🌱 Target Drops Mask Mandate + Twins Sponsor Esports League

Good morning, Minneapolis! Here's your five-minute guide to the headlines.

First, today's weather: A little snow at times. High: 13 Low: -2.

Here are the top 5 stories in Minneapolis today:

1. Teachers in St. Paul and Minneapolis filed intent-to-strike notices Wednesday. State law requires 10 days’ notice before a strike begins. (KARE11)

2. A subvariant of omicron has been detected in Twin Cities wastewater, according to the Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment plant. "BA.2" accounts for four percent of current cases nationwide and is at least 30 percent more contagious than omicron, but Mayo Clinic researchers say it’s too soon to know if it will cause another surge. (Paid source: Star Tribune)

3. The jury is now deliberating in the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights in May 2020. Closing arguments were given Tuesday afternoon and deliberation began Wednesday morning. (KARE11)

4. The city’s court-appointed Charter Commission is seeking resident feedback for its plans to redraw the Minneapolis district map. A virtual public hearing will be held today on city redistricting. (City)

5. Target will no longer require staff and customers to wear masks in locations where indoor mask mandates are not in effect. Masks will still be required at the Minneapolis-based corporation as long as the Twin Cities mandate stays in place. (CBS)

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Today in Minneapolis:

• Discuss the Minnesota-based book "A Choice of Weapons" with the Jewish Community Center of the Greater Saint Paul Area. (10 a.m.)
• "Connect and Play" at Minneapolis Central Library. (10 a.m.)
• Of The Orchard performs at AxeBridge Wine Co. (6:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• At least another inch of snow is expected to fall in the Twin Cities today. (Patch)
• More than a dozen other Minnesota cities joined Minneapolis in declaring a climate emergency. (Paid source: Star Tribune)
• The Minnesota Twins are partnering with Wisdom Gaming to sponsor the Minnesota Varsity League, a local high school esports group. (MLB)
• A special election will be held this May to fill the 1st District vacancy left by the late Rep. Jim Hagedorn. (Patch)

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That's all for today, Minneapolis. See you tomorrow for the Friday edition.

— 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.