🌱 Twin Cities Skier Makes Olympic History + Latest COVID Numbers

Good morning! Thanks for reading today's edition of the Minneapolis Daily.

First, today's weather: Cloudy and colder. High: 34 Low: 12.

Here are the top stories today in Minneapolis:

1. COVID-19 hospitalizations are down 24 percent over the past two weeks in Minnesota, according to the state health department. An additional 35 COVID-related deaths were reported Monday, bringing the state total to 11,634 deaths. (Paid source: Star Tribune)

2. Amir Locke's teenage cousin was arrested Tuesday in connection with a St. Paul homicide. Mekhi C. Speed, 17, will face second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Otis R. Elder. Locke's killing by Minneapolis police continues to raise questions about the use of no-knock warrants in Minnesota. (Patch)

3. Funeral services will be held today for the 15-year-old who was killed in Richfield last week. Jahmari Rice was shot outside South Education Center on Feb. 1. (Patch)

4. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden is expected to discuss "legislative wins" in the American Rescue Plan Act during her visit to the University of Minnesota today. She will be joined by Xavier Becerra, the secretary of Health and Human Services. (Paid source: New York Times)

5. Minnesota's Jessie Diggins made history at the Beijing Olympics Tuesday when she became the first American woman to medal in an individual cross-country skiing event. The Twin Cities native earned the bronze medal in the freestyle sprint. (BMTN)

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Today in Minneapolis:

• Browse jobs for veterans at a virtual job fair. (11 a.m.)
• AxeBrige Wine Co. hosts a "Paint & Sip" event. (6 p.m.)
• Free Zumba at the Cultural Wellness Center. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Local restaurant Pizzeria Lola made Yelp's list of Top 100 pizza places in the nation. (KARE11)
• Hennepin County Library is offering "Dial-A-Story" for patrons to hear stories by phone. (Patch Press Release Desk)
• Local woman Crystal Hill-Hover was inspired by her 20-year battle with addiction to open the Twin Cities Wellness Center and Recovery Gym in Minneapolis last month. (CBS)
• Edison High School student Nari Miller won the Athena Award for top female athletes in the Twin Cities. (MPS)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow with another update!

— 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.