Ryan Faircloth of the Pioneer Press writes, “Emboldened by solid gains on election night, Minnesota Democrats plan to push hard for stricter gun laws at the Capitol this year. Expanding criminal background checks for sales and creating ‘red flag’ protective orders will be near the top of their agenda when they take control of the House on Jan. 8. Democratic Gov.-elect Tim Walz, a gun owner once backed by the NRA, also supports the proposals. A Republican-led Senate, though, could stand in the way.”

Says Miguel Otarola in the Star Tribune, “The Great Seal of Minneapolis today lies virtually forgotten, nearly 100 fragments of carved limestone stored on city property in Columbia Heights. Carved in the mid-1960s, the seal once stood tall on the exterior of the old Minneapolis Auditorium, 26 feet in diameter and purportedly weighing 20 tons. It was brought down and put into storage in 1988 when the arena was demolished to make way for the Minneapolis Convention Center. Now the Great Seal is coming out of retirement, as the city plans to display it in the lobby of a new municipal office building set to open downtown in 2020.”

The KSTP-TV story on the latest lottery winners says, “The Minnesota Lottery says two people are holding million-dollar tickets following Tuesday’s announcement of the winning numbers in the Minnesota Raffle Millionaire drawing. … Lottery officials say the two tickets were sold in Crookston and Ely.”

Liz Sawyer at the Star Tribune writes: “Two brothers died in an apparent murder-suicide Tuesday afternoon in the midst of a New Year’s holiday party in White Bear Township. A SWAT team of Ramsey County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of shots fired inside a home in the 5400 block of Centerville Road around 3:45 p.m.… A 911 caller told dispatchers that his uncle had shot his father, who was bleeding inside the home, according to emergency audio. At least six people were in the residence at the time, including children.”

Article continues after advertisement

Stribber Libor Jany reports, “The Minneapolis Police Department is considering switching up its physical conditioning test for new recruits — trading sit-ups and pushups for 2,000 meters on a rowing machine, which officials say offers a more accurate picture of an officer’s fitness for street work. The changes could come as early as this year, officials said. The current test, based on what’s called the Cooper standard, includes running a mile and a half in 15 minutes, 44 seconds, doing 30 sit-ups, 25 pushups and having a vertical jump of at least 13 inches.”

The AP says, “Global iron ore producer ArcelorMittal says no changes in employment, production or operations are expected when it assumes the role as managing partner for Hibbing Taconite later this year. ArcelorMittal will take over managing duties from Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. effective Aug. 12. Cleveland-Cliffs announced earlier this year that it planned to resign from its position as managing partner in the open-pit mining operation when its contract expires. Hibbing Taconite began production in 1976 and currently has 735 hourly and salaried employees.”

From WCCO-TV: “2019 is officially here, and it just might be the year that Minnesota legalizes the recreational use of marijuana. A recent analysis published in Forbes ranks Minnesota among the states most likely to legalize recreational use next. As of right now, 10 states already allow for recreational marijuana, including California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Alaska, and Nevada. The District of Columbia also allows it. Nearly half of the states in the country allow for medical marijuana use, including Minnesota. … Forbes positions Minnesota alongside Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and a handful of other states presumably next in line to go for full recreational legalization.”

From KFGO in Fargo: “A couple from Apple Valley, MN is dead after their snowmobile broke through thin ice on a lake in northwest Wisconsin. The DNR says 57-year-old Timothy O’Brien and 56-year-old Kimberly O’Brien were riding Saturday night on Webb Lake when they crashed into the icy waters. The two were reported missing by relatives when they didn’t answer the phone at their cabin or call anyone back. The Burnett County Sheriff’s Office led a search for the O’Brien’s and the couple’s bodies were recovered from the lake Sunday after someone saw their helmets.”