TALKERS021722

TOP STORIES

• Twin Cities meal distributors under federal investigation have history of legal troubles: The owners of several companies at the center of an FBI fraud investigation involving meals for the poor received tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money despite having a history of criminal and financial problems.
• Ex-officer Kueng testifies he didn't see "serious medical need" when George Floyd fell unresponsive: J. Alexander Kueng told jurors Thursday that he never viewed George Floyd's declining condition as warranting "serious medical need." On his second day testifying in the federal civil rights trial in St. Paul, the former Minneapolis police officer defended his decision to continue restraining Floyd during a confusing and quickly escalating 911 call on May 25, 2020, even after Floyd fell unresponsive. On Wednesday, Kueng told the jury Wednesday that he'd never encountered such a struggle as when he tried to push George Floyd into a squad car May 25, 2020.
• Family, other mourners gather for Amir Locke's funeral in Minneapolis: Family, friends and community members gathered Thursday in a north Minneapolis church to grieve the death and celebrate the life of Amir Locke, the young man police fatally shot early this month during a raid in a downtown apartment. The 22-year-old Locke is being remembered during the funeral at Shiloh Temple International Ministries on West Broadway, where noted civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy.
• Arrest made in shooting that killed 15-year-old Deshaun Hill: Minneapolis police said Wednesday that they have made an arrest in the death of Deshaun Hill, a North Community High student shot shortly after school last week. Hill, a sophomore, died on Feb. 10, a day after he was found with a gunshot wound near the intersection of Golden Valley Road and Penn Avenue N.
• Estimated 73% of U.S. has immunity to omicron. Is that enough? Millions of individual Americans' immune systems now recognize the virus and are primed to fight it off if they encounter omicron, or even another variant.
• Trudeau says protests must end, truckers brace for crackdown: Police poured into downtown Ottawa on Thursday in what truckers feared was a prelude to a crackdown on their nearly three-week, street-clogging protest against Canada's COVID-19 restrictions. Work crews in the capital erected fences outside Parliament, and for the second day in a row, officers handed out warnings to the protesters to leave. Busloads of police converged on the area.
• Ex-NY Times columnist ineligible to run for Oregon governor: The Oregon Supreme Court ruled Thursday that former New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is not eligible to run for governor because he does not meet the state's three-year residency requirement.

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TRENDING

• Fresh tomatoes in winter? Here's how Twin Cities restaurants "keep it local" year-round. Seemingly endless Minnesota winters are no match for restaurateurs, who embrace the challenge in part thanks to local producers.
• "Uncharted" is a video game that thinks its a movie: In this movie produced by PlayStation, Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg collaborate to make good scenes that don't fit together.
• How "Arthur" became TV's longest-running animated series for kids: The average aardvark lives for about 20 years. Arthur Read, the most famous of those mammals, has defied those odds and inspired several generations of young viewers in the process. On Monday, "Arthur," the longest-running animated series for children in TV history, concludes its 25-season run.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

• Vikings announce nine assistant coaches for Kevin O'Connell's staff: The list includes defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and assistant head coach Mike Pettine, the Packers' defensive coordinator from 2018-20.
• On-ice attack during Duluth prep hockey game leads to sportsmanship work: A Denfeld High School hockey player was repeatedly struck by a Duluth East player during a game last week.
• Team USA loses to Great Britain in men's curling semifinals, will play Canada for bronze: John Shuster's Team USA lost 8-4 to Great Britain in the Olympic semifinals, a match that wasn't decided until the final shot.

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