In Minnesota THC market, enforcement is “almost nonexistent”

Plus: 24 Minnesota music acts to catch at the State Fair ͏ ͏ If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - In Minnesota THC market, enforcement is "almost nonexistent": Minnesota retailers have little incentive to quit selling non-compliant products given the lack of a licensing structure and dedicated funding to enforce the state's peculiar newly legal THC market. [Read more.]( - For two cousins with diverging fates, justice by "zip code, not fairness": Each day, Minnesota judges and prosecutors make life-altering decisions about children who break the law. Most kids end up entangled in the county court system, where their cases can drag on for months or years. But some youth are offered an alternative, known as diversion. Instead of cycling through court hearings and meetings with probation officers, teens can access a host of rehabilitative programs meant to address the root causes of their behavior and help keep them from reoffending. A child's future can hinge on the path that is chosen — but Minnesota has no uniform standards for who can participate, no guidelines about what services those programs should include, and little insight into whether they are working. [Read more.]( - Disabled Minnesotans face growing waits for home care: Hundreds of Minnesotans with physical and mental disabilities are experiencing prolonged waits for crucial social services because county governments are failing to keep pace with a surge in demand amid a workforce shortage. In Hennepin and Ramsey, the state's two most populous counties, more than 1,600 adults and children are languishing on wait lists to be evaluated for services such as personal caregiving that would enable them to live more independently at home. [Read more.]( - Duluth firefighter sentenced to probation for assault of woman on city trail: A Duluth firefighter who broke a fellow trail-user's nose when she asked him to leash his three dogs was sentenced to three years of supervised probation. [Read more.]( - Fauci to retire in December: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert who became a household name — and the subject of partisan attacks — during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service. [Read more.]( WATCH THIS Man performs "Forrest Gump" theme on Tesla coils: Per the video description, [the sound is generated by the sparks from the Tesla coils](. There are no speakers or special effects. *** Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. *** TRENDING 24 Minnesota music acts to catch at the State Fair: You'll be spending more on gate admission, food, drinks and just about everything else good at the Minnesota State Fair this year. A majority of the live music out there is still free, though — and local, too. Here are recommendations for homegrown artists to see each day. [Read more.]( SPORTS BLINK Vikings trade for Mullens to join backup QB competition: The performances of Kellen Mond and Sean Mannion in two preseason games have done little to assuage concerns about the safety net behind starter Kirk Cousins. [Read more.]( *** Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. *** WORTH A CLICK The casualties of California legalizing pot: Growers who went legal. "The once-mystical heart of the nation's marijuana industry is dying, fast, strangled not by law enforcement but by the high taxes and baffling regulation that have crushed small farmerssince state voters approved legalization almost six years ago," reports Scott Wilson for the Washington Post. [Read more.]( TRIVIA WINNER Congratulations to Susan Grover! Susan was randomly selected from among the many readers who correctly answered that Hastings is the Minnesota city where a handful of gas stations have been engaged in a price war for the past several weeks. She wins a $15 gift card. Be sure to read Talkers on Friday for another trivia question! FROM THE ARCHIVES Aug. 22, 2015: TCF Bank Stadium sat empty as a storm passed overhead during the Vikings-Raiders game on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. The stadium was evacuated twice during the game and a tornado watch was in place throughout the evening. (Photo: Jerry Holt/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.](