As Third Precinct burned, Minneapolis police destroyed case files

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - As Third Precinct burned, Minneapolis police destroyed case files: Officers at the Second Precinct in northeast Minneapolis say they were protecting sensitive information from falling into the hands of rioters. A defense attorney argues the officers [destroyed key evidence in her client's drug case.]( - Metro Transit is ramping up security as riders return: [The initiative involves hiring 50 additional community service officers]( — college students enrolled in law enforcement programs — to work in tandem with Metro Transit police on buses and trains and at stations and bus stops throughout the metro area. - Historic Minneapolis church gutted by fire faces demolition deadline: Three months after his Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in northeast Minneapolis was destroyed by a massive fire, the Rev. John Kutek now faces another unforeseen challenge: [his tiny religious community must quickly raise up to $75,000]( to comply with the city's order to raze the church. - 2-year freeway construction project begins in downtown St. Paul this weekend: Crews will close the two left lanes of both directions of Interstate 94 between Western Avenue and St. Peter Street at 10 p.m. Sunday night and won't reopen them until Aug. 21. [Lanes on Interstate 35E and Interstate 94 also will close Sunday.]( - Minnesota lost 600 jobs in June, a setback for recovery: [Minnesota's job recovery unexpectedly stalled in June]( with the state losing 600 jobs after seeing sizeable gains every other month of this year, according to data released this morning by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). That trajectory is at odds with the U.S. as a whole, which added a higher-than-expected 850,000 job in June, an increase from prior months. - WHO chief says it was "premature" to rule out COVID lab leak: The head of the World Health Organization acknowledged [it was premature to rule out a potential link]( between the COVID-19 pandemic and a laboratory leak, and he said Thursday he is asking China to be more transparent as scientists search for the origins of the coronavirus. - Minnesota Power moving to rates that vary by time of day: Minnesota Power is poised to be [the first utility in the state to fully switch to "time of day" electricity rates]( for residential customers, meaning power is more expensive during certain hours and discounted when it is more readily available. The move is prompted by an increase in renewable energy and its variability — the Duluth-based utility now getshalf its power from renewable sourcescompared with nearly all coal a few decades ago — and the need to better pair power generation with usage. - Reward of up to $50K offered in robbery of mail carrier in north Minneapolis: A significant reward is being offered for information leading to the perpetrators of [an armed robbery this week of a mail carrier]( in north Minneapolis. - Johnson & Johnson recalling sunscreens due to traces of benzene: The affected products, packaged in aerosol cans, are Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen, and four Neutrogena sunscreen versions: Beach Defense aerosol sunscreen, CoolDry Sport aerosol sunscreen, Invisible Daily Defense aerosol sunscreen and UltraSheer aerosol sunscreen. The recall includes all can sizes and all levels of sun protection factor, or SPF. [The products were distributed nationwide through retailers.]( WATCH THIS Prius washed away in northern Arizona flash flood: Intense "monsoon" storms are a common occurrence every sumemr across the southwest, but back-to-back rainstorms caused dangerous flash floods yesterday on the streets of Flagstaff, Ariz., that [picked up this Toyota Prius and smashed it into other parked vehicles.]( Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. TRENDING - Walker Art Center brings back fall garden party featuring Questlove, Dessa: Hot off his acclaimed directing debut "Summer of Soul," [drummer/filmmaker Questlove will DJ a dance party at the Sept. 18 event]( along with Shannon Blowtorch. Rapper Dessa also will perform. - Flip Phone's Chad Kampe has become the Twin Cities' king of drag-queen parties: With his drag events company Flip Phone, Kampe has [gone from schoolteacher to LGBTQ party master.]( - New series from Paul McCartney, Rick Rubin offers a fresh take on Beatles history: "McCartney 3,2,1," now available on Hulu, [shows how you can jazz up the most worn-out oldies]( by taking an innovative approach. SPORTS ROUNDUP - For Parise, sudden exit from Wild "leaves a little bit of a sour taste": When Wild General Manager Bill Guerin contacted Zach Parise on Tuesday morning, Parise's mind went to the approaching deadline for teams to ask players like him to waive no-movement clauses in their contracts before the upcoming expansion draft. But that wasn't why Guerin was calling. And once Parise heard the reason, [his first reaction was sadness.]( - If current Twins management fails, it'll be because of pitching: The Twins have nose-dived from fourth in team ERA last season to 27th so far this season. Their pitching woes and self-inflicted mistakes were highlighted again this week, [writes Chip Scoggins.]( - After years of struggles, Brainerd racetrack hoping for return to glory: There was a time when you could see actor Paul Newman race in northern Minnesota along with some of the world's best-known auto racers. Brainerd International Raceway [wants to bring back that excitement for racing fans.]( Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. WORTH A CLICK The truth behind those unsolicited Amazon mystery seeds: "A year later ... no monstrous mystery vines are strangling America's cornfields. The seeds mostly stopped coming, and the world moved on. But I wanted to know: What was it all about? So I decided to re-immerse myself in the giddy anxiety of last summer. I planned to speak with some of those who had received the packages, dissect the hullabaloo around them, and construct the definitive account of the seeds-from-China moral panic. It seemed straightforward enough. I had no idea," [writes Chris Heath for the Atlantic.]( FROM THE ARCHIVES July 15, 2019: A double rainbow arched over Christ Church in Red Wing after a late-day storm left many streets and farm fields flooded. (Photo: Brian Peterson/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.](