Kueng pleads guilty to state charges in Floyd killing, Thao to let judge decide case

Plus: Interest in witchcraft is growing in Minnesota and across the country ͏ ͏ If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - Kueng pleads guilty to state charges in Floyd killing, Thao to let judge decide case: One of two ex-Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting George Floyd's killing at the last moment is pleading guilty, and the other officer has agreed not to proceed with his state trial scheduled to begin Monday. After J. Alexander Kueng's plea deal was announced, co-defendant Tou Thao told District Judge Peter Cahill that he was giving up his right to a jury trial and agreeing instead to a trial by stipulated evidence. [Read more.]( - Minnesota AG, secretary of state candidates face off in TV debates: Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison and Republican challenger Jim Schultz attacked each other with increasing intensity on crime and abortion Sunday night in their final debate. Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon and his Republican opponent, Kim Crockett, also debated. GOP gubernatorial nominee Scott Jensen got 30 minutes of airtime after the two debates because DFL incumbent Gov. Tim Walz declined the invitation. [Read more.]( - Minnesota eighth graders register worst math scores in decades on national exam: Experts say this year's high school freshmen are at a stark disadvantage if they're looking to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. [Read more.]( - Minnesota Daily ends regular print publication after 120 years: As the campus (and the rest of the world) shut down and went virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minnesota Daily suspended print publication, announcing that there would be no physical edition of the student newspaper until in-person classes resumed. Students have since returned to the classroom, but the ink-on-paper version of the Daily has not. [Read more.]( - Street projects are often funded by hefty assessments. But is that fair or legal? Cities around the state routinely charge property owners for improvements to roads and sidewalks. But in the past few years, a number of cities — including Duluth, Rochester, Edina and Northfield — have changed the way they pay for road projects in an effort to be more equitable and stay within the law. [Read more.]( WATCH THIS Antelope runs off with Good Samaritan's shoe after being rescued in South Dakota: After two men freed an antelope caught in a barbed-wire fence near Edgemont, S.D., last week, the animal bowled into one of the rescuers and [managed to spear his shoe with its horn before fleeing](. Jamie Litzel, who captured the scene on camera, said the animal was spotted the next day on her family's ranch with the shoe still stuck in its horn. *** Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. *** TRENDING Interest in witchcraft is growing in Minnesota and across the country: On social media platforms like TikTok, videos about crystals, tarot cards, spells and the like — a genre of content users cleverly call "WitchTok" — frequently get more than a million views. But Minnesota was in the witch business long before it was trending. [Read more.]( SPORTS BLINK 5 ways the Vikings are "winning in the margins" to build 5-1 record: Under new coach Kevin O'Connell, the Vikings have improved by finding efficiencies in some areas and connectedness in others. [Read more.]( *** Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. *** WORTH A CLICK These seabirds fly straight into a typhoon in order to survive: "When a large hurricane or typhoon blows in, many birds understandably keep their distance. Land species tend to shelter in place, while seabirds might fly for hundreds of miles to avoid the storm. Now, a paper published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences details an astonishing new tactic for storm survival—some seabirds will fly straight into it," writes Margaret Osborne for Smithsoian Magazine. [Read more.]( TRIVIA WINNER Congratulations to Dianne Rundles! Dianne was randomly selected from among the many readers who correctly answered that Rock Bottom Brewery in Minneapolis is the state's oldest brewpub, which announced it is closing last week. She wins a $15 gift card. Be sure to read Talkers on Friday for another trivia question! FROM THE ARCHIVES Oct. 24, 1977: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources employees Jeff Dittrich and Harlan Fierstine inspected an area of the Mississippi River above Lock and Dam No. 3, near Red Wing, where absorbent materials had been strung out along the river to sop up oil from three spills. More than 4,000 gallons of crude oil and diesel fuel spilled into the river in three separate mishaps.(Photo: Charles Bjorgen/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.](