Mercy Hospital COVID-19 patient at center of lawsuit moved to facility in Texas

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - Mercy Hospital COVID-19 patient at center of lawsuit moved to facility in Texas: A man who was suffering from a severe case of COVID-19 and being kept alive by a ventilator [has been moved from Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids to a care facility in Texas]( just days after a judge issued a restraining order prohibiting the hospital from turning his machine off. Scott Quiner, 55, of Buffalo, was flown from the Twin Cities to Texas over the weekend, an attorney representing the family said. - Local groups heed calls from King's family to fight for voting rights: On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, [the focus locally and nationally is the passage of the Freedom to Vote](: John R. Lewis Act, which the House passed Thursday. It awaits a vote in the Senate, where Republicans are expected to block it. The legislation would make Election Day a national holiday and expand voting access while restoring key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Supporters say it would create a legacy as lasting as King's, who would be 93 today. [President Joe Biden said Monday that Americans must commit to King's unfinished work](, delivering jobs and justice and protecting "the sacred right to vote, a right from which all other rights flow." - Minnetonka, Rochester become latest Minnesota cities to enact mask mandates: Minnetonka and Rochester [have approved citywide mask mandates]( in response to the ongoing surge of omicron infections, bringing the list of Minnesota cities with the public health requirement to seven. - State Fair will have higher admission prices, shorter hours this year: Like the price of many things, [admission to the Minnesota State Fair is going up.]( - Albert Lea High School counselor, basketball coach charged with sexually assaulting student: Richard J. Polley, 32, was [charged Friday in Freeborn County District Court with third-degree criminal sexual conduct]( after a Jan 8. incident involving a 16-year-old student at his Albert Lea home. Polley, a 2007 graduate of Albert Lea High School, is in his first season as head coach of the girls basketball team. - Rabbi of Texas synagogue says he threw chair at gunman to escape with two hostages after 10-hour standoff: he rabbi of a Texas synagogue said Monday that he threw a chair at the gunman and then escaped with two other hostages after a 10-hour standoff, crediting past security training for getting himself and his congregation out safely. Authorities identified the hostage-taker as 44-year-old British national Malik Faisal Akram, [who was killed Saturday night]( after the last hostages ran out of Congregation Beth Israel around 9 p.m. WATCH THIS Professional pool player clears table in under 30 seconds: At the Champion of Champions Shootout last month, Gareth Potts may have cleared his balls [faster than anyone in the history of 8-ball.]( Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. TRENDING - New restaurant Noa is betting on downtown Minneapolis dining: The new restaurant from Chicago-based Infuse Hospitality is [opening for lunch Jan. 18 in the IDS Center]( with the steadfast Midwestern belief that "if you build it, they will come." The "they" in question are the downtown workers who, despite the current wave of COVID-19, are slowly finding their way back into office life. And Noa, which has moved into the street-level location formerly occupied by Mission American Kitchen and Aquavit, is ready for them. - Minneapolis architect's "cozy" contemporary home lists for $1.495M: An award-winning architect's redesigned home with a carriage house in Linden Hills [blends art and engineering.]( - Cloud Cult comes "Out of a Hole" ahead of spring album, Minnesota Orchestra gigs: The Minnesota/Wisconsin orchestral rock crew — whose hopeful, connection-seeking songs could sound doctor-ordered this year — will issue "Metamorphosis" on March 6, its first album in six years. The album's release is [closely tied to the March 31-April 2 performances at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis](. SPORTS ROUNDUP - Vikings begin interviews with Packers coordinator, Titans executive: The Vikings' search team said [it wrapped up its first interviews]( with Green Bay offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and Tennessee player personnel director Monti Ossendorf, who has Minnesota ties. - Towns applauds Minneapolis' vaccine mandate at Target Center: On Sunday night, Karl-Anthony Towns sat at the postgame podium and [dissected how he views the new Minneapolis ordinance]( that will soon require fans at Target Center to provide either proof of COVID-19 vaccine or a negative test taken within 72 hours of game time. - Gophers 7-footer Thompson shines after finally getting playing time vs. Iowa: Treyton Thompson, a freshman from Glenwood, Minn., [was a spark off the bench]( with the Gophers missing several players against Iowa. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. WORTH A CLICK California city turns to $20 laser to chase 1,000 crows from downtown: "The downtown of Sunnyvale, Calif., has been bustling since the coronavirus pandemic started. More than a thousand visitors have enjoyed a night on the town practically every evening for almost two years. But they do not come to slurp ramen or drink beer at the gastro pub. They eat whatever scraps they can find outside. Then they defecate all over the sidewalks.They are the unwelcome guests nobody invited: crows. And now the city is turning to an unlikely weapon to disperse them: lasers," [reports Alyssa Kukpat for the New York Times.]( TRIVIA WINNER Congratulations to Tim Duenow! Tim was randomly selected from among the many readers who correctly answered that Danny Tanner was the character on the television sitcom "Full House" that helped make late actor-comedian Bob Saget famous. Tim wins a $15 gift card. Be sure to read Talkers on Friday for another trivia question! FROM THE ARCHIVES Jan. 17, 1994: With temperatures well below zero, a parade of about 75 hardy souls celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by marching down John Ireland Boulevard, on their way from the Minnesota Capitol to the Cathedral of St. Paul. The group was led by Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles-Belton and St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman. (Photo: Mike Zerby/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 © 2022 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.](