🌱 City Buildings Drop Mask Mandate + MLB Ends Lockout

It's Friday, Minneapolis! Here's a five-minute guide to today's news.

First, today's weather: Low clouds and colder. High: 14 Low: -3.

Here are the top 4 stories today in Minneapolis:

1. Minneapolis educators rallied outside the Hennepin County Government Center Thursday as its teachers strike continues. The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers said it has not received a negotiating update from the district since last week. (CBS)

2. Police officers in the Twin Cities have begun using a GPS tracking device to find stolen vehicles, CBS reports. Officials are implementing the use of StarChase to track cars without actually following them. (CBS)

3. Minnesota-based 3M has suspended operations in Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine. Other state-based corporations including Polaris have also cut ties with the country. (Patch)

4. Rep. Ilhan Omar was one of only 17 U.S. representatives to vote "no" this week on banning Russian energy imports. The Minnesota congresswoman said the ban "creates a dangerous scenario" and voted against it along with one other Democrat and 15 Republicans. (Patch)

From our sponsor:

Tackling a big to-do list around the house to start the new year? Our partners at Thumbtack, the home services app, have made hiring trusted local pros for pretty much any job extremely easy and intuitive. In minutes, you can find a painter, plumber, roofer or someone to help with small jobs such as trash hauling or appliance repair. And Thumbtack's rating system can give you confidence that you're hiring a quality pro you can count on. Click here to get started.

From my notebook:

• Major League Baseball reached a tentative deal to end the players' lockout Thursday. A 162-game season is expected. (AP)
• Masks are no longer required in city buildings in Minneapolis and St. Paul due to COVID-19 cases "dropping rapidly." (Paid source: Star Tribune)
• A local construction worker is going viral for his flute-playing downtown Minneapolis. (FOX)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Taxes in Retirement Webinar (March 14)
• Add your event

Loving the Minneapolis Daily? Here are all the ways you can get more involved:

• Send a friend or neighbor this link so they can subscribe
• Get your local business listed in front of readers
• Send me a news tip or suggestion at georgi.presecky@patch.com

That's all for today, Minneapolis! See you tomorrow for another rundown of the news.

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a Chicago-based newsletter writer and partner content curator. She spent five years on the entertainment beat for FF2 Media covering film festivals across the U.S. Her feature articles have been recognized with awards from the Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As editor-in-chief of the Lewis University newspaper, she and her staff earned honors from the Associated Collegiate Press and American Scholastic Press Associations. She began working for Patch in 2019.