Legal pot, loony flag designs, Taylor Swift: These were your most-clicked stories in 2023

Minnesota officially became the 23rd state to legalize recreational cannabis use.

Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill into law May 30. The 300-page bill allows adults 21 and older to use recreational marijuana and transforms a black market into regulated, state-licensed businesses throughout the state. It also expunges low-level cannabis convictions.

"We've known for too long that prohibiting the use of cannabis hasn't worked. By legalizing adult-use cannabis, we're expanding our economy, creating jobs, and regulating the industry to keep Minnesotans safe," Walz said. "Legalizing adult-use cannabis and expunging or resentencing cannabis convictions will strengthen communities. This is the right move for Minnesota."

Throughout 2023, WCCO's stories on the new cannabis laws outpaced all other stories by a mile. Walz signing the bill into law was the most-clicked headline, but other stories garnered plenty of attention as well, including these:

• Seeds to grow weed available for sale starting Aug. 1, when recreational marijuana is legal
• ATF: Until recreational cannabis is federally legalized, pot users cannot own guns
• Law enforcement on alert for impaired drivers as marijuana becomes legal, plan to boost drug experts

Minnesota leaders tasked residents with helping reimagine the state's flag and seal. The citizenry delivered, with designs running the gamut from reverent, to just plain ridiculous.

The State Emblems Redesign Commission (SERC) put out the call for submissions throughout the month of October. In November, the commission unveiled 2,123 flag designs for consideration, and 398 seal submissions.

Loons, stars, and loons with stars were the common hallmarks. Ultimately the loon was selected for the new state seal, but not the new state flag.

The inmate who stabbed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in federal prison last week did so 22 times, with an improvised knife, according to recently filed criminal charges. He also admitted to corrections officers that he would have killed Chauvin had they not responded as quickly as they did.

The U.S. Attorney's Office identified the alleged perpetrator as 52-year-old John Turscak. He now faces charges of attempted murder, assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

Chauvin was badly hurt after he was stabbed in a federal prison one week ago; the charging documents indicate the stabbing happened in the law library at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona. Chauvin is currently serving his 22-year sentence there. The former police officer was convicted of killing George Floyd during an arrest in May 2020.

A WCCO source earlier this week said that Chauvin was hospitalized following the attack, but was said to be in stable condition.

A Taylor Swift fan says she can't "even fathom" what happened during the Saturday night show in downtown Minneapolis.

Kaitlyn Iannantuoni has been a fan of Swift since 2006, when the singer was still an opening act. She even got to meet Swift in 2008, so attending the Eras Tour was no exception.

Her older brother, Brian, died in a car crash five years ago on June 24. She posted a tweet, tagging Taylor Swift, requesting that she sing "Daylight" as one of her surprise songs on Saturday in honor of her brother.

Swift delivered, making "Daylight" her second surprise song of the night. Kaitlyn fell to her knees in the stadium, sobbing, as soon as she heard it.

"It just meant so much to me. I think the message in that song is just so positive: life is hard, but you can get through it," she said.

RELATED: Taylor Swift thanks fans after 2 nights of shows in Minneapolis: "Loved every second of it"

Grace Church in Eden Prairie has hosted hundreds of high school graduations over the years, including those of Chaska High School. But this year, some Chaska students want the graduation ceremony moved because of the church's position on divorce and LGBTQ+ rights.

Grace Church's website explains that they believe marriage to be a "covenant between a biological male and biological female" and divorce to be "like many other human failures . . . a consequence of sin."

A Change.org petition started by Eli Frost, has about 500 signatures asking that the graduation ceremony be moved.

"Grace Church has one of the more regressive views systems of all churches in the state," Frost said at a school board meeting last month.

RELATED: LGBTQ+ leaders "deeply concerned" by Target removing Pride merch as workers face violent threats

One of Minneapolis' most well-known gay bars says it will stop serving Anheuser-Busch beers after the company walked back a marketing campaign featuring a trans spokesperson.

In a statement, The Saloon said it will instead serve beers from local breweries Modist and Bauhaus.

Anheuser-Busch recently faced backlash from conservatives after featuring trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney in a marketing campaign for Bud Light. After said backlash, the company tried to distance itself from the campaign, sparking a round of fresh outrage, this time from the LGBTQ+ community.

