By COLLEEN BARRY

MILAN (AP) — Venice has been charmed by a recent visitor: An acrobatic, wild dolphin. The feeling appears to be mutual — he so far refuses to leave — but proximity to humans has put him in danger.

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The dolphin nicknamed Mimmo has been delighting tourists and Venetians for months with his acrobatic flips. Experts are now eager to move him into open water, especially after verifying wounds indicating that the dolphin had been likely hit by a boat propeller.

Multiple agencies used low-intensity acoustic devices to nudge Mimmo away from the heavily trafficked St. Mark’s Basin on Saturday — and it worked briefly. But the dolphin came back within an hour, as experts feared he would.

“It’s very worrying because it’s a hot spot with lots of boat traffic,’’ said Guido Pietroluongo, a veterinarian at the University of Padua’s emergency response team for stranded dolphins, whales and porpoises, known by the acronym CERT.

St. Mark’s Basin, the shallow expanse of water in front of St. Mark’s Square connecting to both the Giudecca and Grand Canals, is heavily trafficked by ferries, vaporetti buses, water taxis, and private boats.

During the failed operation, experts confirmed Mimmo had suffered superficial lesions, likely from a boat propeller, Pietroluongo said. It was the first time they had noted injuries to the dolphin, and his wounds are expected to fully heal. But experts are worried about his continued safety in such proximity to human activity.

They don’t plan any immediate action, and are hoping that colder seasonal temperatures will lure him, and his fish prey, out of the lagoon toward warmer waters, Pietroluongo said.

Mimmo’s arrival in the Venetian lagoon was registered on July 23, and experts say the coastal creature likely followed a school of fish into the brackish waters separated from the open sea by barrier islands. He was nicknamed for the sailing instructor who first spotted him off the Venetian lagoon fishing town of Chioggia.

Mimmo follows the pattern of a so-called social loner, typically a young male dolphin that breaks away from the pod for food or for social reasons and then comes into contact with the human world, said Sandro Mazzariol, a CERT veterinarian.

“Around 100 cases have been documented around the world in which these animals are absolutely at ease and remain healthy despite not interacting with their peers,’’ Mazzariol said in a Facebook video post.

Dolphins sightings in Venice are rare but not unheard of, Mazzariol said.

The most recent incident involved a pair of striped dolphins spotted in February 2021 that were quickly guided back to the open sea with acoustic devices. They never returned.

Mimmo has been closely monitored during his lagoon sojourn, and has been reported in good health and nutrition as he feasts on a diet befitting any Venetian tourist: mullet, sea bass and sea bream. His behavior also has been deemed normal, including his playful aerial flips.

The University of Padua team has been going out weekly to check on the animal, and they get regular updates from citizens who share sightings, including photos and videos.

Authorities are warning citizens and boaters not to feed or interact with the dolphin, which is a criminal offense. Dolphins are protected under Italian, EU and international law. But the fact that Mimmo’s fame is spreading is part of the problem.

“The dolphin has become an attraction. Boats stopping to watch him can stress the animal,’’ Pietroluongo said.

Gophers true freshman running back Tre Berry has left the U football team, the Pioneer Press confirmed Tuesday night.

Berry’s actions in recent weeks led to his exit from the program, a source said. He was on the team’s roster for the Michigan State win on Nov. 1, but was off it before the Oregon loss on Nov. 14.

Berry was a late addition to the Gophers 2025 recruiting class; he filled the spot vacated when Shane Marshall flipped to Georgia Tech on national signing day last December.

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound native of Montgomery, Ala., was redshirting this season and did not appear in any games for the U this fall.

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After 30 years at Taco Bell in Oak Park Heights, Brenda Foley knows most of her customers like family — and their orders by heart.

“She knows everyone, and everyone knows Brenda,” said Brian Ennen, an area coach for Border Foods, the franchisee that owns all 100 Taco Bell restaurants in Minnesota. “She knows them by name. She knows them by voice, actually, through the drive-through on the headset. She knows their orders. If she misses a day, people ask for her. They want to see her smiling face. They’re used to the service, and that’s a lot of the reasons they keep coming back.”

Brenda Foley, gets a hug from Brian Ennen, Taco Bell Area Coach during a celebration of her 30th year working at the Stillwater Taco Bell on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

On Tuesday, Taco Bell officials marked Foley’s 30th work anniversary with a cake, balloons, gifts and cards.

Foley, known affectionately as “Taco Bell Mom,” is the “heart and soul” of the restaurant, said store manager Renu Pandey.

“I mean, food is everywhere,” Pandey said. “People don’t just come in for food. People come in because they feel appreciated. Everybody wants to be heard. Everybody wants to have five seconds of a positive experience in their busy, chaotic day. And Brenda reminds us to make sure we do that.”

‘Be nice’

Brenda Foley, fondly known as the “Taco Bell Mom” of the Oak Park Heights store. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Foley, 60, of Woodbury, has helped train hundreds of new employees through the years. She said kindness and positive reinforcement are more successful in getting employees to perform well than negativity and criticism.

“My philosophy is to be nice. I think that goes way further than being, you know, vigilant,” Foley said. “I teach them the basics: manners and how to talk to people. We teach them how to do the dishes and how to sweep, a little bit of everything. Basically, I try to teach them how to be nice to people. It’s just common-sense things.”

One of Foley’s trainees, Jordan Matlack, has been working at Taco Bell for just over a year. The two now work the early-morning shift, 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays, together.

