Police put out APB for giant lizard on the lam in Champlin

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Police put out APB for giant lizard on the lam in Champlin: [There’s a big Asian Water Monitor lizard crawling around]( somewhere in Champlin, and its owner is hoping to get the reptile back. - Bde Maka Ska name stays, Minnesota Supreme Court rules: [The ruling caps a yearslong dispute]( over the name of the popular Minneapolis lake. It reverses a decision from the Court of Appeals last spring, which stated former DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr lacked the authority to rename the lake. - Walz to address state tonight about coronavirus response: The governor is [expected to extend a peacetime state of emergency]( that has enabled the administration to temporarily close schools, shutter some businesses and order residents to stay home unless necessary. Without action, those powers would otherwise expire Wednesday. - Social distancing not as effective as hoped, new modeling shows: Initial models were based on estimates that Minnesota's statewide stay-at-home order would reduce face-to-face contact and disease transmission by 80%, but [the new model released Wednesday showed it only reduced that by 59.5%](. But it's still helping. [Twenty-four more people have died of COVID-19 in Minnesota](, state health officials reported Wednesday, as the count for confirmed cases grew to 12,917 statewide. One of the newly reported deaths was someone age 30 to 39 — only the second fatality in that age range thus far, according to data posted Wednesday morning by the Minnesota Department of Health. - Duluth police officer hangs on as assailant attempts to steal squad car: A police officer hung on for dear life as [a 30-year-old man tried to drive away with his squad car]( last month, wrestling with the thief while his legs dangled out of the speeding vehicle. - What you need to know about Minnesota's new drug price transparency law: Drug companies will have to notify Minnesota consumers about big prescription medication price hikes, under a major compromise measure signed into law on Tuesday. So what will this agreement mean for Minnesotans heading to the pharmacy to refill prescriptions? [Here’s a look at what the new law does — and doesn’t — do.]( - KSTP anchor hurt in "random assault" at downtown Minneapolis light rail station: Midday anchor Matt Belanger was [struck near the eye with a rock or brick](, then treated and released at a nearby hospital after the 9 a.m. attack at the Nicollet Mall light rail stop, according to KSTP News Director Kirk Varner. - Justices hear election year cases over "faithless electors": U.S. Supreme Court justices [heard arguments on an unusual voting issue]( that could have important consequences for the 2020 presidential election in an era of intense political polarization. Watch this What happens when you cook a steak in a 2,000-degree foundry? If you like your meat to have a nice char on the outside while remaining extremely rare on the inside, [this method could be for you]( – though veggies turn out a bit better. (Also please don't try this at home.)  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - The Minnesota-made movies to watch while you're staying home: The usual narrative about moviemaking in Minnesota is that projects don’t shoot here because we can’t compete with the tax credits offered by several other states. But a look at the list of movies that do get made here reveals this silver lining – [a high percentage of them are good.]( - Art-a-Whirl goes virtual starting Friday: [Art-a-Whirl isn’t just a weekend anymore.]( Launching at 5 p.m. Friday, northeast Minneapolis' annual rite of spring becomes an ongoing, around-the-clock virtual shop and showcase. - Struggling Minnesota restaurants are selling what's in their pantries – and home cooks benefit: Minnesota restaurants and bars have been forced to find increasingly hands-off ways to sell their products. First, it was a pivot to takeout. Then came take-and-bake, allowing diners to finish the dish in their own ovens. Now, chefs are stepping further back, by [selling their menus for parts.](  Sports roundup - Twins could be virtual playoff locks with short schedule: Even under the most routine and expected circumstances, the Twins would have been headed into the 2020 season with a strong chance to at least make the playoffs after last year’s 101-win season and AL Central title. But the proposed format for a truncated, oddball season in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic [will only enhance the Twins’ playoff chances.]( Schedules, roster sizes and even the designated hitter rule [will need to be negotiated with the players]( before plans for the shortened 2020 season can be implemented. - Canterbury aiming for June 10 opening: After its summer racing season was thrown into doubt by the pandemic, Canterbury Park [announced a revised 52-day schedule Wednesday]( that would begin June 10, probably with no spectators allowed. - Most Loons players return to Blaine for voluntary solo workouts: Players arrived alone in their cars and wore face masks both coming and going from work conducted on two fields each separated into quadrants. They all had a thermometer pressed to their foreheads that checked for a fever before [each player worked for nearly an hour]( on conditioning and individual skills.  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Worth a click An Oxford professor, an Evangelical collector and a missing Gospel of Mark: A renowned scholar claimed that he discovered a first-century gospel fragment. Now he’s facing allegations of antiquities theft, cover-up, and fraud, [the Atlantic reports.](  From the archives May 14, 1988: Jodi Quirin of Minneapolis gave a smooch to her pooch Bullseye, a female pit bull. They had come to City Hall to lobby against a new ordinance calling for restraints on pit bulls. (Photo: Donald Black/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 © 2020 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.](