“Chauvin was our off-duty police for almost the entirety of the 17 years that we were open,” Maya Santamaria, the former owner of El Nuevo Rodeo club in Minneapolis, which was sold months prior to the incident, told KSTP in an interview Thursday. Floyd worked at the club for about a year, but Santamaria said he was one of 20 or 30 employees hired for security on the busiest nights in addition to off-duty police, and is not sure if the pair ever actually spoke to one another....

“I just said hello to him this afternoon,” Karl said, via Yahoo Sports. “I don’t think it’s something we have to rush through. You got two guys that are very frustrated with losing, two guys that are somewhat stubborn and two guys that love to compete. MORE: Favorite photos of NBA photographer Andrew Bernstein | Kerr: Popovich ‘has no business coaching’ if Spurs can’t win “Sometimes, that doesn’t work the first time you hang around....

He wanted to try and provide a bit of a distraction for the folks of Houston who are Astros fans, whether they were at Minute Maid Park or watching on TV or listening to the radio broadcast. “For us as athletes, it’s hard for us to understand what a lot of people went through,” he said. “We weren’t here. But it’s our job to do anything we can to help, and if that’s to go out there today, playing hard and giving somebody a three-hour break from reality, I’m happy to do it....

On February 26th 2012, Zimmerman was working at a local gated community in Sanford, Florida, as a crime-watch volunteer when he encountered 17-year-old Martin as he returned to his father’s house from the store, where he’d bought some Skittles and iced tea. Against the advice of a 911 operator, Zimmerman followed Martin, eventually shooting the teenager dead after an altercation. In July 2013, he was found not guilty and was acquitted of his charges, a decision that sparked national outrage and fuelled the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement....

The best part about the fanny packs? They’ll feature a picture of Jack, the school’s bulldog mascot. The dog modeled the fanny pack in a promotional tweet: MORE: Hilarious video: Basketball player loses shoe, becomes one-person blooper reel Don’t be student 501 or you’ll be one sad puppy.

Georgia Democrat Chairwoman Nikema Williams condemned Matt Lieberman, one of the Democratic candidates for Loeffler’s U.S. Senate seat, saying his book “Lucius” included “offensive” writing that would “not be tolerated” by the state party. The president of Georgia’s NAACP chapter also weighed in on the novel about an old man with an imaginary slave by calling on Lieberman to end his 2020 Senate campaign. According to the HuffPost, the main character in Lucius repeatedly uses the N-word and is positive about the Ku Klux Klan over the novel’s 213 pages....

In the video, which first surfaced online on Wednesday, an adult who appears to be a Pee Wee football coach can be seen yelling and then hitting a kid as he walks off the field at the end of the game. Multiple reports indicated the incident took place during the American Youth Football National Championship in Kissimmee, Florida. The team in question, meanwhile, is the 9U Savannah Gators, which has subsequently apologized for the action on its Facebook page....

Two hospital regions each have only one ICU bed (noted as “Critical Care” beds in the report) remaining, while five regions have less than 10 ICU beds available. ICU beds in six regions are reported to be more than 90 percent full, according to the report Tuesday. Across the state, ICU beds are more than 87.5 percent full, with 2,588 of the state’s 2,957 total ICU beds reported to be in use, according to the report....

The escaped inmate was identified as Devonte Detuan Ross, according to a press release from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia. Fresno investigators said he got away after he was transported by plane from California to Georgia, WXIA-TV in Atlanta reported. Ross was being transported to the state prison by a private transport agency, according to police. During his transport, the agency’s personnel stopped at a QuikTrip gas station to get him something to eat, which is when he escaped from their custody....

Ehrhart’s bill would block drugs and surgeries used by transitioning adolescents and teenagers to confirm their genders. These include sterilization, mastectomy, vasectomy, castration and other forms of surgery, as well as any medication that causes infertility and any hormone or puberty blockers, including estrogen or testosterone. The law also blocks the “removal of any non-diseased body parts of a minor child.” “The Vulnerable Child Protection Act is not an attempt to infringe on the rights of adults to make lifestyle choices for themselves… this is about children who are being abused by adults....

