Talkers100721

TOP STORIES

• Murky laws hobble judges weighing lifechanging deals for accident victims: Last weekend, the Star Tribune published the first part of a special report examining a little-regulated financial industry that persuades accident victims to give up years, even decades of financial security — sometimes for pennies on the dollar. For part two of the investigation, we look into the judges who make the final decisions on these deals. Our reporting shows that a lack of guidelines leads some judges to approve payments, even if they feel the deal is against the victim's best interest.
• Woman on scooter killed as gunfight ends in North Loop crash: A rolling gun battle last night between occupants in two vehicles in south Minneapolis ended with a crash downtown that left an innocent bystander on the sidewalk dead. Police said the death is being considered a homicide.
• "Target practice" leaves 2 Minnesota men with $1.1M bill: Two western Minnesota men have been ordered by a federal judge to pay back more than $1.1 million for damage they inflicted when their gunfire punctured a pipeline and released thousands of gallons of diesel fuel into a creek that feeds a river.
• Pfizer asks to allow COVID shots for kids ages 5 to 11: Pfizer's request to allow use of its COVID-19 vaccine in younger children would mean a major expansion that could combat an alarming rise in serious infections in youngsters and help schools stay open.
• Fire burns in Itasca State Park: As dry conditions persist across much of the state, fire crews were battling a small fire in a remote part of Itasca State Park in north-central Minnesota.
• Life Time raises $702 million in latest IPO: The Chanhassen-based company had hoped to raise nearly $1 billion from stock offering, but becomes public once again after six years as a private company.

WATCH THIS

One of the most iconic rock videos filmed in Minneapolis? A new tour-like video for the Replacements' "Takin' a Ride" loads up on Minneapolis faces and places ahead of the 40th anniversary box set of the band's debut LP, "Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash."

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

TRENDING

• Another reason why Adam Turman might be the most visible artist in Minnesota: The St. Louis Park illustrator's stylized designs adorn the walls of bowling alleys and emblazon pint glasses. He's now designing undies for Duluth Trading Co.
• 5 great bar burgers to check out in Duluth-Superior: People love a good bar burger. And they'll travel for many of them. Here are a few standout burgers in the Twin Ports.
• ESPN puts anchor on hiatus: Sage Steele will not appear on "SportsCenter" the remainder of this week and has been pulled from moderating an upcoming network event following comments she made about former President Barack Obama and the COVID-19 vaccine on a recent podcast.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

• Should the Twins trade Mitch Garver? Randball suggests that an answer to some of the Twins' pitching woes might have been in plain sight the whole time.
• Top Wild draft pick Marco Rossi returns: After a life-threatening heart scare, the 20-year-old Austrian center has recovered from myocarditis to have an impressive Wild training camp. Still, he's likely to start the season in Iowa.
• Former NBA players charged in fraud scheme: Eighteen former NBA players have been charged with defrauding the league's health and welfare benefit plan out of about $4 million, according to an indictment in New York.

Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can sign up for Talkers here.

WORTH A CLICK

A photo journal of the Afghan war: New York Times photographer Tyler Hicks visited Afghanistan more than 30 times during the war. Here are some of his striking images taken over the course of two decades.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Oct. 7, 1965: Minnesota Twins stars Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat and Bob Allison are all smiles after a 5-1 victory over Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series at Metropolitan Stadium. (Photo: John Croft/Star Tribune)