Minneapolis City Council approves pay hikes for rideshare drivers

Plus: Canadian fires will blanket Minnesota with smoke next two days ͏ ͏ If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - Minneapolis City Council approves pay hikes for rideshare drivers: The 7-5 vote was met with cheers from dozens of supporters, including drivers, who have championed the measure as a victory for dignity and fair wages. Opponents, however, worry that the move could ultimately lead to unaffordable fairs that could hurt driver income and disproportionately affect poorer riders. In advance of the vote, Uber and Lyft threatened to vastly curtail their service or pull out of Minneapolis completely, should the city approve the ordinance. [Read more.]( - Canadian fires will blanket Minnesota with smoke next two days: For a record 10th time this summer, state meteorologists issued a red category air quality alert. [Read more.]( - Feds charge 14, Minneapolis gang members in push to curb gun crimes: Alleged leaders and others from the Minneapolis Lows gang are being charged for the first time under an ongoing federal initiative. [Read more.]( - Police seeking assailant after female followed, raped in U parking lot: Little information has been released about the reported assault, but officials said the suspect was wearing a bandanna, a sweatshirt and sweatpants. A safety alert said all the clothing was blue. The university is declining to offer any physical characteristics of the suspect. The school said in response to a public records request that it is withholding other information about the case "because this is an active investigation." School officials are asking that anyone with information about the incident to call campus police at 612-624-COPS. [Read more.]( - Minnesota banned some physical holds on students. Now school resource officers have questions. Police argue the ban ties their hands in dangerous school situations, but state officials say exceptions provide them cover. [Read more.]( WATCH THIS Dramatic video shows passengers fleeing bus that burst into flames on highway in Argentina: Everyone safely evacuated moments before the bus was completely engulfed in fire. [See the video.]( *** Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. *** TRENDING May Pang brings stories and photos of her former lover John Lennon to Minneapolis: Pang was a music-biz executive, photographer and jewelry designer with one boldface entry on herrésumé — John Lennon's girlfriend for a year and a half while he was separated from Yoko Ono in the mid-1970s. It's a period referred to as Lennon's "Lost Weekend." [Read more.]( SPORTS BLINK Diamond Sports suing parent company Sinclair in regional sports battle: When Diamond Sports filed for bankruptcy in March, it set in motion a sometimes contentious period that could alter an already transforming regional sports landscape. [Read more.]( *** Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. *** WORTH A CLICK An extreme ice age may have wiped out Europe's earliest humans 1.1 million years ago: New research suggests the continent was devoid of hominids for about 200,000 years after a previously unknown cold snap, Margaret Osborne writes for Smithsonian Magazine. [Read more.]( FROM THE ARCHIVES Aug. 17, 2021: An aircraft dropped red fire retardant onto the Greenwood Fire in northeastern Minnesota's Arrowhead, as seen from an airplane above the temporary flight restriction zone. (Photo: Alex Kormann/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 © 2023 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.](