Minnesota chooses 9,425 seniors to receive COVID-19 vaccine

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - Minnesota chooses 9,425 seniors to receive COVID-19 vaccine: State officials have begun notifying seniors who were picked to receive COVID-19 vaccines this week. [More than 206,000 Minnesotans age 65 and over have registered]( to get the shot. That includes those who signed up on astate websiteor by phone Tuesday, as well as 11,000 who were on the waiting list from the previous week. A total of 9,425 appointments are available this week at nine state community testing sites. As many as 90,000 Americans are projected to die from the coronavirus in the next four weeks, [the Biden administration warned in its first science briefing]( on the COVID-19 pandemic, as experts outlined efforts to improve the delivery and injection of COVID-19 vaccines. - Walz budget proposal would raise taxes on wealthiest Minnesotans: [Gov. Tim Walz proposed a $52.4 billion state budget]( Tuesday that would raise taxes on the wealthiest Minnesotans, corporations and tobacco products while trying to ease the pandemic's burden on students, lower-income families and small business owners. - Hennepin County to delay some trials for safety while Chauvin is tried for Floyd death: Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's March trial in George Floyd's death [could delay many other jury trials in Hennepin County]( due to security concerns. - Minneapolis settles first police misconduct suit stemming from Floyd protests: The city of Minneapolis has settled a lawsuit by a demonstrator who suffered an eye injury when a police officer fired a projectile at her in the aftermath of George Floyd's death. [The City Council has approved a payment of $57,900]( to Graciela Cisneros and her attorneys. Mayor Jacob Frey officially signed off on the payout last Tuesday. [Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo has taken himself out of the running]( for the top police job in San Jose, Calif. The Minneapolis Police Department issued a statement Tuesday evening, a day after San Jose announced that he was among the finalists for the job there. - Stauber, other Republicans call on Biden to dump Interior nominee: Rep. Pete Stauber, who caused friction with tribal leaders in his district by opposing a congresswoman and tribal member as the new Interior Secretary, on Tuesday sent a letter to President Joe Biden [asking that he withdraw her nomination]( over her stance on mining. - U.S. terrorism alert warns of politically motivated violence: [The Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin](Wednesday warning of the potential for lingering violence from people motivated by anti-government sentiment after President Joe Biden's election. - Biden aims for most ambitious U.S. effort to date on climate change: In what would be the most ambitious U.S. effort ever to stave off the worst effects of climate change, [President Joe Biden is aiming to cut oil, gas and coal emissions]( and double energy production from offshore wind turbines through executive orders Wednesday. - Six charged in spree of armed carjackings in Twin Cities: [Six men ages 18 to 23 are now charged]( in U.S. District Court with pulling off auto thefts, robberies, drug deals and other crimes largely in St. Paul from May until January, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release issued Tuesday. - Minneapolis teachers union files charge over lack of talks about in-person return: Leaders of the Minneapolis teachers union have [taken the rare step of filing an unfair labor practice charge]( against Minneapolis Public Schools, saying the district has refused to negotiate crucial safety measures for educators returning to in-person teaching. - MnDOT turns to digital signs to warn drivers about snowplows: The Minnesota Department of Transportation is testing technologythat uses digital sign boardsto [warn motorists when they are approaching snowplows]( or slow-moving maintenance trucks, a pilot project that could pave the way for the agency to deliver audio alerts directly to drivers' smartphones. WATCH THIS Please enjoy this Buddhist monk's performance of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck": [Namaste](. 🙏 Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. TRENDING - Levi's to offer exclusive home collection at Target: After a decadelong relationship with Target, [Levi's is launching a limited-time, exclusive home and lifestyle collection]( at Target with more than 100 items from dishware to pet beds. It's the jean maker's first home collection collaboration, and most of the products will be priced below $25. - After 20 years, beloved Twin Cities soupmaker behind Birdsong Soups is retiring: After 20 years of unlocking the possibilities of lentils, white beans, chickpeas and more onions than she can possibly count, [self-professed "Soupa Star" Pam Knutson is retiring at the end of February.]( - Apple urges security upgrade to iPhones, iPads: Apple is urging iPhone and iPad users to [update their devices to fix security flaws]( that might have been "actively exploited" by hackers. Apple made the software upgrades available Tuesday, adding a rare note suggesting it was a serious threat. SPORTS ROUNDUP - Signing Andrelton Simmons is a good start, but the Twins need to do more: If Simmons represents an overcorrection of sorts — placing a huge value on defense and less so on offense in reaction to a persistent problem that manifested itself in a season-defining single example — [it is at least an overcorrection in the right direction.]( - Minnesota State High School League challenges ruling in eligibility case over learning disability: [The league is appealing a court decision]( that restored athletic eligibility to an Ashby High School senior who repeated a grade because of a learning disability. - La Velle E. Neal III will become Star Tribune sports columnist: After 23 years of covering the Minnesota Twins and Major League Baseball for the Star Tribune, La Velle E. Neal III is taking on a new challenge. [Neal will become a sports columnist for Star Tribune](, beginning next month. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. WORTH A CLICK What's the deal with the GameStop trading frenzy on Wall Street? "An army of traders on the Reddit forum r/WallStreetBets helped drive a meteoric rise in GameStop's stock price in recent days, forcing it to halt trading multiple times and causing a major headache for the short sellers betting against it and banking on the stock falling. It's a captivating David vs. Goliath story, where David — at least for now — appears to be winning," [writes Emily Stewart for Vox.]( FROM THE ARCHIVES Jan. 27, 2019: After overnight temperatures dropped to 16 below zero, the rising sun illuminated hundreds of Canada geese amid steam rising from the Cedar River below the dam in Charles City, Iowa. 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