Hennepin County commissioner calls on HCMC to fire employees over racist photos

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - Hennepin County commissioner calls on HCMC to fire employees over racist photos: Citing two recent Star Tribune reports, [Commissioner Irene Fernando says the hospital is in need of systemic change]( to follow the board's directive on addressing health inequity. - Minneapolis, St. Paul parents brace for teachers strike: Parents in Minneapolis and St. Paul are anxious about March 8, the day educators in both districts are set to [go on strike if their unions don't reach an agreement with their respective districts](. Union leaders in both districts filed intents to strike Feb. 23, triggering a 10-day timer that has families planning for yet another disruption to their children's education. The Twin Cities districts, which together enroll more than 7% of Minnesota's public school students, are at a standstill with their unions over budgets for mental health support, starting wages and class sizes, among other things. - Russians besiege crucial Ukrainian energy hub: Russian forces [battled for control of a vital energy-producing city in Ukraine's south]( on Thursday and also gained ground in their bid to cut off the country from the sea, as Ukrainian leaders called on citizens to wage guerrilla war against the invaders. The fighting for the southern city of Enerhodar, an hub on the Dnieper River that accounts for about one-quarter of the country's power generation, came as the two sides met for another round of talks aimed at stopping fighting that has set off an exodus of over 1 million refugees. - Jan. 6 panel says Trump, others may have engaged in "criminal conspiracy": The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol said on Wednesday that there was enough evidence to conclude that former President Donald J. Trump and some of his allies [might have conspired to commit fraud and obstruction]( by misleading Americans about the outcome of the 2020 election and attempting to overturn the result. In a court filing in a civil case in California, the committee's lawyers for the first time laid out their theory of a potential criminal case against the former president. An Alabama man affiliated with the far-right Oath Keepers militia group [pleaded guilty Wednesday to seditious conspiracy]( for his actions leading up and through the Jan. 6 riot, marking the first person involved in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol to be convicted of the rarely used charge. - Eagle Brook withdraws megachurch proposal in Minnetonka neighborhood: After residents decried a megachurch proposal for a residential neighborhood in Minnetonka, [Eagle Brook Church announced it is pulling out of the project.]( - As vaccine demand falls, states are left with huge stockpile: As demand for COVID-19 vaccines collapses in many areas of the U.S., states are [scrambling to use stockpiles of doses before they expire]( and have to be added to the millions that have already gone to waste. - Former Hennepin County Library Director Chad Helton fails to win Seattle library job: The Seattle Public Library Board on Wednesday [bypassed former Hennepin County Library Director Chad Helton]( to lead its library system, selecting instead Seattle's interim library director to be the system's next chief. - Anne Skoglund, who devoted her life to caring for others, dies at 40: [Anne Skoglund devoted her life to caring for those around her](, whether they were hurricane victims in the southern United States, girls in Kenya who needed menstrual products, or immigrants in the Twin Cities seeking English lessons. Skoglund, 40, 40, died Feb. 13 after struggling privately with bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. She worked diligently with psychologists, counselors, physicians and others to try to overcome her illnesses with a mixture of medications and other treatments. WATCH THIS Russian economic analyst pulls out bottle to toast the death of country's stock market during TV interview: Displaying the dark humor for which his people are known, stock market analyst Alexander Butmanov told the host [he may go back to working as a Santa Claus]( in an interview on Russian TV. Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. TRENDING - A Minnesotan who knew little about her Scandinavian roots won a Swedish reality TV show: Like a lot of Minnesotans, Sally Franson has been exposed to Scandinavian culture: meatballs, lefse, ABBA, Nordic noir crime dramas, events at the American Swedish Institute. But the Minneapolis woman never really got in touch with her Swedish heritage until [she became one of the winners in a Swedish reality television show.]( - Darius Rucker wants to end racism in country music: When the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman made the move from pop stardom to country music in 2008, country radio programmers told him that they'd play his songs but he shouldn't expect to be welcomed by listeners. [And now Rucker has kicked open the door for other Black artists.]( - There's a new "Batman," but it's Catwoman who excels: The bodies pile up quickly in "The Batman," pointing to several shadowy creeps. There's underworld figure Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, played by an unrecognizable Colin Farrell, looking like Robert De Niro in a fat suit. He operates out of a sleazy club whose employees include Selina Kyle/Catwoman, [played by the sensational Zoë Kravitz.]( SPORTS ROUNDUP - Walking the Hall with Tony-O as baseball comes to life: It was Tony Oliva's special day Wednesday at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and Patrick Reusse was [invited to walk along with the Twins great as Oliva got a private tour]( in Cooperstown. - Not knowing Rodgers' future could be keeping Vikings from making call on Cousins: One reason "everything's in play" for the Vikings at QB, as General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said this week, [is the indecision in Green Bay.]( - Minneapolis varsity sports, including hockey, to continue if teachers strike: The Minneapolis boys' hockey team [would head to next week's state tournament]( even if the district's teachers strike. St. Paul has said varsity sports would continue on a case-by-case basis. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. WORTH A CLICK As cases skyrocket, New Zealand finally faces its COVID-19 reckoning: "New Zealanders are anxious as they learn to live with the pandemic-related risk that has been a fact of life elsewhere for two years," [reports Pete McKenzie for the New York Times.]( FROM THE ARCHIVES March 3, 2016: Desks were covered with plastic in the House Chamber with less than a week before the start of the legislative session as renovation work continued at the Minnesota Capitol. (Photo: Glen Stubbe/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.](