Scientists think they've solved the mystery of Minnesota's vanishing river

To view this email as a web page, [click here]( [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Scientists think they've solved the mystery of Minnesota's vanishing river: Beyond Grand Marais, the Brule River splits, tumbles over the Devil’s Kettle waterfall ... and disappears. For years, people have tried to figure out where the water goes. They took readings, they tossed logs and Ping-Pong balls and GPS trackers over the falls, too, only to watch them vanish, just like half the Brule River. Now, finally, a researcher from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources thinks [he’s cracked the riddle of the Devil’s Kettle.]( - Minnesota's budget surplus grows to $1.65 billion: That’s up from a December estimate of $1.4 billion. The projected surplus is the main measure by which [Dayton and lawmakers will make decisions about state spending levels]( for the next two years. - Small liquor store owners gird for Sunday hours: If the repeal bill becomes law, as now looks likely, owners of mom-and-pop liquor stores [expect higher overhead but no corresponding rise in revenue](. But for every small-business owner, there are many more Minnesotans who find the current ban antiquated or absurd. - Minnesota city of immigrants braces for raids and deportations: Worthington is a city of immigrants — thousands of them here legally and illegally — drawn to work at the packing plant or nearby livestock farms here on the southwest Minnesota prairie. This town of 13,000 people, where half the population is Latino, [is reeling from the Trump administration’s new immigration rules](. Now, immigrants worry, raids and mass deportations might be coming, not just for violent criminals but for anyone living in America without proper paperwork. - Judge tosses charges against one Fourth Precinct protest shooting defendant: Daniel Thomas Macey, 27, of Pine City, [faced one count of felony riot and five felony counts]( of aiding an offender, Lance Scarsella, who fired the shots and was convicted in early February of felony first-degree assault and riot. - Target to reduce prices, launch new brands as sales fall: Target Corp. will invest in lowering prices, remodeling hundreds of stores, and launching more than a dozen new exclusive brands over the coming year in [an effort to jump-start sales that continued to fall]( in the most recent quarter. - Trump to make first address to Congress tonight: President Trump's advisers say he will [use his prime-time speech Tuesday to declare early progress]( on his campaign promises, including withdrawing the U.S. from a sweeping Pacific Rim trade pact, and to map a path ahead on thorny legislative priorities, including health care, infrastructure, and military spending. [Here are a few things to watch for during his address](, which begins at 8 p.m. Whatever you do, don't dare refer to tonight's speech as "State of the Union" or obnoxious people on the internet will correct you. [Here's why.]( - Jewish centers face more bomb threats, vandalism: Jewish centers and schools across the nation coped with another wave of bomb threats Monday as officials in Philadelphia made plans to repair and restore [hundreds of vandalized headstones at a Jewish cemetery.]( Swastikas, racial epithets and other racist graffiti were found [etched on bathroom stalls at Lakeville South High School on yesterday](. School officials said the student involved "will face disciplinary action." - Education secretary says historically black colleges were created for "school choice": [Betsy DeVos is facing a fierce backlash]( after she called historically black colleges and universities "real pioneers when it comes to school choice." - Colorectal cancer rising sharply among younger Americans: Rates of colorectal cancer, which overall have been declining for decades in the United States, [are instead rising sharply among young and middle-aged adults](, according to a new study that startled researchers and is sparking questions about whether screening should start earlier than age 50. - Attorney accused in crash that killed runner has brain lesions: Peter Holmes Berge, a prominent attorney accused of fatally hitting a runner while driving early Wednesday evening in St. Paul, [underwent brain surgery Monday](, a longtime friend said. - Parent company of Jared, Kay Jewelers accused of widespread sexual harassment, discrimination: Declarations from roughly 250 women and men who worked at Sterling, filed as part of a private class-action arbitration case, allege that female employees at the company throughout the late 1990s and 2000s [were routinely groped, demeaned and urged to sexually cater to their bosses]( to stay employed. Sterling disputes the allegations. Watch this Indiana state trooper demonstrates amazing car safety feature to prevent crashes and road rage: Apparently, [this incredible invention has been standard on all new vehicles]( for quite some time. Who knew! Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to talkers@startribune.com. Trending - Wisconsin library is big winner with Oscars tweet: An assistant librarian at Platteville Public Library [told the story of Sunday's best picture snafu with three children's titles.]( - SpaceX says it will fly 2 people to the moon next year: Two people who know one another approached the company about [sending them on a weeklong flight just beyond the moon](, according to CEO Elon Musk. He won't identify the pair or the price tag. They've already paid a "significant" deposit and are "very serious" about it, he noted. - 2 injured when French police sniper accidentally fires during president's speech: The top official of France's Charente region says [a police sharpshooter accidentally fired his weapon]( during a speech by President Francois Hollande and two people were slightly injured. - Minnesotans are loving this mild winter, but I want more cold and snow: Without snow and those hard freezes that let us walk on water, we can’t do the things we’ve grown to love, [writes Vikki Reich.]( Sports roundup - Vikings pass on Adrian Peterson's $18 million contract option: The 32-year-old running back is now [a free agent for the first time in his 10-year career](. What do you think should happen next between Peterson and the Vikings? [Vote in our (very unscientific) user poll.]( - Why do NHL players keep coming down with mumps? The Wild is at the center of another mumps outbreak in the NHL. Zach Parise and Jason Pominville missed Monday night’s game and will sit out at least two more games after being placed in isolation for five days. This is the second time in three seasons Wild players have been diagnosed with the virus. [So what is the mumps and why is it an issue in the NHL?]( - Junior college hockey player arrested after attacking ref: Brandon Day, a freshman at Erie Community College in New York, was arrested and charged with assault on Sunday after [charging from the penalty box and checking the ref into the ice]( in the final moments of the NJCAA national championship game against Dakota College of Bottineau, N.D. - Why Gophers men's basketball is so much fun to watch right now: Chip Scoggins writes that the [balanced team and lack of egos]( are both helping the players have fun. What's more, that joy is easy to see. Quote of the day "Families are living in absolute fear.” -- [Rev. Jim Callahan](, pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Worthington, where more than half of his parishioners are Latino, many of them undocumented. Worth a click The wisdom of the dumbphone: Is a smartphone the best of all possible phones? The Atlantic digs into Nokia's reboot of its classic 3310 phone and questions whether it can [open the door to a different, better future](. From the archives Feb. 28, 1983: Rita Orr piloted her Bonanza airplane, nicknamed Mom's Taxi, to Fergus Falls. Her payload this day? A carton of human blood platelets. (Photo: Darlene Pfister/Star Tribune) CORRECTION: The caption for yesterday's archival photo misspelled the name of former governor Elmer L. Andersen. 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