By Evie Smirnitskaya

Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite topic – the weather. Did you know today is the nicest day of the week? The Star Tribune did. See, now we broke the ice with small talk and can move on to actual news.

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake left hundreds dead and more than 1,000 injured in Turkey on Sunday. By Monday afternoon, varying reports from major news agencies estimated the death toll to be anywhere between 240 to 280 people. Nearly 1,000 buildings were leveled in the disaster zone spanning the eastern part of the country, and the BBC reports the casualty count is expected to rise as outlying areas are reached by rescuers who continue to look for survivors.

More than 200 aftershocks followed the initial quake, including one of magnitude 6.0 late on Sunday, according to the BBC. The Turkish government stated that the country does not require outside assistance.

Meanwhile, Minnesota’s sports problems continue. Avoiding the obvious mention of Gopher football, Sunday brought a 33-27 victory for Packers over Vikings. But despite the loss, Minneapolis is ready to show its love and support for the team as Mayor R.T. Rybak put downtown Minneapolis back on the table with three possible sites in the new stadium negotiations, the Star Tribune reported.

The choice is between the Metrodome, the Farmers Market and an Xcel Energy site near the Basilica of St. Mary. Any of the projects would cost less than the $1.1 billion plan to build a stadium in Arden Hills currently favored by the Vikings.