Liz Collin, WCCO anchor and wife of ex-Minneapolis police union chief Bob Kroll, leaves station

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[Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - Liz Collin, WCCO anchor and wife of former Minneapolis police union chief Bob Kroll, leaves station: Collin, an anchor and reporter for WCCO for nearly 14 years, has left the station, the Worthington native [wrote Tuesday in a social media post.]( - Twin Cities home sales at 20-year high, listings at 20-year low in 2021: Put together, the two extremes led to [a double-digit increase in home prices last year.]( - Minnesota's COVID-19 breakthrough cases point to vaccine effectiveness: Breakthrough infections might be more common in the omicron era, but fully vaccinated Minnesotans [make up less of the state's COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.]( - Cup Foods clerk who interacted with George Floyd testifies about events leading to killing: The young store clerk who flagged the counterfeit $20 bill that triggered the series of events leading to George Floyd's killing [took the witness stand in the civil rights trial]( of three ex-Minneapolis police officers Tuesday. Monday's opening statements offered for the first time a window into the defense strategy, and [a revelation that at least one of the officers plans to testify.]( In three separate introductory remarks, the defense attorneys described a hectic and at times scary situation in which the officers encountered a towering, erratic suspect who resisted their commands. - Anoka-Hennepin schools will take new building-by-building approach to masking policy: Anoka-Hennepin students must now mask up if their school logs an unusually high rate of absences and the county they live in registers more than 50 infections per 10,000 residents. [That's the upshot of a new policy the school board approved 5-1 Monday](, which sets building-level criteria for mask mandates as opposed to the district-wide approach decision-makers have taken since the start of the academic year. - What should Minnesota do with its $7.7B surplus? Minnesota has a $7.7 billion projected budget surplus, the largest in state history. The Star Tribune asked the state's legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz what they would do with the money. [Here are some of their top priorities]( when lawmakers kick off the next session on Jan. 31. - Shots fired at city snowplow after vehicle strikes it in Minneapolis: [Minneapolis officers responded to a ShotSpotter activation]( in the 4300 block of N. Fremont Avenue in the Webber-Camden neighborhood at 8:55 p.m. Sunday, according to a news release. Police believe the plow was on the side of the road and was struck by a passing vehicle. - Police search for man who robbed St. Anthony thrift store: [The heist took place Monday at Hidden Treasures Thrift Store.](The suspect took off in a stolen vehicle. - Biden caught on hot mic insulting Fox News reporter: President Joe Biden responded to a question about inflation by [calling a Fox News reporter a vulgarity.]( Peter Doocy told Fox's Sean Hannity that Biden called him later to the clear the air. WATCH THIS What it's like to fly a Boeing 767 airliner into an airstrip in Antarctica: This footage comes from [inside the cockpit of an Icelandair flight approaching an icy runway]( at Troll airfield in Antarctica earlier this month. Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. TRENDING - What's a "Zoom mullet" and should you be wearing one? Remote workers have found that pairing a professional-looking top with a casual bottom has several benefits, including increasing their comfort and reducing their need to do laundry. But researchers from Columbia's Business School wanted to know [how wearing a Zoom mullet affected remote workers' psyches.]( - A working mom's anthem to another round of quarantine: Laura Yuen's family is in the midst of its third round of quarantine this winter, two years into the pandemic, and she is tired. [But not too tired to write this song.]( - Where to find a nice hot sauna in the Twin Cities: Sauna fans can sweat it out at Twin Cities spas and gyms, but standalone saunas have sprung up everywhere from restaurant patios to hotel rooftops to parks. Many were shut down temporarily due to COVID, but have returned with safety protocols in place. [Here's where to find some of the more popular saunas and what to expect.]( SPORTS ROUNDUP - Joel Johnson juggles coaching Olympic women's hockey team with St. Thomas job: The National Sports Center in Blaine where Team USA trains and the St. Thomas ice area where the Tommies practice are 27.2 miles apart. Johnson knows the drive well. He frequently was on hand for Team USA practices and meetings in the morning in Blaine before grabbing a bite to eat, then [heading for Tommies practices or games in the afternoon or evening.]( - Sports betting is coming to western Wisconsin, raising stakes for Minnesota: Minnesotans have been making the trek south to place legal bets since a sports book opened in 2019 at the Diamond Jo Casino just across the Iowa border. [Soon, they will be headed east as well.]( - Ayoka Lee was the pride of Byron before breaking NCAA scoring record: Those who knew Lee in high school were more thrilled than surprised by her latest achievement — scoring 61 points to break the NCAA women's single-game scoring record, [writes Jim Souhan.]( Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. WORTH A CLICK A cruise line that hadn't paid its bills diverted a ship carrying 700 people to the Bahamas to evade capture: "It's a saga worthy of an old-time sea shanty or a future Netflix special: A mighty ship cruising international waters faces arrest over an unpaid debt, but rather than submit to seizure, it changes course for the Caribbean — with 700 guests and crew members aboard," [reports Kim Bellware for the Washington Post.]( FROM THE ARCHIVES Jan. 25, 2018: Hailey Miller, 2, who lives in New York City and was visiting family in town, ran her hand along the ice of the side of the ice palace at the lighting of the 2018 Winter Carnival Ice Palace in St. Paul's Rice Park. 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