🌱 Ex-Cops Convicted + Minneapolis Drops Mask Mandate

Happy Friday, Minneapolis! Thanks for starting your day with Patch's daily digest.

First, today's weather: Cold with plenty of sunshine. High: 18 Low: 4.

Here are the top 5 stories in Minneapolis today:

1. Former Minneapolis police officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane were convicted Thursday of violating George Floyd's civil rights in 2020. The verdict came after two days of jury deliberation and a month-long trial. (AP)

2. Masks are no longer required in Minneapolis, Mayor Jacob Frey announced Thursday. St. Paul also dropped its indoor mask mandate, citing improved COVID-19 numbers. (Patch)

3. A Minneapolis teenager was arrested Wednesday in connection with the shooting death of a 9-year-old girl in 2021. Trinity Ottoson-Smith was “an unintended target of a gang-related drive-by shooting,” according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. (Patch)

4. Minnesota officials from both political parties are standing with Ukraine today after a Russian attack Wednesday. “[Vladimir Putin] signed treaties respecting the rights of countries to preserve their own security and he is violating them,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said. (Paid source: Star Tribune)

5. The state reported an additional 47 COVID-19 deaths Thursday. More than 600 people are hospitalized with the virus statewide, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. (KARE11)

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Today in Minneapolis:

• See Academy Award nominees for Best Picture at Riverview Theater, including “Belfast,” “Licorice Pizza” and “The Power of the Dog.” (Noon)
• Movie Night at Loring Park. (5 p.m.)
• Winter Fest begins in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood. (6 p.m.)
• The 13th Italian Film Festival of Minneapolis/St. Paul kicks off. (7 p.m.)
• A new spin on the “Frankenstein” story, “Monster Heart” takes the stage at The Southern Theater. (7:30 p.m.)
• Drew and Ellie Holcomb perform at Pantages Theatre. (8 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Less than 100 Minnesotans were in intensive care units with COVID-19 on Wednesday, the state's lowest ICU count in six months. (MPR News)
• Owamni and Union Hmong Kitchen are nominated for Best New Restaurant at this year’s James Beard Awards. (CBS)
• Twin Cities couple Candace and Tony Nelson created a Minnesota-themed puzzle company “with a twist.” (CBS)
• Minnesota Twins spring training camp is underway, with only the team’s prospects reporting to Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. Players on the 40-man roster are barred from spring training until their union reaches a negotiating deal with Major League Baseball. (Yahoo)

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That's all for Friday, Minneapolis. See you tomorrow for more local news.

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a newsletter writer and partner content curator from Chicago. 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.