“She’s really good at showing people the right ways to do things and getting stuff ready for the whole day,” Matlack said. “It’s great working with her. It’s so nice to be with somebody who’s got a good attitude. It sets the mood for the day.”

Foley was recognized earlier this year with a “Heart of Border Foods Award” for “exemplifying the positive attitude, dedication and family culture at the core of the company’s business.” The company has more than 7,000 employees working in nearly 250 restaurants across the Upper Midwest – and Foley was one of three employees to earn the recognition this year.

The prize was an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, she said.

“Brenda is an individual who truly cares about the team,” Gay Demarree, director of operations for Border Foods, said in a video explaining why Foley was being honored. “She is the first to ask for promotions like ‘Taco Man’ and ‘Sauce-Packet Man.’ She’s the first to ask for us to be involved in any community event.”

Foley also is the store decorator, making sure that the restaurant is decked out for every holiday, she said, pointing to the Thanksgiving decor hanging on the walls. “I go all out for every holiday,” she said. “Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s Day, you name it.”

Grandparents were caterers

Foley was born and raised in Stillwater, but spent part of her high-school years in St. Joseph, Mo. She started working in the food business when she was 12, helping her maternal grandparents, Frank and Opal Porter, at their catering business in Hudson, Wis. “I served plates of food, did the dishes, made the coffee,” she said. “It was really a little bit of everything.”

Staying in food service made sense for the self-proclaimed extrovert, she said.

“I like people, and I like making food,” she said. “When my grandparents retired, a lady I know who worked here at Taco Bell in Stillwater said, “Come on, come on, we need you.’ And I’ve been here ever since.”

Foley said she’s been working at Taco Bell so long that she sometimes sees the children – and even grandchildren – of customers and former co-workers.

After suffering a heart attack in 2019, Foley went part-time and made the switch from store manager to service champion. “I decided to kind of step down and take it easy a little bit,” she said. “I work fewer hours, but I still boss everybody around.”

Brenda Foley, left, gives her manager, Renu Pandey, a kiss as they celebrate Foley’s 30th year. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Foley, who works Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, said she likes the fast pace and variety. “There’s always something to do,” she said.

Not quitting

After 30 years, she still likes the food, especially the tacos, she said.

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Her favorite is a Soft Taco Supreme with meat, cheese, lettuce, sour cream and tomatoes. Coming in second place is the Mexican Pizza, which features “seasoned beef and refried beans layered between two crispy, flour tortilla shells with Mexican Pizza sauce, diced tomatoes, and a blend of mozzarella, pepperjack and cheddar cheeses,” according to the company’s website.

Foley, who has two children and four grandchildren, plans to work at Taco Bell until her “body says ‘nope,’” she said. “’Till I can’t no more.”

A tree planted behind the restaurant is a living testament to Foley’s longevity. It was planted the summer after she started, she said.

“It’s been here for as long as I’ve been here,” she said. “We have a little joke about it – that they’re going to sprinkle my ashes around the tree.”

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and KEN SWEET

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s top banking regulator on Tuesday released new guidelines for the agency’s supervision of the financial system, earning praise from industry trade groups and criticism from her predecessor.

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In a set of sweeping changes, the principles call for bank examiners to focus on material financial risks and to “not become distracted from this priority by devoting excessive attention to processes, procedures, and documentation.” The guidelines are set out in a memo originally distributed to Fed employees Oct. 29 but released Tuesday.

Michelle Bowman, the Fed’s vice chair for supervision, said the principles will “sharpen” the central bank’s focus and build “a more effective supervisory framework.”

“By anchoring our work in material financial risks, we strengthen the banking system’s foundation while upholding transparency, accountability, and fairness,” Bowman said in a written statement. Bowman was named vice chair by President Donald Trump in March.

Since Trump took office, federal bank regulators have been rolling back regulations that govern the nation’s banking system and other financial services companies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created after the 2008 financial crisis, is effectively not operating presently and has negated several of the regulations it put into place under President Joe Biden.

Also Tuesday, Fed governor Michael Barr, who preceded Bowman as the vice chair for supervision, sharply criticized the changes in banking oversight at the Fed and at other agencies this year.

“We are now, I believe, at a moment of inflection in the regulatory and supervisory approaches that help keep banks healthy,” Barr said in a speech. “There are growing pressures to weaken supervision … in ways that will make it harder for examiners to act before it is too late to prevent a build-up of excessive risk.”

The announcement by the Fed matches a similar move by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which also loosened how it measures risk among the banks it supervises as well as removed issues like reputational risk from how examiners look at the banks.

Under the Fed’s new rules, banks can only be tested for material risks to their businesses or balance sheets, such as bad loans or unsound business practices. Banks will also able to self-certify on certain risk and supervision issues. These changes have been among the top priority for the banking industry since President Trump was elected into office.

“Banks are most resilient when their examiners prioritize material financial risks, not check-the-box compliance exercises,” said Greg Baer, president and CEO of the Bank Policy Institute.

Under the new framework, the Fed will also defer to other major bank regulators, including the OCC and state-level regulators, when it comes to who should supervise and examine these institutions.

Bowman has also moved to reduce the Fed’s regulatory staffing by about 30%, mostly through attrition, a step Barr also criticized Tuesday.

The cuts “will impair supervisors’ ability to act with the speed, force, and agility appropriate to the risks facing individual banks and the financial system,” Barr said. “Such a drastically reduced staff will slow response time for the public and the banks themselves, limit supervisory findings and enforcement actions, and erode supervisors’ ability to be forward-looking.”