Minneapolis bar Lee's Liquor Lounge closing after 62 years

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Minneapolis bar Lee's Liquor Lounge closing after 62 years: Turn out the lights, [the party’s over at Lee’s Liquor Lounge.]( - Minnesota graduation rate hits all-time high as racial gap narrows slightly: Just over 83 percent of students graduated on time in 2018, according to data released Tuesday by the Minnesota Department of Education. That was up about half a percentage point from a year earlier. [Yet significant gaps remain]( between the graduation rates of white students and students of color. - No fingerprints on squad car belonged to Justine Damond, specialist testifies: Prosecutors attacked the theory that Justine Ruszczyk Damond struck former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor's squad before he fatally shot her, calling a fingerprint specialist who testified Monday that [none of the 51 prints lifted from the vehicle were hers.]( - Boys allowed to join Minnesota high school dance teams: The Minnesota State High School League has agreed to a settlement that will [allow boys to compete on high school dance teams]( beginning with the 2019-20 school year. - Brothers sue Jussie Smollett's lawyers, claiming defamation: Two brothers who say they helped Jussie Smollett stage a racist and homophobic attack against himself filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the "Empire" actor's attorneys, alleging that they repeatedly asserted publicly that the brothers carried out a real, bigoted attack on Smollett [despite knowing that wasn't true.]( - Water tunnel under Mississippi River will be a feat of modern engineering: The Mighty Mississippi has long been both the source of Minneapolis’ drinking water and one of the most significant obstacles to its distribution. Starting this summer, the marvels of modern engineering may solve [a problem that has bedeviled city engineers]( for more than a century. A high-tech machine will grind through rock deep below the Mississippi, carving a tunnel to keep one of the city’s most important drinking-water pipes safe from the elements. - Walgreens to raise minimum age for store tobacco sales: Walgreens has decided to [ban tobacco sales to customers under the age of 21](, several weeks after a federal official called the drugstore chain a top violator of laws restricting access to cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and other products. - South St. Paul students lobby to wear ethnic-pride sashes at graduation: It’s not often that students outnumber adults at a school board meeting. But on Monday, more than two dozen teens turned out in South St. Paul, asking the board to [let them show their colors at graduation.]( - Inside the dark hidden culture of America's largest jewelry store empire: An investigation by the New York Times Magazine reveals that thousands of women who worked for Kay, Jared, Zales and other stores owned by Sterling Jewelers, were [subjected to pay discrimination and harassment]( — and some were pressured into sex with executives in order to receive promotions or transfers.  Watch this Earthquake turns Manila high-rise's penthouse pool into a waterfall: A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the Philippines on Monday, leaving at least 11 dead. The temblor sent water from a rooftop swimming pool at Manila's Anchor Skysuites [cascading hundreds of feet to the street below.](  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - Americans getting more sedentary, and computers are partly to blame: Over almost a decade, [average daily sitting time increased by roughly an hour](, to about eight hours for U.S. teens and almost 6 1/2 hours for adults, according to a new study. That includes school and work hours, but leisure-time computer use among all ages increased too. - How Dungeons and Dragons somehow became more popular than ever: Yes, D&D is back. But it’s cool now (sort of). And legions are into it, including an unprecedented number of adult and female players, attracted by a popular recent revamp and new online playing options. It’s the ultimate sign that [nerd culture is now mainstream.]( - Tips for Minnesota drivers on new "hands-free" cellphone law: The law means that you can’t have your phone in your hand while you are driving. “One-touch functions” will still be allowed if the phone is accessed without holding it, typing or scrolling. This means that you will need something to hold your phone so you can tap, but not type. And you’ll need the blessing of a 10th-century Nordic monarch, [writes James Lileks](.  Sports roundup - Coming out brings new freedom, complexity for gay Minneapolis lacrosse coach: Since Aron Lipkin came out publicly last fall, the coach found mostly support, and a new awareness of derogatory behavior that can [permeate the sports culture.]( - For Boudreau and Wild, it's torture on the outside looking in: On Monday, Boudreau was starting his third week of digesting the fact that the 2018-19 Wild was only [his second team in a dozen NHL seasons]( to miss the playoffs, writes Patrick Reusse. - How Adam Thielen almost became a Packer: Thielen is a classic example that — sorry, draftniks — the NFL draft [never was and never will be an exact science]( capable of being mastered by bleary-eyed talent evaluators working 23 hours a day.  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Quote of the day “For so long, I’ve just had to sit and watch. Now I’ll finally be able to participate.” -- [Zachary Greenwald](, a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Minnesota State High School League to allow boys to compete on high school dance teams.  Worth a click Court says using chalk on tires for parking enforcement is unconstitutional: "The next time parking enforcement officers use chalk to mark your tires, they might be acting unconstitutionally. A federal appeals court ruled Monday that 'chalking' is a violation of the Fourth Amendment," [NPR reports.](  From the archives April 23, 1978: The Royal Hudson — reportedly the largest steam locomotive in regular passenger service in North America — steamed in to Minneapolis on its 38-day tour of the U.S. and Canada. The train was met at Minnehaha Park by hundreds of people who braved April showers to get a look at the vintage locomotive and tour four exhibit coaches from the British Columbia Provincial Museum. 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