Former state Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka won a Republican state Central Committee straw poll for governor.  Gazelka finished with 37 percent Saturday ahead of Sen. Michelle Benson with 22 percent and former Sen. Scott Jensen with 20 percent. Gazelka had 111 of the 298 votes cast. Does that mean Gazelka has the inside track to win the party's endorsement next year? Stay tuned.

Minnesota health officials say they've confirmed the state’s second case of COVID-19 involving the omicron variant of the coronavirus,MPR’s Andrew Krueger reported . The Minnesota Department of Health's public health lab confirmed the case on Friday. It involves an adult who is connected to Minnesota State University Mankato, and they were vaccinated. They developed mild symptoms on Nov. 30, stayed isolated from others and have since recovered. State health officials said the person reported they had traveled within the U.S. but not overseas. "Members of the Minnesota State University Mankato community are encouraged to get tested and use layered mitigation including masking while around others," the state health department said in a statement — not just because of the omicron case, but also because of ongoing high rates of COVID-19 in the state. Officials also urged any Minnesota residents planning to travel for the holidays to get tested for COVID before their trips.

Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson has been charged with four misdemeanors after rolling over his county-issued SUV on I-94 interstate near Alexandria at around 2:30 a.m. last Wednesday. The charges were brought by the Douglas County Attorney. In a statement, the Minnesota State Patrol says it served Hutchinson a summons Friday afternoon at Alomere Hospital. The misdemeanor charges include operating a motor vehicle and carrying a pistol while under the influence of alcohol. Hutchinson’s blood alcohol content was 0.13, well above the legal limit of 0.08.

If President Biden’s nominee for Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger is confirmed by the Senate, he’ll walk into office with an apparent conflict of interest.Andy Mannix of the Star Tribune reports : Since 2017 Luger has worked as a law partner for Jones Day. Until last month, Luger has played a leading role in Jones Day's work for the city of Minneapolis as it responds to the Justice Department's investigation into whether its police department has engaged in a "pattern and practice" of systemic illegal conduct. That puts Luger in an ethical bind. If he steps aside, he'll be a bystander to a potentially historic case. If he doesn't, he will have to confront accusations that the outcome of the case will be tainted by what his critics say is a conflict of interest, because he's switched sides in the same probe.

The state is putting nearly $2.9 million dollars toward offering more children residential behavioral health services,  MPR’s Peter Cox reported. Nearly all of the money, which comes from federal American Rescue Plan funds, will be used to maintain or expand capacity at residential treatment facilities for children who no longer need hospitalization. Hospitals have been seeing an increase in children with behavioral health needs, and sometimes have had to care for kids longer than needed because of a lack of beds or rooms at residential facilities. Gov. Tim Walz announced the funding Friday, saying it should relieve pressure on hospitals while giving better access to children. According to Walz's office, workforce shortages have hampered capacity. The funds will help facilities cover costs like retention bonuses, overtime and training, among other things.

As Minnesota’s lakes warm due to climate change, they are losing ice cover that turns them into playgrounds for the state’s winter-hardy residents, MPR’s Kirsti Marohn reported. Data show ice cover on Minnesota lakes has declined an average of 10-14 days over the past 50 years, state environmental officials declared Friday during a news conference on the shore of Medicine Lake in Plymouth. “In our own backyard, climate change is chipping away at the lake ice season,” said Katrina Kessler, commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Ice conditions vary greatly from year to year and from lake to lake. But based on data collected by state agencies and volunteers, since 1967, ice-in dates have moved about nine days later on average, while ice-out dates have moved about four to five days earlier.