What you need to know about Walz's vaccine expansion to all Minnesotans 16 and older

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - What you need to know about Walz's vaccine expansion to all Minnesotans 16 and older: A feeding frenzy for COVID-19 vaccine appointments emerged Friday morning even before Gov. Tim Walz formally [announced an expansion making everyone 16 and older eligible for shots](, starting Tuesday. Around 10,000 people overnight joined the Minneapolis Vaccine Hunters Facebook group, where moderator Maura Caldwell urged patience because it wasn't clear if pharmacy and clinic providers would honor appointments booked today for newly eligible recipients next week. The announcement nonetheless means an aggressive expansion in Minnesota of eligibility, whereas many as 2 million prioritized people at elevated risk of severe COVID-19 illness remain unvaccinated.[Here's what you need to know about Minnesota's vaccination plan](. You can find information about [how to make an appointment here](. - Accused of sexual misconduct by several women, Minneapolis singer Har Mar Superstar issues apology: [Three women gave detailed accounts to the Star Tribune of assault or harassment incidents]( from 2014 to 2017, saying the Minneapolis singer — whose real name is Sean Tillmann — aggressively propositioned them for sex and grabbed or touched them inappropriately. Tillmann, whose provocative stage persona earned him celebrity friends and a star outside First Avenue, issued an apology Thursday acknowledging "conduct that was harmful, abusive, and selfish." But Tillmann denied an allegation of a 2016 sexual assault that one woman posted on social media this month. - Minnesota lawmakers consider setting goal of reducing driving to fight climate change: Minnesotans may be urged to put down the car keys in [a new effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions from transportation](and fight climate change. - COVID-10 vaccine testing turns to kids: Researchers in the U.S. and abroad are [beginning to test younger and younger kids]( to make sure COVID-19 vaccines are safe and work for each age. The first shots are going to adults who are most at risk from the coronavirus, but ending the pandemic will require vaccinating children too. - Minneapolis police investigating officer caught on video punching teen: A Minneapolis Police Department internal affairs investigation is underway after [an officer was caught on video punching a teenager]( Wednesday evening. A portion of the clash between officers and civilians was recorded on video as it unfolded near N. 32nd and James avenues following a police pursuit of a carjacking involving multiple suspects that began in New Hope and sliced through Robbinsdale before reaching north Minneapolis, said Police Chief Medaria Arradondo. - Boulder suspect passed background check before buying gun, store owner says: Authorities previously said suspect Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, purchased the AR-15 style gun used in the mass shooting on March 16, [six days before Monday's fatal shootings.]( - Minnesota jail worker files lawsuit accusing corrections officer of strangling her in "training exercise": A medical technician was walking through an isolated corridor in St. Louis County Jail when, without warning, a correctional officer lunged at and began strangling her — apparently the officer's form of a guerrilla "training exercise," [according to a lawsuit filed in Minnesota U.S. District Court this week.]( - Georgia governor signs GOP election overhaul bill amid outcry: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp drew protests Thursday as he signed into law [a sweeping Republican-sponsored overhaul of state elections]( that includes new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative control over how elections are run. Democrats and voting rights groups say the law will disproportionately disenfranchise voters of color. It is one of a wave of GOP-backed election bills introduced in states around the country after former President Donald Trump stoked false claims that fraud led to his 2020 election defeat. - Minneapolis approves plan to revitalize main corridor of historically Black South Side: Earlier this month, the City Council approved38th Street Thrive!, [a 10-year development guide for the 38th Street Cultural District](, which stretches from Nicollet to Bloomington Avenue. George Floyd Square sits in the heart of that corridor, but the plan calls for a separate, still undetermined approach to its development. - Hero award given to Minnesota teen who died saving kids from turbulent waters: The Bagley area family of 18-year-old Raina Lynn Neeland [will receive one of just six Citizen Honor Awards](from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, the same organization that bestows the nation's highest military decoration for bravery. WATCH THIS Bewildered Pacific Northwest residents see large group of objects streaking through night sky: The National Weather Service said it was likely debris from a Falcon 9 rocket re-entering the atmosphere, but [it made for quite a sight.]( Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. TRENDING - Famed novelist of the American West Larry McMurtry dies at 84; Prolific actor Jessica Walter dies at 80: In "Lonesome Dove," "The Last Picture Show" and dozens more novels and screenplays, [McMurty offered unromantic depictions of a long mythologized region.](Jessica Walter, whose roles as a scheming matriarch in TV's "Arrested Development" and a stalker in "Play Misty for Me" were in line with [a career that drew on her astringent screen presence over six decades](, has also died. - What are the largest immigrant groups in Minnesota? The origin countries of Minnesota's foreign-born population [have changed significantly in the last three decades.]( - The 5 best things our restaurant critic ate this week: From soft-serve ice cream to savory waffles, [here's a rundown of the greatest hits from Rick Nelson's dining diary]( over the past seven days. SPORTS ROUNDUP - Did the Wolves lay groundwork for a John Collins trade? The timing made less and less sense for a deal with Atlanta as the deadline approached. [But that doesn't mean talks can't resume in a couple months.]( - Minnesotans play outsize role in NCAA hockey: Players from the state comprise about 26% of the 16 tournament teams, and [their presence will be felt in all four regions.]( - Silly rule makes sending Kirilloff down the right move for Twins: Major League Baseball's service-time rules are so silly that the Twins spent this week refusing to admit that they made a sound decision, [writes Jim Souhan.]( Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. WORTH A CLICK Some people are lying to get vaccinated, and it's testing friendships: "The rules seem simple enough: For hundreds of millions of people to receive a lifesaving vaccination efficiently, you have to wait your turn. But as many Americans wait, they're watching others exploit the system in plain view. And while some of the moral murkiness of the moment is rooted in the uneven, somewhat haphazard vaccination rollout in much of the country, the truth is that some friends may never see their line-jumping loved ones the same way again," [the Washington Post's Ashley Fetters reports.]( 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: Chef Gavin Kaysen will create two new restaurants for which hotel opening next year in Minneapolis? Good luck! FROM THE ARCHIVES March 26, 2020: A hen turkey appears uninterested in a pair of gobblers vying for her attention in an annual spring rite seen along W. River Parkway near E. 46th Street in Minneapolis. (Photo: David Joles/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 © 2021 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.](