Minnesota Republicans evasive as Democrats look at Jan. 6 riot

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - Minnesota Republicans evasive as Democrats look at Jan. 6 riot: Minnesota's congressional delegation is deeply split over the insurrection one year after a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Democratic members see Jan. 6 as an attack on democracy. But in a stark contrast to a year ago when they denounced the violence, their Republican counterparts [unanimously declined to discuss the deadly siege.]( Former President Donald Trump has [canceled a press conference he had planned to hold in Florida]( on the anniversary of the attack on the Capitol by his supporters. The House panel investigating the insurrection on Tuesday [requested an interview with Fox News personality Sean Hannity](, one of Trump's closest allies in the media, as the committee continues to widen its scope. - Hennepin County Sheriff Hutchinson said someone else was driving at crash scene, warrant says: Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson, who was sentenced for drunken driving after crashing his official vehicle last month near Alexandria, Minn., contended to witnesses and law enforcement officers soon after the wreck that someone else was driving the SUV, [according to a newly unsealed search warrant.]( The warrant in Becker County District Court also says that an open bottle of bourbon "was observed inside the passenger compartment," which is against the law. - Mayo Clinic axes 700 workers for failing to comply with vaccine mandate: [About 700 workers are losing their jobs at Mayo Clinic]( for failing to comply with a vaccine mandate policy at the Rochester-based health system. Employees had until Monday to either receive their first shots or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Mayo said it granted the majority of exemption requests. - Minnesota adding three COVID-19 testing sites in response to demand: Minnesota is opening three more free COVID-19 testing centers in response to public concern over the fast-spreading omicron variant and hourlong lines at existing sites. Gov. Tim Walz said [new sites in Anoka, Cottage Grove and North Branch]( will help increase surveillance of viral spread and alert people to their infection status so they can take steps to protect others. - Southern Minnesota man, his father plead guilty to storming U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6: A southern Minnesota man and his father have [pleaded guilty to being in the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021](, in a failed effort to thwart the counting of electoral votes during a joint session of Congress ahead of Joe Biden succeeding Donald Trump as president. Daniel Johnson, 29, of Austin, and his father, Daryl Johnson, 51, of St. Ansgar, Iowa, entered their pleas Tuesday in federal court in the District of Columbia to a felony charge of impeding law enforcement during a civil disorder. - Meet the guy who ran for St. Paul mayor and city council wearing a frog costume: Abu Nayeem comes across as a well-meaning, regular guy — rents a house, eats mac & cheese. Likes digging around in data. But the one-time education data analyst has an alter ego, one he donned to ease tension and make folks smile as he ran for St. Paul City Council in 2019 and for St. Paul mayor in 2021: The Frogtown Crusader. In running for elective office with no money and little name recognition, this neighborhood activist — who organized alley cleanups and is pushing the city to draw more balanced ward boundaries — said [he used the costume to lighten the mood while discussing serious topics.]( - North metro cities cry foul over board appointments to watershed district: Circle Pines and several other north metro cities with long-running frustration over the Anoka County Board's appointments to the Rice Creek Watershed District's Board of Managers [have taken their case to the Minnesota Supreme Court.]( - St. Paul man said "I just beat him to the draw" and fatally shot neighbor, charges say: A 34-year-old St. Paul man charged with fatally shooting a tenant in an adjoining duplex told police that the other man threatened to kill him, so "I just beat him to the draw," [according to a criminal complaint.]( - Target launches new home organization brand Brightroom: Target has [introduced its first dedicated brand of storage and home organization solutions]( to help customers get organized for the new year. WATCH THIS Enormous crab steals man's golf club and breaks it in half: This video taken this week at a golf course on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean [showcases the impressive size and strength of the coconut crab](, the world's largest land-dwelling arthropod. Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. TRENDING - From kimchi to kombucha, younger diners treasure tart food and drink: Tart flavors are finding great favor with the under-50 set in everything from candy, condiments and breads to beer, cocktails and teas. Think kimchi, kombucha and kumquats. Think anything fermented. Think "how sweet it isn't." Millennials and Generation Z have [embraced the kinds of sour and bitter foods and beverages]( that other generations were never exposed to during their formative eating and drinking years. - Minnesota-bound Icelandic piano phenom brings indie sensibility to classical music: Cool on the surface, volcanic beneath. We're talking about Iceland, but that description also fits the world's hottest classical pianist, Vikingur Ólafsson, an Icelandic artist who honed his craft in relative isolation before [erupting onto the international scene late last decade.]( - Godfather of Twin Cities bluegrass scene Alan Jesperson dies at 74: Jesperson organized the annual Laughing Waters Bluegrass Festival at Minnehaha Park for 22 years, booked bluegrass acts at Dulono's Pizza in Minneapolis for four decades, and [led the Middle Spunk Creek Boys for 53 years.]( SPORTS ROUNDUP - Cousins cleared to return from COVID list: Vikings coach Mike Zimmer [expects Kirk Cousins and every starter available to play]( against the Bears, saying "no" on Wednesday when asked if any rookies would get more playing time. - Gophers land former Edina standout Carroll as transfer from Notre Dame: Back in 2017, Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck heavily recruited Edina offensive tackle Quinn Carroll, once traveling by helicopter from the University of Minnesota to Apple Valley to watch Carroll and the Hornets play Eastview. Carroll, though, eventually committed to Notre Dame. [Four years later, Carroll chose Minnesota.]( - Gophers coach Lindsay Whalen has emergency appendectomy, will miss Rutgers game: When the Gophers play at Rutgers on Thursday night – their first game since a loss to Drake in Des Moines Dec. 23 – [they will be without head coach Lindsay Whalen.]( Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. WORTH A CLICK How the pandemic created an American hobby boom: "If you've ever felt like your Instagram feed is taunting you with all the lovely crafts, elaborate home-cooked meals, and sweaty Peloton rides that other people seem to manage to fill their time with; if you've ever felt like your dating profile looks empty unless you list several impressive leisure pursuits; if it seems like everyone has a hobby and you should too, there is a reason for this. The anxieties of capitalism are not confined to the workplace. They have a long history of leaking into our free time," [writes Julie Beck for the Atlantic.]( FROM THE ARCHIVES Jan. 5, 2018: Newly elected St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and his wife Sakeena share a first dance in front of a packed house during his Inaugural Ball at the Union Depot. 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