"Boogaloo Boi" opened fire on Minneapolis' Third Precinct on the night it burned, federal charges say

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[Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - "Boogaloo Boi" opened fire on Minneapolis' Third Precinct on the night it burned, federal charges say: A member of the “Boogaloo Bois” open fired on Minneapolis’ Third Precinct with an AK-47-style gun and screamed “Justice for Floyd” as he ran away, in part of a coordinated attack by the far-right anti-government group during unrest over the death of George Floyd, [according to federal charges made public Friday.]( - 2nd Congressional District election will be held Nov. 3, court rules: The election for Minnesota’s Second Congressional District [will go forward on Nov. 3]( after a trio of federal judges on Friday rejected a GOP push to postpone the election until February due to the death of a marijuana party candidate. - More than 1.1 million Minnesotans have voted so far: The volume of early ballots accepted this year is already [almost double the number counted for the entire 2016 election](. With 11 days to go until Nov. 3, the mountain of mail ballots is expected to rise. - North Minneapolis residents plead for city leaders to address gun violence: Several dozen people gathered in north Minneapolis Thursday night for a town hall-style meeting urging city leaders to [address increased gun violence in their North Side community](. - Trump, Biden battle over virus, climate and race in final debate: President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden fought over how to tame the raging coronavirus during the campaign's closing debate, largely shelving the rancor that overshadowed their previous face-off in favor of a more substantive exchange that [highlighted their vastly different approaches]( to the major domestic and foreign challenges facing the nation. With less than two weeks until the election, Trump portrayed himself as the same outsider he first pitched to voters four years ago, repeatedly saying he wasn't a politician. Biden, meanwhile, argued that Trump was an incompetent leader of a country facing multiple crises and tried to connect what he saw as the president's failures to the everyday lives of Americans, especially when it comes to the pandemic. The Associated Press [fact-checks claims made by both contenders.]( Here are [seven takeaways from last night's debate.]( - Michelle Fischbach calls bid against Collin Peterson "a national race": Back on a campaign trail after an unsuccessful stint as Tim Pawlenty’s 2018 gubernatorial running mate, former Minnesota state senator Michelle Fischbach is making her pitch in national terms to flip the sprawling Seventh Congressional District in western Minnesota. A prize recruit for the National Republican Congressional Committee, [Fischbach is aiming to win a district]( that delivered a resounding victory for Trump in 2016 while also sending Peterson back to Congress. - Interracial Twin Cities couple undertake their own reckoning with race in America: Black-white couples have increased from 7.1% to 8.1% of all marriages since 2000, and six years of married life for William and Suzanne Bengtson have coincided with the rise of Black Lives Matter and a surge of attention to inequality. Long before the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis cop forced the nation to confront racism, being an interracial couple has pushed the Bengtsons to [undergo their own private reckoning]( with white and Black realities. - DNR officers try to corral spruce top pirates: Spruce bog pirates in northeastern Minnesota have been cashing in on suburban cravings for holiday greenery by illegally clipping thousands of tree tops and selling them on the black market. Conservation officers for the Department of Natural Resources, aided by foresters, police, deputies and state troopers, are [scrambling to thwart the trade during its pre-Christmas peak](. Suspected thieves have been busted with at least 15,000 pieces of the wild-grown contraband in the DNR’s northeast region since late September. - How many New Deal WPA projects were built in Minnesota? The Works Progress Administration was just one of many federal agencies established by President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, an economic plan to help the country recover from the Great Depression. The program, which began in 1935, hired millions of unemployed people to work on public infrastructure projects. [And thousands of them were in Minnesota.]( - There are 11 days until Election Day! Early voting is underway in Minnesota for the 2020 general election. [Check out our guide to the candidates running for major offices]( and where they stand on the issues, as well as key races in the battle for the state Legislature. Got questions about how to register, how to request an absentee ballot, or how to find your polling place? [Here's what you need to know about how to vote in Minnesota.]( Are you voting for the first time this year? [Here are answers to some basic questions young voters may have.]( What happens after you seal, sign and send in your vote? Here’s a look at [how no-excuse absentee ballots are processed and counted.]( Sign up for [our Morning Hot Dish politics newsletter]( to get the latest campaign and election news. Having any problems voting in Minnesota? [We want to hear about it.](  Watch this Humpback whales put on a show for whale-watchers off Massachusetts: Customers on a whale-watching tour near Stellwagon Bank, Mass., were treated to [an up-close, extended fin-slapping performance]( by two humpback whales last month.  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - Pick the best-dressed pet in our Halloween Pet Costume Contest: It's time to get the vote out! Not in the election, but in the Star Tribune Halloween Pet Costume Contest. Polls are open through midnight Oct. 25 to select the people's choice winner out of [dozens of adorable entries.]( - The 5 best things our food writers ate this week: From pot roast to porchetta, [here’s a rundown of the greatest hits]( from our food writers’ dining diaries over the past seven days. - 8 urban design disasters the Twin Cities has avoided: From doming Nicollet Mall to putting metal trees on Hennepin Avenue, here are [eight ill-conceived Twin Cities development proposals]( that fortunately never came to fruition.  Sports roundup - Vikings great Matt Blair dies at age 70, likely linked to CTE: Matt Blair, one of the greatest linebackers in Vikings history, [died Thursday of what’s believed to be complications from chronic traumatic encephalopathy]( (CTE), the neurodegenerative disease linked to football and considered to be the signature menace in the NFL’s concussion claims in recent years. He was 70 and had been in hospice care for an extended period of time. - Soccer parents trying to organize state tournament after MSHSL won't: A group representing soccer booster clubs in the metro area is [trying to create a state tournament](, and is working around — not with — the Minnesota State High School League. - Take a look inside Sid Hartman's office: Sid’s office reflected his work ethic: chaotic and insatiable with a blurred line between the professional and the personal. The 100-year-old sports columnist made his name by going everywhere, every day, and his office at the Star Tribune was where he gathered up whatever information he had gained and delivered it to readers. But the office was more than a reflection of Sid’s work; [it was also a shrine.]( And here is [Sid's first job evaluation from the Minneapolis Tribune]( in 1945.  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Worth a click Egg-theft scandal rocks Dutch queer penguin community: "Drama is afoot in the Dutch queer penguin community after two gay lovers with a reputation for trouble stole an entire nest of eggs from a neighboring lesbian couple at the same zoo," [writes Amanda Arnold for the Cut.](  Talkers trivia Want to win a $15 gift card of your choice? It's Friday, so that means it's time for another trivia question. The correct answer to this question can be found in a story that appeared in Talkers this week. We can't prevent you from simply Googling the answer, so Googling is encouraged! E-mail your answer to [talkers@startribune.com]( by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. A winner will be selected at random from the correct responses. That lucky reader will receive a $15 card of their choice from one of several retailers — Best Buy, Target, Holiday or Menards — as well as a shout-out in Monday's newsletter. Here is this week's question: The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against which major tech company earlier this week? Good luck!  From the archives Oct. 23, 2019: Birch trees lost all their leaves and stood bare in Hoyt Lakes, in northeastern Minnesota (Photo: Alex Kormann/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 © 2020 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.](