Sports

All Eyes on Women’s College Basketball in Minneapolis 🏀

The Summary: Minneapolis will be taking center stage the next two weeks in the growing world of women’s college basketball as the Gophers take on the Iowa Hawkeyes and as Minneapolis gets ready to host a sold out Big 10 Women’s basketball tournament. 

Sold Out: It was announced over the weekend that the Big 10 Women’s Basketball tournament taking place in Minneapolis has sold out for the first time in tournament history. The tournament, which will take place March 6-10 at the Target Center, is expected to draw 109,000 fans over the five days. 

Driving the Crowds: Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history, has been drawing sell-out crowds at home and on the road. Her logo three point shots and dizzying passes have become must-see entertainment.

Prelude to the Tournament: This Wednesday evening, the University of Iowa and Caitlin Clark are coming to Minneapolis to face the Gophers in a match-up that has been sold out for weeks. Still want a ticket? Lower bowl tickets at Williams Arena have been hovering around $250-400 on resale sites. 

Politics

Minnesota's 2024 Precinct Caucuses Are On Tuesday: Here’s What You Need To Know 🗳

The Summary: Republicans, Democrats, and the Legal Marijuana Now Party are holding precinct caucuses on Tuesday. At the gatherings, community members will discuss issues, elect local party officers, select delegates to party conventions, and set party platforms. 

Who Can Attend: Each party has its own rules for who can participate. For the DFL, you must be at least 16 years old and consider yourself a member of the party. For Republicans, participants must be eligible to vote in the next election and be Republicans. 

Finding Your Caucus: Find your caucus site at the Secretary of State website here. 

What’s Ahead: Minnesota's presidential primary election will be held on March 5, coinciding with Super Tuesday.  

Police

Burnsville First Responder Families Release Statements

The Summary: Over the weekend, the family and friends of the Burnsville first responders released public statements remembering their slain loved ones.

“He had a servant's heart and would drop everything to help someone who was in need, whether it be family, friend or someone on the street.” -Cindy Elmstrand-Castruita, wife of Officer Paul Elmstrand

“Adam was one of the most selfless and humble individuals you would ever meet. His dedication to his family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, community, and country was unwavering.” -Tara Finseth, wife of firefighter and paramedic Adam Finseth 

❯ Read the full statements here.

Safety

❯ Increased Metro Monitoring: Starting last Friday, Metro Transit added 24 TRIP agents on the METRO Green and Blue lines to enhance rider safety. These agents will perform various duties including fare inspection, enforcing Metro Transit’s Code of Conduct, and connecting them with social service programs.

❯ New Safety Plan Released: Over the weekend, Minneapolis Police responded to four robbery incidents within an 18 minute timeframe. In response to the robbery spree, Minneapolis PD rolled out a new protocol which includes officers concentrating resources in targeted areas and suspending non-emergency 911 responses. 

Business

❯ Sun Country Adds More Flights: Sun Country will introduce new routes to Monterey, California, and Manchester, New Hampshire, starting August 8th. The airline now services direct flights to 108 different locations throughout the United States from MSP. 

❯ Target and Cargill Have “Beef”: Target and Cargill find themselves on opposing sides in an expanding antitrust lawsuit targeting major beef producers, alleging coordinated price manipulation leading to inflated beef prices.

What Else We’re Reading…

Dean Phillips Consultant Hires a Magician….This Headline Wasn’t On Our Bingo Card.

Over the weekend, NBC News reported that a consultant to the Dean Phillips campaign hired a magician to use artificial intelligence to impersonate President Joe Biden for a robocall telling New Hampshire citizens to not vote in their primary election. Phillips responded on Friday with a tweet saying: "I’m disgusted that a consultant hired to assist my campaign w/ballot access is alleged to have faked a robocall impersonating Joe Biden.”

Sports

🏆 Edina & Warroad Crowned: The Minnesota girls state high school hockey tournament wrapped up on Saturday with Edina and Warroad winning their championship games in class AA and A, respectively. 

🏀 Gopher Men’s Basketball Loses: The Gophers struggled on the road against Nebraska losing 73-55. The loss makes it almost impossible for the gophers to make the NCAA tourney.

🎿 Jessie Diggins Shines: Coming off a podium finish at the World Cup hosted in Minneapolis, Twin Cities native Jessie Diggins took that momentum to the Birkie where she was crowned the women’s overall champion. 

⚾ Spring Training: The Minnesota Twins took the field in an exhibition game against the Gophers, winning 13-2. The Twins officially began spring training play on Sunday when they lost to the Boston Red Sox.

GAME: Mini Crossword

Take your shot at this weeks’s mini crossword puzzle created just for Twin Cities Insider readers. Solve the puzzle here.

Quick hits

Headlines From Around The Twin Cities ✔

❯ Thanks to a boost in funding, Twin Cities teachers are seeing the best pay raises in years (Star Tribune)

❯ The University of Minnesota Board of Regents could select its next university president as soon as today (MPR)

❯ Twin Cities rent prices are softer for the rich (Axios)

❯ Lawmakers reached a compromise on rules governing the use of force in Minnesota schools (MN Reformer)

❯ Walz responds to ruling affecting IVF in Alabama saying he and his wife used in-vitro fertilization to conceive their daughter (MinnPost)

Beyond the Twin Cities

Headlines From Greater Minnesota ✔

❯ St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis hosted a 24-hour townhall on Saturday (Star Tribune)

❯ A new high school dropout prevention hotline for northwest Minnesota will launch at the beginning of March (MPR)

❯ Duluth was recently featured in a recent cheeky Comedy Central Daily Show clip (Youtube)

❯ Warmer weather could bring an increase to an invasive plant found in Minnesota lakes (MPR)

The Final Word: Feel Good Story To Start Your Week.

I recently came across a Kare11 story that featured a young hockey lover named Matt Jenkins. Matt has an intellectual disability and since graduating from high school his social life has been limited. That was, until a group of older recreational hockey players in Cottage Grove invited Matt to join them. Start your week on a positive note by watching this video.

-Patrick