Talkers: What we know about Danny James Heinrich

Welcome to today's edition of Talkers, a daily roundup of our latest, newsiest and most interesting stories. You can receive this as a newsletter right to your e-mail inbox each afternoon by signing up here.

Top stories

• What we know about Danny James Heinrich: Here's a freshly updated rundown of everything we currently know about the 52-year-old Annandale man who was named by authorities yesterday as a person of interest in the disappearance of Jacob Wetterling 26 years ago. Wetterling's parents released a statement on the developments. Wetterling's hometown of St. Joseph was transfixed by the news, which ignited another round of cautious hope that the case may eventually be solved.
• U.S. commandos headed to Syria: A small number of U.S. special operations forces will be deployed to northern Syria to work with local ground forces in the fight against Islamic State militants, senior U.S. officials said Friday, marking the first time American troops will be working openly on the ground in the war-torn country.
• Heritage Academy sues Minneapolis School District: The board of Heritage Academy of Science and Technology filed a lawsuit Thursday against Minneapolis Public Schools after the district canceled the school's contract last week.
• Last of the red-hot sportscasters: For four decades, WCCO's Mark Rosen has been the champ of Minnesota sports TV. But is time running out on what used to be the big game in town?
• 6,0000 federal inmates will be released this weekend: The Marshall Project sat down with six former prisoners to discuss the issues they are likely to face upon reentering society.
• Woman killed in hit and run in St. Paul: Police are seeking the driver of a gray four-door sedan that ran over Antoinette Elizabeth Boxer without slowing down and then dragged her for 20 feet.
• A live exorcism will be performed on TV tonight: "All reality TV producers have to prepare for worst-case scenarios when they air a live event. Jodi Tovay's worries are a bit more unusual, because she is sending paranormal investigators into a house they believe is infested with demonic spirits," the Washington Post reports.
• GOP shuns NBC following debate: The Republican National Committee says it is suspending its partnership with NBC News and its properties and won't allow the network to co-host a presidential primary debate scheduled for February.
• Halloween traffic: Here's what you need to know before venturing out on the roadways this weekend.
• Election Day is coming up! And myVote is back. We put together this handy, interactive voter guide and ballot for municipal and school board races, as well as ballot questions, within the 11-county metro area. Read about the candidates, save your choices and bring them with you to the polling place on your smart phone.

Watch this

Jacob Wetterling's best friend relives abduction: From our archives, an interview with Aaron Larson, who was the last person to see Wetterling before he was abducted by a masked man in 1989.

Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to talkers@startribune.com.

Trending

• Looking to scare up some Halloween fun? Here are our picks for the best Twin Cities events for kids, teens and adults.
• Justin Bieber walks off stage: Canadian pop star Justin Bieber says he stopped a concert in Oslo after one song because fans got in his way as he tried to wipe up liquid on stage.
• White parents seek a kinder, gentler drug war: "When the nation's long-running war against drugs was defined by the crack epidemic and based in poor, predominantly black urban areas, the public response was defined by zero tolerance and stiff prison sentences. But today's heroin crisis is different. While heroin use has climbed among all demographic groups, it has skyrocketed among whites; nearly 90 percent of those who tried heroin for the first time in the last decade were white," the New York Times reports.
• Keeping tabs on the loons: Minnesota's loons have begun to migrate south, and as they do scientists and citizens are tracking migration routes and wintering locations with pinpoint precision.

Sports roundup

• Gophers' toughest opponent? Inept administration. There are some who believe that Jerry Kill's health woes were exacerbated by the continuing mismanagement of athletics at the university, Jim Souhan writes.
• The man of the hour: Tracy Claeys will be his own man as Gophers football coach, using lessons learned under Jerry Kill.
• The Gophers play Michigan tomorrow: Minnesota has not defeated the Wolverines at home since 1977. Here are three things to know ahead of tomorrow's big game.
• Wolves backcourt shows promise: Unseen as a pairing throughout the preseason, Timberwolves guards Ricky Rubio and Zach LaVine united for a brief but vital four-plus minute stretch during the fourth quarter of Wednesday night's stirring, emotional comeback 112-111 road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
• Five questions for a Bears reporter: The Vikings head to their own personal haunted house — Soldier Field — on Sunday to face a Bears team with some familiar faces and unfamiliar offensive and defensive systems under new coach John Fox. For a closer look at the Bears, we threw some questions at Dan Wiederer, the former Star Tribune Vikings beat writer who now covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune.
• Subscribe to our Access Vikings podcast! Mike Rand and Matt Vensel break down all the Vikings news each week. It's free on iTunes.

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Quote of the day

Worth a click

The Internet's most epic troll: Gizmodo introduces us to Kenneth McCarthy, better known as Ken M to the brands and people who follow brands on social media whom he expertly trolls with his carefully crafted persona as the world's least-informed Internet commenter. The whole post is hilarious, especially when Ken tries to convince Good Housekeeping readers that potatoes belong to the peanut family.

Talkers trivia

Want to win a Star Tribune t-shirt? We're going to try something new. Each Friday, we will include a trivia question based on the week's news. We can't prevent you from simply Googling the answer, so Googling is encouraged! The correct answer can be found buried somewhere in a story that appeared in Talkers this week. E-mail your answer to talkers@startribune.com by midnight on Sunday night. A winner will be selected at random from the correct responses. That lucky reader will receive one of these snazzy "In Sota We Say Pop" t-shirts and get a shoutout in Monday's newsletter. Prizes may change from week to week so watch this space!

Here is this week's question: What mythical animal was engraved on an ivory plaque found in an ancient warrior's grave that archaeologists unearthed recently in Greece?

Good luck!

Photo of the day

Happy Halloween from the digital team on the bridge of the Star Tribune Enterprise! (Photo: Jenni Pinkley/Star Tribune)