to 2018, about 275 St. Paul police cases, or more than 6,500 pages of reports, [have been placed on “administrative lockdown,”]( which renders a police report invisible except to select police leaders and civilian supervisors at the discretion of commanders and higher-ranking officers. A written policy sets out broad guidelines but doesn’t include criteria for what qualifies a case for lockdown, nor detail when and how a report should be unlocked. - Minnesota suicides, other "preventable deaths" rose again in 2017: [Suicide deaths in Minnesota rose by 5 percent]( in 2017, continuing a trend that began in 2000 and reaching a record level, according to data released Monday by the Minnesota Health Department. Deaths from opioid overdoses also increased in 2017, rising 12 percent to 422, while deaths attributed to alcohol-related causes dropped slightly to 636, the Health Department said. - Two winemakers fight on against Minnesota grape law in court: The owners of two Minnesota’s wineries have appealed last year’s dismissal by a federal judge of their suit that challenged a Minnesota law that [limits their feedstock to mostly Minnesota-grown grapes](. - Crowds force California city to close super bloom viewing: Overwhelming crowds forced authorities to [shut down viewing of a super bloom of poppies]( on hills around a small Southern California city.  Watch this Please enjoy these six seconds of weirdness: It's unclear what exactly is happening here, but [this loop keeps getting funnier every time](.  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - 6 new Twin Cities restaurants to know about: Spring is around the corner, and [so are new restaurants, pop-ups and franchises]( that wisely waited for the thaw before opening their doors. The new season is also a chance for changes at some established locales. And, sadly, we have some closings to report. - Go inside Denny Hecker's former lakeside mansion retreat: Apparently, ex-auto mogul Denny Hecker’s former lakeside retreat was simply too extravagant, too excessive — and too pricey — to find a buyer for [the $8.5 million property on the market]( since 2017. - 5 small town meat markets worth the drive: Come with us on a road trip to the state's [best family-run, tradition-loving meat markets.](  Sports roundup - Gophers head to Des Moines to face Pitino's former program Louisville: A corner room on the sixth floor of Athletes Village erupted with cheers on Selection Sunday when the Gophers, along with family and friends, found out they were one of 68 teams bound for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Coach Richard Pitino’s first reaction seemed to be one of surprise, though, when the team’s opponent was announced: [Louisville, in a 7-10 matchup Thursday in Des Moines.]( - Vikings offensive line takes a hit as Easton goes to New Orleans: Nick Easton will likely [fill the Saints’ opening at center](, where he started five games in 2016 for the Vikings before moving to left guard. - Whitecaps work overtime to win NWHL championship in its first season: At the start of overtime Sunday, Jack Brodt predicted the Isobel Cup would be won on an ugly goal. The Whitecaps co-head coach instructed his players to hover around the net, looking for the tip or the rebound or the fortunate bounce that would break a tie with Buffalo. Lee Stecklein expected things to play out that way, too. Instead, the Whitecaps defenseman delivered a beauty: a smash from the left point that ripped past Buffalo goalie Nicole Hensley, giving the Whitecaps a hard-earned 2-1 victory in the Isobel Cup final. Her goal 49 seconds into the extra period sent a standing-room crowd at Tria Rink into a frenzy, [ending the Whitecaps’ first season in the National Women’s Hockey League]( with a 14-4 record and a crown.  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Quote of the day “It’s the future of food and we want to see if a food bank can be a part of that.” -- [Bob Branham](, director of produce strategy at Second Harvest, on the food bank's mini hydroponic lettuce farm built inside a shipping container.  Worth a click How parents are robbing children of their adulthood: "Today’s 'snowplow parents' keep their children’s futures obstacle-free — even when it means crossing ethical and legal boundaries," [the New York Times reports](. You're not going to want to miss the anecdote about the parents who protected their child from encountering foods covered with sauce for her entire life.  Trivia winner Congratulations to Laurence Wryk! Laurence was randomly selected from among the readers who correctly answered that Milwaukee will host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. He wins a Star Tribune travel mug. Be sure to check back Friday for another trivia question!  From the archives March 18, 1992: With his mother, Dawn, Michael Krulikosky, 3, pushed the elevator button at Minneapolis Children's Hospital, where he had spent his entire life and waited for it to whisk him to freedom at home in Alexandria, Minn. Michael was born prematurely and suffered from hyaline membrane disease, which affected the functioning of his lungs. (Photo: Stormi Greener/Star Tribune) Connect with Star Tribune [facebook]([twitter]([pinterest]([instagram]( [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 © 2019 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.](