Minneapolis plans largest property tax levy hike in a decade

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Minneapolis plans largest property tax levy hike in a decade: After deliberating one final time over the city’s public safety spending, the Minneapolis City Council on Wednesday night is expected to approve a $1.6 billion budget for the coming year, one supported by [the largest property tax levy increase in a decade](. The St. Paul City Council is [expected to approve its 2020 budget Wednesday](, with a $9 million property tax bump to pay for road repairs, recreation center programs and community ambassadors to help curb a spike in gun violence. - Academic, author, artist ID'd as woman struck and killed in Warehouse District: Yvonne S. Palka, 81, of Maple Grove, died on Nov. 30 at HCMC, three weeks after [a car hit her and husband Johnny Palka]( late in the afternoon at 5th Avenue and N. 2nd Street, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office and police. - Jersey City mayor says gunmen targeted kosher market: The gunmen in a furious firefight that left six people dead in Jersey City clearly targeted a Jewish market, the mayor said Wednesday, fueling growing suspicions [the bloodshed was an anti-Semitic attack](. A police officer, three bystanders and the killers all died in the violence Tuesday afternoon in the city of 270,000 people across the Hudson River from New York City. - Mastermind in massive Minneapolis meth ring gets 22 years in prison: A 35-year-old Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for masterminding [a long-running multistate drug-trafficking operation]( that involved hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and other illicit drugs worth millions of dollars. - Trump, allies aim to delegitimize impeachment from the start: Where Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton treated the prospect of impeachment as a serious threat to their presidencies, President Donald Trump and his boosters have [tried to brush off the whole thing.]( Believing that acquittal by the GOP-controlled Senate is all but certain, they're out to convince voters to punish the president's Democratic accusers — or at least tune out the Washington spectacle. - Woman sues after being denied emergency contraception at two central Minnesota pharmacies: The suit, filed in Aitkin County District Court, alleges that the McGregor Thrifty White as well as a CVS pharmacy in nearby Aitkin [discriminated against the woman based on sex](. It also contends that denying her service based on pregnancy-related health care needs violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act. - Minnesota is running out of 3.2% beer as companies halt production: Minnesota’s supply of 3.2% beer is drying up. Two major beer producers, Heineken USA and Constellation Brands, recently bowed out of the 3.2 market. Their exits will only affect Minnesotans, of course, as the state is the last in the nation to restrict neighborhood supermarkets and convenience stores to selling only the weak brew. [A Republican state senator wants to change that.]( - Georgia man apologizes for slapping reporter's rear during race on live TV: A Georgia man has apologized on-camera for slapping a female reporter's rear on live TV after the video clip garnered outrage among millions who viewed it online and prompted police to [investigate the case as a possible sexual battery.]( - Thunberg "a bit surprised" to be Time's "Person of the Year": Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg said she was surprised and honored Wednesday to learn [she had been named Time's youngest "Person of the Year,"]( saying the accolade deserved to be shared by others in the global movement she helped inspire.  Watch this Polar bear hunts drone from under sea ice: This footage of [a curious polar bear playing a version of whack-a-mole]( with a a drone was captured last month in the Arctic Circle near Ryrkaypiy, Russia.  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - Why being a millennial could be hazardous to your health: The health of millennials is deteriorating more rapidly than older generations’ did, and [that could have a devastating effect on the economy](, according to a new report by Moody’s Analytics and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. - Cheerios changes shape for new marketing campaign: [Out with the “O” and in with the heart.]( - Once-abandoned Dayton's/Macy's elves reappear in Duluth holiday display: A holiday light show in Duluth [has reunited several figures]( from the beloved eighth-floor displays.  Sports roundup - How did the Timberwolves get Wiggins to change? The much-discussed Wolves player is averaging career-highs in almost every category. The bond of fatherhood has [a lot to do with that.]( - Do the Twins have a shot at Madison Bumgarner? It could be a tall order, as reports have the Dodgers and Angels also pivoting toward Bumgarner, [who wants a nine-figure deal.]( - St. Cloud State, Minnesota Crookston drop football programs: In a statement, St. Cloud State President Robbyn Wacker said the move will address both a budget shortfall and [the school’s struggles to comply with federal Title IX regulations](. SCSU also will cut men’s and women’s golf, and it will add men’s soccer. A statement released by Minnesota Crookston cited the school’s inability to fund football facilities, scholarships, staffing and student-athlete development.  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Quote of the day “I would like to be left alone.” -- [Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg](, asked about her plans for the coming days after being named Time's "Person of the Year."  Worth a click After 37 years in prison, a Baltimore drug lord returns to face his city's ruins: [A great story from the Baltimore Sun]( follows Maurice "Peanut" King, once a heroin kingpin and now a 65-year-old grandfather, as he tries to make amends for the destruction the drugs he and others sold wrought on his community.  From the archives Dec. 11, 1953: Judd C. Nelson, a patient at Veterans Hospital, wrote a letter to the Minneapolis Star calling attention to the fact that he had not yet seen a picture of that year's Christmas decorations on Nicollet Avenue. He recalled that such a picture usually appears shortly after Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact, the Nicollet Avenue picture was long overdue. The photographer assigned to take the picture had been waiting for a snowfall that would give the picture a more Christmas-like appearance. In the meantime, a photographer stopped by the hospital for a photo of Nelson to be published alongside one from Nicollet Avenue. (Photo: 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.](