Cutting off natural gas to Poland and Bulgaria cost Russian President Vladimir Putin very little — but it is adding stress on European countries wrestling over how to reduce energy imports. Energy sales are feeding the Kremlin’s war chest.

European Union officials say yielding to Putin’s demand to pay for gas in rubles would violate western sanctions imposed over the war. The war is entering its third month.

An extensive state investigation launched after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020 found that the Minneapolis Police Department has engaged in a pattern of race discrimination for at least the past decade.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights said Wednesday it will negotiate a court-enforceable agreement called a consent decree with the city of Minneapolis to address the long list of problems identified in the report.

TommieMedia’s columnist Macy Berendsen won first place in the Society of Environmental Journalists Press Freedom Day Op/Ed contest. Berendsen won for her article, “The Mafia To-Do List: Garbage Collection,” highlighting the issue of garbage and crime in Rome. The city produces 1.7 million metric tons of trash every year. Students from colleges around the country competed for the award.

Ella Shuherk can be reached at shuh1120@stthomas.edu.