Minnesota grants first posthumous pardon in rape case connected to 1920 Duluth lynchings

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Minnesota grants first posthumous pardon in rape case connected to 1920 Duluth lynchings: Max Mason, a “scapegoat” for a mob that lynched three innocent black men in Duluth 100 years ago Monday, has been cleared of his century-old rape conviction. On Friday morning the Minnesota Board of Pardons [granted Mason the state’s first posthumous pardon.]( - Walz says police overhaul now a special session priority: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz [laid out a wide-ranging overhaul of law enforcement]( Thursday as lawmakers return to the State Capitol for a special session shadowed by the memory of George Floyd, a black man who died in the hands of Minneapolis police. - Policing debate showcases strength of Minnesota legislators of color: Members of the People of Color and Indigenous Caucus are [taking the lead in drafting and advocating for a sweeping criminal justice]( and police accountability package now at the center of the special session that started Friday. Some are vowing to withhold votes on a major public works bill and other top legislative priorities without action on the slate of police reform proposals. - 5 Minneapolis council members propose letting voters decide future of police department: Minneapolis voters would be able to decide in November whether to eliminate the police department from the city charter and replace it with a new department “to provide for community safety and violence prevention,” under [a proposal floated Friday by five City Council members.]( - COVID-19 deaths in long-term care surpass 1,000 in Minnesota: [More than 1,000 Minnesotans living in long-term care]( and related facilities have died of COVID-19, a milestone that reflects the heavy toll the pandemic has had on elderly and vulnerable people in the state. - HealthPartners, Medica cut fees for 70,000 in Medicare plans: HealthPartners and Medica are [waiving certain fees for more than 70,000 people]( in Medicare health plans to encourage seniors to seek care despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The moves respond to signs that many people have been putting doctor visits on hold, possibly due to worries about exposure to the novel coronavirus. - Walz says he understands why Columbus statue was toppled, but there will be consequences: Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday that he doesn’t condone protesters who tore down a statue of Christopher Columbus at the Minnesota Capitol, but that he understands why they did it. Walz’s remarks came after [criticism from Republican legislative leaders]( of his administration’s muted response to the statue’s toppling. - Stillwater School Board ousts superintendent Denise Pontrelli: [Tension has brewed in the district]( as some board members and residents had been at odds with Pontrelli following the controversial decision in 2016 to close three elementary schools and move students to new schools as a way to accommodate enrollment growth in the south part of the district. A school bus garage the district built in Lake Elmo also was shut down. - With many out of work, young protesters get first taste of activism after Floyd killing: The killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police has pulled thousands of people across the country out of quarantine and into the streets. Many of these participants are currently out of work due to the coronavirus, or have yet to find their first post-graduation job. With so much time on their hands, some said [there is nowhere else they’d rather be.]( - Shrine to George Floyd could become permanent: City, state and community leaders are [exploring ways to create a lasting tribute to Floyd]( at the intersection where he was killed — and where thousands of visitors have since paused, protested and prayed — that would remain long after the flowers and plywood paintings are cleared away.  Watch this Breakfast, Lego-style: Tom Osteen uses the famous interlocking toy blocks to make stop-motion cooking videos for his YouTube channel. [This time, it's Lego French toast.](  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - Popular Lyn-Lake restaurant that closed last year is back: After sitting dormant since last September, the restaurant that kick-started the urban renaissance at Lyndale Av. and Lake St. in Minneapolis 38 years ago is back in business. [It’s Greek To Me has quietly reopened its doors](, with a slightly altered name. - Two young artists create a "cemetery" in Minneapolis to honor victims of police killings: Lifted by social media, [two art-school grads create "Say Their Names Cemetery"]( to memorialize victims of police violence. - After 24 seasons, "The Bachelor" picks its first black lead: “The Bachelor” and its spinoff shows [have long been criticized for their lack of diversity]( in casting, and in how contestants of color are treated on the show.  Sports roundup - Twins go for youth, raw skills as they complete 2020 draft: With the virus-abbreviated amateur draft slashed to just five rounds, a consensus grew that teams would take fewer gambles on young prospects, and especially the Twins, who possessed only four picks. Instead, on Thursday [the Twins chose a 20-year-old outfielder]( with barely more than one season of major-college experience, and a pair of 17-year-olds with extraordinary power: one a power arm, one a power bat. - What's up with Dalvin Cook's holdout threat? If you could turn up the heat on your boss just a little, at least symbolically, while also skipping out on some torturous Zoom meetings, [wouldn’t you do it?]( - BWCA outfitters take on COVID-19 one problem, one month at a time: Trips into the BWCA are [taking new levels of planning]( owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, but outfitters from Ely to the Gunflint Trail seem determined to adapt after the Forest Service opened the wilderness to overnight trips May 18. Since then it’s been nearly a month of adjusted operation, trips and expectations — and with more change looming in and around the wilderness.  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Worth a click Ex-DEA spokesman pleads guilty to an absolutely wild $4.4. million fraud scheme: The New York Times reports that former Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Garrison Kenneth Courtney, 44, bilked at least a dozen companies out of millions of dollars by [pretending to be CIA officer]( involved in an phony intelligence gathering operation who needed to be put on their payrolls to provide cover for his fictitious spy work.  From the archives June 13, 1937: The Lone Sheepherder. Far out on the open ranges these isolated denizens of the plains country tend their flocks for twenty-fours hours of the day. If there's a song for the old sheep herder, loneliest of the lonely, it's lost in the current surge of cowboy melody. (Photo: Charles J. Belden/Star Tribune) CORRECTION: Due to a technical glitch, the archival photo did not appear in yesterday's edition of Talkers. You can [view the image of the Northern Lights over Hwy. 97 in Washington County here](. 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 © 2020 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.](