Minneapolis fire crews put out bulk of large blaze at vacant Lake Street K-Mart

Plus: Why do some cars in Minnesota have "whiskey plates"? ͏ ͏ If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers TOP STORIES - Minneapolis fire crews put out bulk of large blaze at vacant Lake Street K-Mart: The building that once housed the sprawling Kmart store on Lake Street in Minneapolis caught fire well before dawn Friday and burned for hours through much of the morning. The empty building was to be demolished next spring. [Read more.]( - Minneapolis Council Member Jamal Osman's wife in middle of fresh state charity fraud accusations: The Minnesota Attorney General's Office has accused the wife of Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman of creating a "sham" charity created to enrich herself and family members by diverting taxpayer funds meant to help feed children during the coronavirus pandemic. [Read more.]( - Minneapolis, St. Paul school districts continue to see enrollment slide: State dollars are doled out per student, so declining enrollment further stresses school budgets just as districts prepare for the 2024 sunset of tens of millions in pandemic relief dollars. [Read more.]( - These mining towns found new life as a mountain-biking paradise: As the mountain biking trails at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area skyrocketed in popularity, with COVID tripling the annual number of visitors to nearly half a million — many of whom keep returning — the twin mining towns of Crosby and Ironton worked through their initial growing pains. Now they have settled into a new reality: mining isn't coming back, as many had hoped. But tourism has transformed the community and provided an economic engine the area has lacked for a generation or more. And outsiders once eyed with suspicion have become part of the fabric of the area. [Read more.]( - Why do some cars in Minnesota have "whiskey plates"? Few other states require certain drivers to display these special license plates. [Read more.]( WATCH THIS Harrowing video shows carnival ride operator hanging 30 feet from the ground at Texas pecan festival: "the ride operator was helping a child into a compartment of a carnival ride when a strong [gust] of wind pushed the compartment to the ground. The compartment turned 180 degrees and was stalled 30 feet from the ground," KFDM reports. Both the operator and child were uninjured. [See the video.]( *** Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. *** TRENDING The 5 best things our food writers ate this week: Their most recent dining itineraries include sweet (doughnuts and wild rice pudding), comforting (burgers and wings) and a new obsession with Australian hand pies. [Read more.]( SPORTS BLINK The Gophers have always found ways to lose to Iowa. Now they badly need a win.: The Gophers have not won at Iowa since the year P.J. Fleck, 42, graduated — from high school. And the drought feels even longer considering the excruciating nature of defeats in recent years, Chip Scoggins writes. [Read more.]( *** Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. *** WORTH A CLICK Lithuanian man arrested in Spain for faking heart attack 20 times at restaurants to avoid paying bill: "The man, who was identified only as Aidas J. but has become known locally as the 'gastrojeta,' has tried the scam at least 20 times over the past year at different restaurants near Alicante, according to the Spanish newspaper El País and Spain's EFE news agency." [Read more.]( TALKERS TRIVIA Want to win a $15 gift card of your choice? It's Friday, so that means it's time for another trivia question. The correct answer to this question can be found in a story that appeared in Talkers this week. E-mail your answer to talkers@startribune.com by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. A winner will be selected at random from the correct responses. That lucky reader will receive a $15 card of their choice from one of several retailers — Best Buy, Target, Holiday or Menards — as well as a shout-out in Monday's newsletter. Here is this week's question: An appearance at the University of Minnesota by which U.S. Supreme Court justice was briefly interrupted by protesters this week? Good luck! FROM THE ARCHIVES Oct. 20, 2021: Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns made a first-quarter dunk during Minnesota's season opener against the Houston Rockets at Target Center in Minneapolis. (Photo: Jeff Wheeler/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.](