Republicans in the Georgia General Assembly pushed through an election reform package that has been condemned by Democrats as the “new Jim Crow,” as they view the bill as working to make it more difficult for people of color to vote in the state. Although Duncan believes there are some good aspects to the package, he disagrees with other parts and said the timing of the bill was a bad move by Republicans....

The 19-year-old Bellamy was arrested early Saturday and was released on bonds totaling $2,000 about an hour later. No further details on the arrest were immediately available. Bellamy’s arrest comes only three days after Georgia announced that sophomore defensive lineman Jonathan Taylor was dismissed from the team following his arrest on aggravated assault and family violence charges. Bellamy, from Chamblee, was held out in 2013 as a redshirt. Georgia has not issued a statement on Bellamy’s arrest or status as the team prepares to open preseason practice....

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced the arrest 18 hours after Mikheil Saakashvili posted on social media that he was back in the country. The former president was convicted in absentia on abuse of power charges and since has resided in Ukraine. Saakashvili said in Facebook video posts that he was in Batumi, the Black Sea port resort and the country’s second-largest city. Details of the arrest were not provided, but Georgian officials denied that Saakashvili was in the country....

Joshua Ivory, a student at Southwest High School in Macon, went into distress Monday, prompting the coaches to call an ambulance, Bibb County School District officials said. Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones said Ivory died in the hospital emergency room. No cause of death was announced but an autopsy has been planned. For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below. Monday was the first day of practice for teams statewide....

Heartland virus is an emerging infectious disease. It was first identified in Missouri in 2009 and has subsequently been found in 11 states in the Midwest and Southeast. Over 50 cases of the virus have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with fatalities recorded among people with underlying health conditions. The disease causes fever, diarrhea, muscle pain, headache, nausea and a loss of appetite. Many people who have been diagnosed with Heartland virus have had to be hospitalized....

Wijnaldum was surprisingly left out of the starting 11 despite injuries to Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah as Liverpool attempted to overturn a 3-0 deficit at Anfield en route to the final. The Netherlands international was introduced at halftime to replace the injured Andy Robertson, though, and scored twice in the space of two minutes to pull the Reds level on aggregate before Divock Origi’s second goal 11 minutes from time secured a famous win....

With two quick, deft touches, Goetze ended Germany’s 24-year wait for another World Cup title — and denied Messi the one title he needs to forever take his place among the game’s all-time greats. Goetze scored the winning goal in extra time to give Germany a 1-0 victory over Argentina on Sunday in a tight and tense World Cup final that was decided by one moment of brilliance. Goetze, who wasn’t born when West Germany beat Argentina in the 1990 final, controlled a cross with his chest in the 113th minute and in one fluid motion volleyed the ball past goalkeeper Sergio Romero and inside the far post from five yards out....

The official said Trump’s move in July came as a surprise, and appeared to be punitive. “We learned about this only through leaks,” the official said, “and the motive behind it was apparently to punish us for not spending enough on defense.” The traditionally robot transatlantic partnership between the U.S. and Europe was severely tested under the Trump administration, and Germany, in particular, bore the brunt of criticism for not falling directly in line with the White House’s plans....

In comments to Germany’s Funke newspaper group published Wednesday, Buschmann said there is a “huge reform backlog” on social policy in the country. He said a first step will include removing language in Germany’s criminal code that prohibits “advertising” abortions, with a possible penalty of a fine and up to two years in prison. Buschmann said that many women turn to the internet for advice on abortion, “but it cannot be the case that the doctors most likely to provide information are not allowed to provide information there,” according to News In 24....

Ozil had been omitted from the team that sensationally defeated Sweden 2-1 in the last outing but takes his place in the starting XI after Muller struggled to make his mark against the Swedes. The Arsenal playmaker will be joined in the German midfield by Leon Goretzka, who is replacing Julian Draxler, and Marco Reus, with Low opting for a change of approach in his side’s ultimate group game....