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Minneapolis protest, Winter Olympics, frigid temperatures: 5 things to know this weekend

Editors  |  Paste BN

Protest planned in Minneapolis after the police shooting of Amir Locke

The parents of Amir Locke say the 22-year-old Black man, was "executed" after he reached for a weapon he legally owned when Minneapolis police officers stormed into an apartment where he was sleeping early Wednesday during a no-knock raid. Andre Locke said Friday that his son was "startled" and did what "any reasonable law-abiding citizen would do to protect themselves." Police body camera footage revealed officers quietly opened a door with a key before loudly announcing their presence causing Locke to stir. Officer Mark Hanneman fired his weapon and bullets struck Locke twice in the chest and once in the wrist. The shooting has reignited criticism of the Minneapolis Police Department, which changed its no-knock-warrants policy in 2020. On Friday, Mayor Jacob Frey imposed a moratorium on no-knock warrants. Attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong said activists are planning a Saturday demonstration at the Hennepin County Government Center. A Facebook event page confirms a protest is planned for 3 p.m. local time.

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Body cam footage of Amir Locke shooting released by Minneapolis police
Video shows Minneapolis police shooting Amir Locke about nine seconds after entering an apartment while carrying out a no-knock warrant.
Cody Godwin and Callie Carmichael, Paste BN

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First medals handed out as Winter Olympics gets underway

The 2022 Winter Olympics officially began Friday with the opening ceremony at the famed "Bird's Nest" stadium in Beijing, the first city to ever host a Winter and Summer (2008) Games. The first medals of the 2022 Olympics were handed out Saturday and there are six medal events total: the women's 15-kilometer skiathlon, women's 3,000 meters (long track speed skating), men's moguls (freestyle skiing), biathlon mixed relay, short track speed skating mixed relay and women's normal hill individual ski jumping. Norway's Therese Johaug won the first gold medal of the 2022 Olympics, dominating the women's 15-kilometer skiathlon Saturday. Russia's Natalia Nepryaeva won silver. Teresa Stadlober of Austria took the bronze. Also notable, Americans Jamie Anderson, Julia Marino and Hailey Langland all moved on to the women's snowboard slopestyle final where the Top 12 advance. The final is scheduled to begin Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. 

Storm brings more 'treacherous' ice and frigid temps across US

Northeast residents were urged to stay off the roads with temperatures beginning to drop Friday evening as a major winter storm turned already slippery roads and sidewalks into ice-covered hazards. The storm spread misery from the Deep South, where tree limbs snapped and a tornado claimed a life, to the nation's northeastern tip where snow and ice made travel treacherous Friday. Nearly 110,000 customers in Tennessee were without power as of Friday night, plus about 150,000 customers from Ohio through the Northeast, according to online tracker Poweroutage.us. In its wake, the storm is expected to bring frigid weekend temperatures, and the Weather Service had already issued wind chill and hard freeze advisories in Texas. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned residents to stay home if possible to avoid ice-coated roadways and the threat of falling tree limbs in the Hudson Valley and Capital regions. 

Queen Elizabeth II marks her 70th Accession Day in private reflection

Sunday marks the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne, the longest-ever reign for a British or English monarch. It's also the 70th anniversary of the death of her beloved father, King George VI. Thus, Feb. 6 has traditionally been a low-key affair, one the queen marks by somber reflection in private, usually at Sandringham, her Norfolk estate where the king died in 1952 at age 56 following surgery for lung cancer. The anniversary will be marked with royal hoopla during the four-day Platinum Jubilee beginning June 2. 

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Britain plans to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne
The 95-year-old monarch’s platinum jubilee celebrations will include a parade of over 1,400 soldiers on June 2, 2022, and a four-day weekend in June.
unbranded - Entertainment, unbranded - Entertainment

Sin City becomes All-Star City as Vegas will host NFL and NHL events

Many of the best pro athletes in the world will spend the weekend in Las Vegas as both the National Hockey League and the National Football League are holding their All-Star events. The NHL All-Star competition, set for Saturday at T-Mobile Arena, features a three-game tournament played in a 3-on-3 format, with 11-man teams from each of the four divisions. First, the Metropolitan Division and Pacific Division All-Stars face off for a spot in the event's final (3:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+). Later, the Atlantic Division and Central Division stars match up (4:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+). On Sunday, the stars from the AFC, led by Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans coaches, will take on the NFC's top players, led by Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers coaches, at the NFL Pro Bowl (3 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN). The game will be held in Las Vegas for the first time as Allegiant Stadium will host. Also, the league will conduct a rules experiment as all kickoffs will be eliminated and the Spot and Choose method will take center stage.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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