Trucker who drove onto I-35W in Minneapolis during Floyd protest charged

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers Top stories - Trucker who drove onto I-35W in Minneapolis during Floyd protest charged: Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman's office [charged 35-year-old Bogdan Vechirko of Otsego with threats of violence](, a felony, and criminal vehicular operation, a gross misdemeanor, saying the driver admitted to investigators that he was "kind of in a hurry" and the investigation showed he sought to "scare" the protesters out of his path. - Ex-officers to go to trial in Floyd killing, one count dropped against Chauvin: Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill dismissed a third-degree murder count against Derek Chauvin, but ruled that [he will remain charged with one count each of second-degree unintentional murder]( and second-degree manslaughter. Cahill also ruled that Chauvin’s former colleagues — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — will remain charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter. Attorneys for each of the defendants had filed motions to dismiss the charges against their clients. - Minnesota health officials link rise in COVID-19 deaths, accelerating spread of new infections: [Twenty more COVID-19 deaths were reported Thursday]( as the confirmed case count climbed by 1,574. State health officials have said the increasing death numbers are the inevitable result of more people getting infected by the new coronavirus. We are [tracking the spread of COVID-19 in Minnesota here.]( - GOP-led Senate panel advances Barrett despite Dems' boycott: Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans powered past a Democratic boycott Thursday to [advance Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination to the full Senate](, keeping President Donald Trump's pick on track for confirmation before Election Day. - On Minnesota copper mining issues, Trump's position is clear while Biden is mum: On a slew of environmental issues, President Donald Trump and Democratic hopeful Joe Biden are opposites, from climate change to renewable energy. But on one of Minnesota’s most pressing environmental concerns, opening the state to copper mining, the division isn’t quite as clear. Trump has boasted of opening up northern Minnesota to mining for minerals and copper. Meanwhile, [Biden has been mute on the subject.]( Trump and Biden are [set to square off in their final debate tonight]( at 8 p.m. Central Time, one of the last high-profile opportunities for the trailing incumbent to change the trajectory of an increasingly contentious campaign. - Trump posts combative, unedited "60 Minutes" before it airs: President Donald Trump posted his full, unedited interview with “60 Minutes” on Facebook before the show’s scheduled Sunday broadcast. [The footage shows Trump growing increasingly prickly]( as CBS anchor Lesley Stahl presses him on a host of topics, including his response to the coronavirus pandemic, his slipping support among suburban women, the lack of masks at his rallies, and the “Obamacare” replacement plan he has long promised but failed to unveil. - Some Minnesota nonprofits give employees time off to cope with fatigue: As many workplaces enter their eighth month of working from home during the pandemic, employees are coping with the constant grind of remote work on top of the colliding crises of the coronavirus and racial injustice. So, some nonprofit bosses are [boosting paid time off for all employees to collectively recharge](. - Collin Peterson bets on his record as "only conservative Democrat left" in high-profile re-election fight: Four years ago, Donald Trump won Peterson’s Seventh District by more than 30 percentage points over Hillary Clinton. Peterson, meanwhile, beat a little-known Republican challenger by 5% of the vote. This year, Republicans see an opening with Trump back on the ballot. They’ve recruited former lieutenant governor and state senator Michelle Fischbach and are investing millions in what they see as one of their best chances to flip a blue district red this fall. It’s a new twist on an old problem for Peterson, who has held on to his seat through multiple Republican waves while other conservative Democratic allies were defeated or left an increasingly polarized Congress. [This cycle, he’s more isolated than ever.]( - Giuliani appears in compromising hotel bedroom scene in new "Borat" film: Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is shown in [a compromising position in a hotel room with a young woman]( acting as a television journalist in a scene in Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest mockumentary, a sequel to his hit “Borat” film. - There are 12 days until Election Day! Early voting is underway in Minnesota for the 2020 general election. [Check out our guide to the candidates running for major offices]( and where they stand on the issues, as well as key races in the battle for the state Legislature. Got questions about how to register, how to request an absentee ballot, or how to find your polling place? [Here's what you need to know about how to vote in Minnesota.]( Are you voting for the first time this year? [Here are answers to some basic questions young voters may have.]( What happens after you seal, sign and send in your vote? Here’s a look at [how no-excuse absentee ballots are processed and counted.]( Sign up for [our Morning Hot Dish politics newsletter]( to get the latest campaign and election news. Having any problems voting in Minnesota? [We want to hear about it.](  Watch this Guy brings stolen Banksy artwork to "Antiques Roadshow" for appraisal, gets some bad news: If he hadn't ripped it off from a public space, [it could have be been worth quite a lot of money.](  Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](.  Trending - WCCO's Pat Kessler retiring as daily reporter after 36 years: Longtime WCCO-TV reporter Pat Kessler announced on Wednesday his retirement covering daily politics and government, [effective once the 2020 presidential election is decided.]( - No early morning hours for Target this Black Friday: [Shoppers won't have to jostle each other]( for early bird doorbusters at Target this holiday. The Minneapolis-based retailer has announced it will only be open its normal hours on Black Friday, a large departure from past years. Target has already announced it would close on Thanksgiving Day. - Uptown Apple store in Minneapolis to close permanently: While COVID-19 and riot damage didn't help, the tech company said [the closure was already in process before the pandemic.](  Sports roundup - Vikings trading Yannick Ngakoue to Baltimore: The pass rusher the Vikings acquired in a bold trade before the start of the 2020 season is on his way out of town, in what could be only [the first of several moves]( before the Nov. 3 trade deadline. - Top recruit Heyer from Chaska says she'll play for Whalen's Gophers: Mallory Heyer, a junior power forward considered a top-three recruit in her 2022 class, [announced on Twitter she will attend the U.]( - I helped Sid Hartman keep up his column. He saved my life. People say Jeff Day kept Sid's column going, and thereby kept Sid going. That's nice to hear. [Sid did the same for him.](  Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](.  Worth a click A shipwrecked Nazi steamer found, still filled with cargo: "About 40 miles off the coast of Poland, nearly 300 feet below the surface of the Baltic Sea, a beam of light cut through the cold water and fell onto the metal hulk of a ship. As the light panned across the wreck in September 2020, it cast long shadows across the seafloor. For the first time in 75 years, the Nazi-era steamship Karlsruhe had been seen by human eyes," [writes Isaac Schultz for Atlas Obscura.](  From the archives Oct. 22, 2015: Dan Klein, executive chef at The Marquette Hotel, left, and Mark Lowman, banquet chef, harvest honey from the "bee hotel" on the rooftop of the Marquette in downtown Minneapolis. The honey would be used in cocktails and dishes at the hotel. 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