"Anheuser-Busch had an opportunity to support a marginalized community in a way that few other corporations have attempted, but they abandoned that direction. We view that as unacceptable," Saloon owner John Moore said.

The Saloon's statement said it is dropping Anheuser-Busch in favor of "local companies that actively support and grow the LGBTQIA+ community."

A suspect was taken into custody hours after a shooting that injured five officers in Minnesota's Benton County Thursday morning.

According to the Benton County Sheriff's Office, all five shot are members of the Sherburne County Drug Task Force. They are all expected to survive. 

"This has been a difficult day. And we are grateful that the incident did not result in further injury or in loss of life," Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck said. "We are also grateful for the bravery and professionalism of all the law enforcement personnel involved in this incident."

The suspect is 64-year-old Karl Holmberg, authorities said, who was formally charged Friday.

A Minnesota woman who killed her 6-year-old son will now spend the rest of her life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A Hennepin County judge formally sentenced Julissa Thaler to a life sentence for Eli Hart's murder. Thaler was arrested in Orono last May when a caller reported that the car she was driving had a shattered rear window and a blown-out tire. Her son's body was later found in the trunk of the car.

It was an emotional day in court at the sentencing Thursday. Eli Hart's family had a framed class photo of him front and center as they spoke in front of the judge.

Nikita Kronberg, who is Eli Hart's former foster mother, said that Hart "meant the world to so many people. He was so kind and amazing. Always had a smile on his face. He made friends so easily and wanted to explore all the time."

Alex Rodriguez, former New York Yankee and current co-owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, revealed on "CBS Mornings" that he was recently diagnosed with early-stage gum disease.

"Looks can be deceiving," he said, smiling. "I just recently went to see my dentist and not thinking anything about any gum disease. And the dentist tells me the news, and then I come to find out over 65 million Americans have this gum disease." 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of U.S. adults 30 and older have some form of gum disease, and it's even more common after the age of 65.

Officials in the U.K. say a suspect arrested in the death of Adam Johnson — a Minnesota hockey player fatally injured during a hockey game — was released on bail.

South Yorkshire Police earlier announced a man was being held on suspicion of manslaughter in Johnson's death. Police later updated that he was released on bail while the "investigation continues."

While officials hadn't at that point confirmed the identity of the suspect, hockey player Matt Petgrave, 31, was the Sheffield Steelers member whose blade cut Johnson's neck during a game last month.

RELATED: Who is Matt Petgrave, the hockey player involved in Adam Johnson's death?

Johnson, 29, was playing for the Nottingham Panthers on Oct. 28 when the incident occurred. He died later at the hospital. At the time of his injury, the Panthers called it a "freak accident."

Tou Thao, the last former Minneapolis police officer convicted in state court for his role in the killing of George Floyd, was sentenced Monday to four years and nine months - even as he denied wrongdoing.

Thao had testified he merely served as a "human traffic cone" when he held back concerned bystanders who gathered as former Officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes while the Black man pleaded for his life on May 25, 2020.

A bystander video captured Floyd's fading cries of "I can't breathe."

READ MORE: Judge approves Minneapolis police reform deal forged after George Floyd's killing

At the sentencing hearing, Thao spent 20 minutes telling the court about rediscovering Christianity during his 340 days behind bars. He said he was "distressed" by Floyd's death, but denied any role in it.

A heart-wrenching scam is targeting animal lovers on Facebook. The Better Business Bureau released a warning about the scam this past fall, saying it's on the rise in local community and buy-and-sell groups.

The scam stems from fake posts about injured or missing dogs, and in some cases, children. The poster urges people to share it on their page to their friends. After it's been shared many times, the scammer then edits the post to include a malicious link or service.

"It disheartens me to hear it, yeah, because I know that animal lovers are very giving and compassionate people, too," dog owner Aero Zachritz said.

MyPillow founder Mike Lindell was one of three candidates running for the most powerful position in the Republican party -- the Chair of the Republican National Committee.

It came as Lindell faced a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit over his promotion of the Big Lie -- as well as the FBI's seizure of his cell phone. Lindell says the reason he would win is because Republicans are so divided -- and, as he pointed out, he has a lot of supporters.

