St. Paul police chief stops domestic assault during commute to work

To view this email as a web page, [click here]( [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - St. Paul police chief stops domestic assault during commute to work: Chief Todd Axtell was driving to work Friday morning when [he witnessed an alleged domestic assault and intervened](, according to the department. - Twin tragedies give survivor a new face at Mayo Clinic: This is the story of [an extraordinary medical journey revolving around two young men](. Both were rugged outdoorsmen and both just 21 when, overcome by demons, they decided to kill themselves: One survived, but with a face almost destroyed by a gunshot; the other man died. - Forecast calls for record-smashing warmth: [Call it a February heat wave.]( Temperatures in the 60s on Friday are likely to earn a place in the weather record books, and unprecedented midwinter warmth will keep the mercury above the freezing mark right through next Friday, the National Weather Service said. - Chicago Amtrak cop charged with murder of Minneapolis man: LaRoyce Tankson, 31, was [charged with one count of first-degree murder]( in the death of Chad Robertson, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. While authorities have remained silent on the incident, Robertson’s relatives contend that he was unarmed and shot as he ran from police. - Florida man accused in plot to bomb Target stores: Mark Charles Barnett, 48, is accused in [a plot to blow up several Target stores along the East Coast]( in an attempt to acquire cheap stock if the company's stock value plunged after the explosions. - White House disputes report it is considering National Guard for immigration roundups: The Trump administration is considering a proposal to mobilize as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants, including millions living nowhere near the Mexico border, according to [a draft memo written by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly]( that was obtained by The Associated Press. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the AP report was "100 percent not true" and "irresponsible." "There is no effort at all to utilize the National Guard to round up unauthorized immigrants," he said. [Gov. Mark Dayton called the report "concerning."]( - Senate confirms longtime EPA foe as the agency's new leader: Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt on Friday won Senate confirmation to head the Environmental Protection Agency, [a federal agency he repeatedly sued to rein in its reach]( during the Obama administration. - Trump family's lifestyle is an expensive "logistical nightmare" for Secret Service: Barely a month into the Trump presidency, the unusually elaborate lifestyle of America’s new first family is straining the Secret Service and security officials, stirring financial and logistical concerns in several local communities, and [costing far beyond what has been typical for past presidents]( — a price tag that, based on past assessments of presidential travel and security costs, could balloon into the hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of a four-year term. - Woman tricked into murdering North Korean leader's brother, police say: The Indonesian woman arrested for [suspected involvement in the killing of Kim Jong Un's half brother]( in Malaysia was duped into thinking she was part of a comedy show prank, Indonesia's national police chief said Friday, citing information received from Malaysian authorities. - Whistleblower suit alleges UnitedHealth defrauded Medicare: [A whistleblower lawsuit alleges that UnitedHealth Group’s data analytics division]( helped the Minnetonka-based insurer and other health plans defraud the federal Medicare program by “upcoding” risk adjustment scores to boost payment rates. - Troubled pension fund complicates Lund siblings' feud: [Lunds & Byerlys plans to withdraw from the pension fund]( — pending approval by union employees on Sunday — and pay out $57 million to cover its liability. Attorneys for Kim Lund, one of the company’s four sibling owners, questioned the timing of the withdrawal, arguing that it improperly reduces the value of her stake in the company. - Somali-American model who wore hijab is a hit at Fashion Week: Halima Aden went from St. Cloud to [walking the runway for Kanye West](, plus getting gushing write-ups from Cosmopolitan and Us Weekly. - Dayton signs $35 million farmer loan bill: Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday signed [a bill authorizing the state to provide up to $35 million]( in loans to help Minnesota farmers buy land and improve their agricultural operations. Watch this It was insanely windy in North Carolina earlier this week: Deborah Corman probably should have taken shelter instead of [filming this crazy storm that hit the North Carolina coast]( this week from her front porch. We want to see how you are enjoying this warm winter weather! Please text WARM to 612-351-6010 and follow the prompt to send us photos of your unseasonable winter activities this weekend. You'll be asked to tell us a little something about your submission. Thanks! Trending - A "Prairie Home" millennial: Meet Eagan native Serena Brook, the show’s [first new actor in more than 20 years.]( - How to cope when you're stuck in the middle seat: Gail Rosenblum, a fan of the airplane middle seat, [shares her tips to make it work for you.]( - Why are Minneapolis skyway maps and signage so terrible? Over at City Pages, Brandon Hundt proposes [a new, color-coded, New York City subway-style map]( (along with color coded signs) to help people more easily navigate the downtown Minneapolis skyways. - The fabled Vincent Burger lives on at the Local: A few weeks ago, the fancy stuffed burger [made its triumphant return to downtown Minneapolis](. Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to talkers@startribune.com. Sports roundup - Fleck is recruiting aggressively — outside of Minnesota: The new Gophers football coach has offered scholarships to 134 high school players, but [none of them have played high school football in Minnesota](. - Time for the Vikings to let Adrian Peterson go? Mark Craig argues that [bidding adieu to Peterson]( would open the door for a younger player more in tune with today's NFL offense. - Darcy Kuemper leads the way: The Minnesota Wild's backup goalie stopped all but one of the 35 shots he faced as the Wild beat the Dallas Stars 3-1. The team's [38th victory of the season]( matches their total from last season. - Friends, fat bikes and beer at north metro race: Wednesdays in January and February see a crowd of fat bikers, whose low-pressure tires can cope with snow, [racing circles in the night]( at a park in Maplewood. Quote of the day “We plan as if he is going to be here most weekends, because otherwise it’s too hard to plan.” -- [Kirk Blouin](, Palm Beach, Fla., director of public safety, on President Trump's frequent trips to his Mar-a-Lago club. Worth a click Mexico City is sinking incredibly quickly: The New York Times reports that as deeper and deeper wells are drilled to supply the Mexican capital with water, the ancient clay lake beds upon which the city was built are growing weaker. In some places [the city is sinking at a rate of five to nine inches per year](. Thanks to climate change, Mexico City's water woes are likely to get much worse. Talkers trivia Want to win a Star Tribune travel mug? Today is Friday, so it's time for a trivia question. The correct answer 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 midnight on Sunday night. A winner will be selected at random from the correct responses. That lucky reader will receive an official Star Tribune travel mug, as well as a shout-out in Monday's newsletter. Prizes may change from week to week so watch this space! Here is this week's question: Why was the governor of North Dakota asked to leave the state Senate floor earlier this week? Good luck! From the archives Feb. 17, 1955: If readers thought it was difficult to solve the Sunday Tribune's weekly Prizeword Puzzle, consider the plight of the judges who have to "solve" the many thousands of puzzle entries received each week. Each Tuesday, after the puzzle entry deadline was past, as many as 16 clerks and judges began counting, sorting and checking the individual entries. The clerks and judges here were processing just a small fraction of one week's entries. 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