Thread 1/6: By now you've probably seen that @WCCO photojournalist @Dymanh was attacked by this knucklehead Wednesday in Duluth, covering activity near a campaign rally for President Trump.

I was the one who assigned him to this story & he agreed without hesitation, as always. 2/6: He is my colleague and my friend. But, more that, he is one of the many @wccophotogs and reporters who put their health and safety at risk every day in order to tell stories which are important to the community.

But, his story is exceptional…

Valentina was my @PeaceCorps host mother in #Ukraine in 2007. She loved life and her family, and treated me like a son. Before I married Heidi I brought her to Valentina, as my parents were already gone. Valentina died Friday in Kamchatka, Russia at 82. I am heartbroken. She left #Kozelets, Ukraine a few years ago after Andrey, the love of her life, passed away. The way the looked at each other and flirted, after 40 years together, brought me so much joy.

Recently she returned to her homeland of #Siberia, as if to see it one last time.

I just rode into @WCCO and saw looters inside Ruth's Chris Steak House and heard people talking about going for the safe. #minneapolisriots In this image @MinneapolisPD are lighting up the crowd on Nicollet Mall advising them to disperse or they will be arrested for unlawful assembly. Hundreds of people remain on the streets. @WCCO

Mile 0: 3 of my passions are (post) Soviet culture, cycling and hip-hop music. Today I intend to combine the three by riding my bicycle, while listening to hip-hop music, and traveling to various local sites related to Soviet/Russian culture. Follow along, won't you? #SovietMN Mile 5: Booth Manor, Minneapolis. Nearly one-third of the residents in this @salarmynorth senior living facility speak Russian. Two of its residents are among the 37 Soviet WWII veterans who live in Minnesota, 75 years after the Великая Отечественная война ended. #RussiaInMN

THREAD: Lots of musicians are making Coronavirus/COVID-19 related music.

Here is a sample of what's out there.

Let's being with Fagaru Ci Coronavirus by Senegalese group @YENAMARRE_SN.

This song is focused on education/awareness, as best I can tell: Here's a jam from Dominican Dembow singer Yofrangel 911.

It's a little too intense for my taste:

THREAD.

During Feb. I will be highlighting black Minnesotans, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Their contributions to our state & nation are too often overlooked.

In this 1958 @MNSpokesman image the Dominoes MC club prepares for a ride to Canada.

#BlackHistoryMonth @MNSpokesman I-94 construction decimated the predominantly black Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul in the 50s & 60s. Sections had colorful names including Oatmeal Hill & Cornmeal Valley. Businesses such as the Credjafawn Co-Op and Booker T Cafe & Tavern were lost to history.

#BlackHistoryMonth

Thread: My great grandfather, the bank robber.

My great grandmother Mabel Still died in Oct. 2018 at the age of 104.

She lived half of her life after her husband Wesley and only son, Guy, died. After her funeral some of us family gathered at a coffee shop. One of my relatives joked that Wesley had once got liquored up and robbed a bank. I wanted to learn more but nobody knew anything beyond that. It wasn't the sort of thing great grandma Mabel talked about.

Follow along as Oliver and I see what we can see and do for $20 @mnstatefair. Pre-paid for a ticket (and he is free), 🚲 to the nearest free park and ride... Walked by @ks95 just in time for a free @JonnyPops. $20 remain.

When I lived in Crimea I had a benefactor (who I suspected was a mobster). He took me on trips to Odessa, the Koktebel dolphinarium, the fortress at Sudak , and the Massandra winery, to sip wines favored by the Tsar. Good times...
🐬🍷 🏰💰 This is my only picture of Vladimir Efimovich, the "biznessman" who took me around, as if courting me. This is from the fortress at Sudak, which he said was ground zero for the Black Death of 14th century Europe.

Can you believe @WCCO is paying me to volunteer by riding with the #PedalPower kids of @MPS_News Pillsbury school? Just another cool job perk. BTW, we are hiring: minnesota.cbslocal.com/tag/wcco-jobs/

Dam. Marsh

#ThrowbackThursday Thread: Minneapolis hosted the #FinalFour back in 1992 as well. While there wasn't a blockbuster concert like @katyperry there was this act...and some choice dance moves. Indiana hoops fans brought a strong sartorial game, with themes of Where's Waldo and also a lotta love for Minneapolis-based @zubaz.

Thread: Been a dedicated #bicycle commuter for years in Minnesota. This is how I prepare for -25F with wind chills around -50F... Step 1: All merino base layer with light wool socks and silk liner gloves.

If you aren't paying attention to what's happening in Venezuela you should be. cbsnews.com/news/trump-rec… Not only have Venezuelans been suffering for a long time, but the chance of a US vs Russia proxy war (eg Georgia, Ukraine & Syria) exist... and Venezuela is much closer to home.

Group of ~50 protesters jumped in front of @TwinCitiesPride parade and are holding it up. They are upset over police presence/Yanez verdict. @TwinCitiesPride Now @WCCO is on the ground at the scene monitoring. Seems like a stalemate, as group has stopped moving.