AG Lori Swanson won’t run for governor

Swanson stays put. MPR’s Brian Bakst writes: “Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson erased doubts Sunday about her political intentions, announcing her plan to run for a fourth term rather than try for an open governor’s office. ‘I am a candidate for re-election as Attorney General,’ she told supporters in an email obtained by MPR News. She said she appreciated the encouragement she was getting to run for higher office but said she has too much important work on her plate. ‘I must focus all my energy and attention on that work,’ Swanson wrote, citing cases against pharmaceutical companies, for-profit colleges and President Donald Trump’s restrictions on travelers from certain foreign countries.”

KSTP reports: “Metro Transit officials say a woman has died after being hit by a light rail train on Sunday afternoon in St. Paul. Spokesman Howie Padilla says the initial investigation shows a woman was standing in the area between eastbound and westbound tracks near University Avenue and Pascal Street in the Midway neighborhood. The woman was struck by an eastbound train and died at the scene, Padilla said.”

For The Current, Luke Taylor writes: “In an interesting local note, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja won Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for their rendering of Franz Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden.’ And in the Country categories, Chris Stapleton won Best Country Solo Performance for ‘Either Way’ and Best Country Song for ‘Broken Halos’, songs that Stapleton performed at the Palace Theatre last October at the season premiere of the Chris Thile-hosted program now titled Live From Here.”

Says Josh Verges of the PiPress, “The fired chief diversity officer for four nonmetro Minnesota colleges has won a $75,000 settlement after alleging his termination violated state human rights laws. Brian Xiong taught for seven years at Minnesota State University, Mankato, before joining Minnesota State Community and Technical College in May 2016. He led diversity efforts at the college’s Moorhead, Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls and Wadena campuses until he was fired in April. Xiong, who is Hmong-American, said he never felt welcome on a team of white administrators. … His salary was much lower too, at $43,347, and he had a non-salary annual budget of $10,000 for the four campuses.”

One of us. The Strib’s Rachel Blount writes: “Before the World Cup season began, Jessie Diggins mapped out a training and competition schedule designed to put her in peak form for the Olympics. She got a good sign Sunday that she is on track, earning her first victory of the season in Seefeld, Austria. The cross-country skier from Afton defeated Norway’s Heidi Weng, the overall leader in the World Cup season standings, in a 10-kilometer freestyle mass start race.”

Oh, this’ll play well. Matt Lombardo for NJ.com says; “After a week’s worth of Vikings fans planning to sabotage Eagles’ fans experiences in Minnesota for the Super Bowl by dropping them off at random locations from UBER rides and other shenanigans, it seems some have actually backed up their tough talk.  Before the Eagles even arrived in Minnesota for Super Bowl LII against the New England Patriots, as safety Chris Maragos tweeted, some players are being refused service in Minnesota restaurants.” False flag alert: Maragos is from … Wisconsin. 

I’m not sure it means what you think it means. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s ​Anna Orso reports: ​“Despite reports of​​ Uber drivers plotting against Birds fans​ or indications that Vikings faithful felt ​​mistreated in Philadelphia​ by unruly fans, most locals are promising that visitors can expect to encounter something known as ‘Minnesota Nice,’ the notion that people who live here have a genuine sense of goodwill and generally avoid confrontation.”