🌱 Target Raises Wages + State Could See $9 Billion Surplus

Happy Tuesday, Minneapolis! Here's the latest local news.

First, today's weather: Cloudy. High: 35 Low: 28.

Here are the top stories today in Minneapolis:

1. One person was killed, and another was injured in “related” stabbings Sunday night, according to the Minneapolis Police Department. Stabbings occurred near the 3000 blocks of Oliver Avenue and Penn Avenue North. (BMTN)

2. Minnesota is projected to see a $9.25 billion budget surplus over the next two years, the state budget office announced Monday. Gov. Tim Walz said more than 2.7 million Minnesota households could receive “Walz checks” from the additional funds. (Patch)

3. The COVID-19 positivity rate in Minnesota is currently 6.6 percent, down from the 24 percent peak earlier this year. The state health department reported 28 additional deaths from the virus Monday. (CBS)

4. Minneapolis-based retailer Target will raise its starting wages to attract more workers, the corporation announced this week. It will adopt a minimum wage ranging from $15 t0 $24, depending on the market. (Patch)

5. March 13 will officially be declared Deshaun Hill Jr. Day in Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz announced. The North Minneapolis teenager was shot and killed last month on Golden Valley Road. The date marks what would have been his 16th birthday. (KARE11)

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Today in Minneapolis:

• Sample Red Locks Whiskey at a Hewing Hotel tasting. (6 p.m.)
• Maisie Peters performs at 7th Street Entry. (6 p.m.)
• The Timberwolves take on the Golden State Warriors. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Duluth actor Daniel Durant won a SAG Award Sunday as part of the ensemble of “CODA.” (Paid source: Star Tribune)
• Lakewood Cemetery's Music in the Chapel concerts will return next month. (Paid source: Star Tribune)
• A Minnesota native formed an “unlikely friendship” with the state trooper who pulled him over for drunk driving four years ago near Minneapolis. (Patch)
• Minneapolis dispensaries can now offer medical marijuana in the form of cannabis buds, thanks to a new state law. Previous law said it could only be sold in the form of pills or oils. (CBS)

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That's all for today, 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.