Dominion's lawsuit claims it's all been good for his business and that "Lindell has increased MyPillow sales by 30-40% and continues duping people into redirecting their election-lie outrage into pillow purchases." Lindell said that is not true.

"Now let me tell you the facts about MyPillow. When I tried to get this out to the people, MyPillow lost $100 million in retailers. We are not up 30-40% -- we are down. We are down. I had to borrow money," Lindell told WCCO.

Attorney General Keith Ellison is calling for term limits for Supreme Court justices, following an interview he gave to a Michigan news outlet in which he was reported to have said Justice Clarence Thomas "needs to be impeached."

According to the Michigan Chronicle, Ellison's comment was made during an interview with news organization's digital anchor Andre Ash.

"Clarence Thomas has decided that his best personal interest is siding with the powerful and the special interests irregardless to who they're going to hurt," Ellison said.

Living to 100 may seem like a major feat, but there are communities around the world where it's common — they're called "Blue Zones."

Minnesota native Dan Buettner is one of the foremost experts on how they work. Buettner's new Netflix documentary and New York Times bestsellers reveal the secret recipe to longevity.

"It's really what they're not doing. They're not doing anything consciously, and there's where we get it wrong," Buettner said. "We think we can resolve to get on the right diet, the right exercise program, supplement plan, superfoods, and get healthier. But it never works."

Buettner said that the "superagers" are often walking outside, having spontaneous conversations with the people they bump into, having a smaller dinner, and eating mostly a whole food, plant-centric diet.

Several years ago, a Minnesota community decided it wanted families to follow his guidance. Albert Lea made headlines in 2016 when it became the first community in the country to be a certified Blue Zones community.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce said there were multiple reports of water mixed with fuel at a Holiday Station in Mankato and another in New Hope.

"It's infuriating, it's just so disheartening," said Kim Hecomovich, who, more than $800 later, finally has her car back after it was at the BMW dealership mechanic for two weeks.

RELATED: Gas mixed with water discovered at 2 Minnesota stations: What drivers need to know

The mechanics gave her a final diagnostics report finding her gas tank was filled with more than 90% water. A mechanic at the dealership sent her a photo of a small bottle showing what they found in her gas tank. It showed a majority of the bottle was water and only a small layer floating on top was fuel.

Nearly three dozen new items were on offer this year, along with a handful of brand-new vendors. With items across the spectrum from sweet to savory and including ingredients like lutefisk, pickles and hamloaf, there was something for everyone.  

And WCCO had you covered. We sent out our digital team members to hit every corner of the fair to try as many of the new fair foods as we possibly could. We found the best the fair's eager vendors had to offer alongside ... well, the ones we recommended you probably skip this time around.

Click here to see how they ranked out.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections said an emergency situation at Minnesota Correctional Facility - Stillwater was resolved after roughly 100 inmates in one living unit refused to return to their cells.

The DOC reports that all staff had been removed from the common areas of the unit that had been taken over, and two correctional officers remained in the unit's secure control area, staying "in constant communication with facility command personnel during the incident."

UPDATE: As staffing problems, extreme heat cause big problems at Stillwater Prison, former corrections officer says "nothing has changed"

A number of Minnesotans are celebrating a big win, as adult changing tables are now law in new public spaces that are built in Minnesota.

As WCCO has previously reported, some Minnesotans say using public restrooms has been a dehumanizing and disgusting experience, as they are forced to lie on the floor.

When Linda Hood, a marathoner who lost the use of her legs from a virus, became Miss Wheelchair Minnesota in early 2022, she declared it her mission to get adult changing tables in public restrooms. 

Some south metro residents say Friday, May 12 was like any other day – until some foul-smelling stuff fell from the sky.

Carisa Browne was waiting in the drive-thru line at the Caribou Coffee off Highway 13 and Cliff Road in Burnsville.

"I was waiting in line, getting my daily coffee…and all of a sudden brown dropped onto my vehicle," Browne said. "It was like it rained brown for a second, boom, like that. I got out and I went to the car in front of me and I was like, 'What just happened to us?' And he was like, 'I have no idea.'"

RELATED: Poop from planes: Here's how often that happens