Minnesota race track promoter apologizes for supporting announcer's racist rant

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - Minnesota race track promoter apologizes for supporting announcer's racist rant: An auto racing announcer from Fairmont, Minn., who launched a racist rant at a race in Iowa last month will sit out the rest of the season, and a Minnesota track promoter [has apologized for supporting him.]( - As smoke blankets Minnesota, Walz and Biden to meet about wildfires: As Minnesotans toiled in dramatically smoky, dangerous air Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz prepared to discuss the nation's growing wildfire crisis with President Joe Biden and several other governors. The virtual meeting Friday comes as the state faces a worsening drought and [one of the worst air quality crises it has ever recorded.]( - CDC internal report calls delta variant as contagious as chickenpox: The delta variant is much more contagious, more likely to break through protections afforded by the vaccines and may cause more severe disease than all other known versions of the virus, [according to an internal presentation]( circulated within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. - Worker pay rises as businesses fight to fill jobs: [Wages and salaries rose at a healthy pace]( in the three months ended in June as employers competed to find enough workers to fill millions of available jobs. - Duluth considers expanding vacation rental permits: Duluth is [opening the door to more vacation rentals]( — so long as more housing is created first. Last week the Duluth City Council directed the planning commission to allow up to 10 more permits per year for full-time vacation rentals, which could eventually double the existing cap to 120. A new short-term permit valid for 21 days a year would also be created. - Minneapolis to resurrect rooming houses to offer low-cost housing option: [Minneapolis is bringing back rooming houses]( to ease the city's housing shortage problems and help stabilize people who are homeless or on the brink of it. The City Council last week approved a new ordinance that will make it legal to build single-room dwellings with shared bathrooms and kitchens. - Minnesota's COVID-19 case growth triggers federal indoor mask guideline for Anoka, Ramsey counties: Growing COVID-19 community transmission rates have [landed Anoka and Ramsey counties as places where vaccinated people should wear masks indoors]( under new federal health guidelines. Growing COVID-19 community transmission rates have landed Anoka and Ramsey counties as places where vaccinated people should wear masks indoors under new federal health guidelines. - DFL lawmakers ask Legislative Auditor to probe Southwest LRT project: Two DFL lawmakers from Minneapolis have asked the state Legislative Auditor's Office to [review cost overruns, delays and management]( of the $2 billion Southwest light-rail project. - Trump urged Justice Department officials to declare election "corrupt": President Donald Trump [urged senior Justice Department officials to declare the 2020 election results "corrupt"]( in a December phone call, according to handwritten notes from one of the participants in the conversation. The notes of the Dec. 27 call, released Friday by the House Oversight Committee, underscore the lengths to which Trump went to try to overturn the results of the election and to elicit the support of law enforcement officials and other government leaders in that effort.Just weeks earlier, Trump's own Attorney General William Barr, had declared that the department had found no evidence of widespread fraud that could have overturned the results. - Owner of Savage's last farm pin redevelopment hopes on senior apartments: The chocolate factory development fizzled. So did the curling center idea. But Ray Loftus is crossing is fingers that this time [the development plan for the final acres of his family's farm]( — the last in the city of Savage — will stick. WATCH THIS Please enjoy this clip of British PM Boris Johnson struggling to open an umbrella on a windy day: [Strong Mr. Bean vibes from the prime minister]( at an otherwise somber ceremony to dedicate the U.K. Police Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. TRENDING - Wildly popular Minnesota recreation area and its neighbors prepare for "Cuyuna 2.0": The first trails opened 10 years ago, and an area known as "Cuyuna Country" since has taken on a different resonance. Mountain biking is the star with megawatt cachet, but its supporting cast glows, too. The recreation area's water – it has six natural lakes and 15 crystalline mine lakes – is a paradise for scuba divers, paddlers and anglers. And within the recreation area's 5,000 acres, [there is room to do more.]( - Who controls the colorful lights in Minneapolis' night skyline? Whether they're lit up in red, white and blue for the Fourth of July, purple for the Vikings, or a rainbow of colors for Pride, it is not uncommon to see a theme in the lights atop the downtown buildings once the sun sets. [But what goes into coordinating all of those lights?]( - The 5 best things our food writers ate this week: From breakfast noodles to Strawberry Napoleon, [here's a rundown of the greatest hits]( from their dining diaries over the past seven days. SPORTS ROUNDUP - Twins trade Jose Berrios to Blue Jays for two prospects: Berrios, 27, is a two-time All-Star in his sixth season with the Twins, who drafted him in the first round in 2012 out of Bayamon, Puerto Rico. He is 55-43 with a 4.08 ERA in 136 games. [The Twins will get shortstop and outfielder Austin Martin]( and right handed pitcher Simeon Woods-Richardson, a source confirmed. - Suni Lee is one of the best stories in Minnesota history — period: Days ago, Lee wasn't even the best gymnast on her team. Thursday, she earned the title of best gymnast in the world and entered the pantheon of Minnesota's greatest athletes,winning the all-around title at the Tokyo Olympics, [writes Jim Souhan.]( - Wolves might have five rotation players from three Rubio trades: Following the bouncing ball shows [the Wolves have done pretty well for themselves]( in trading and acquiring the point guard. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. WORTH A CLICK What happens to a competitive eater's body after downing 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes? After winning his 14th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, Joey Chestnut spoke with Insider about [the physiological toll that extreme eating competitions]( take on his body. 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: Retired U.S. Senator Mike Enzi died this week after a bicycle crash. Which state did he represent in Congress? Good luck! FROM THE ARCHIVES July 30, 2017: More than 80 members of the "Minnesota Santas" organization gathered for a summer picnic at the Bruentrup Heritage Farm in Maplewood. 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