The tight labor market appears to extend to police chiefs.

Driving the news: St. Paul is extending its application deadline for candidates to succeed retired chief Todd Axtell by two weeks in hopes of attracting more prospects, the Pioneer Press reports.

• That delay could hamper Mayor Melvin Carter's stated goal of bringing in a new leader this summer or in early fall.

The big picture: Cities across the state and nation are competing to hire new top cops after a wave of retirements and other exits

• At least eight of Minnesota's most populous cities, including Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park and Duluth have either hired or are looking to hire a new police chief this year.

Between the lines: Experts say demands of the jobs, the rise in violent crime and pressure for change following the murder of George Floyd have made recruitment and retention more difficult.

• “Being a police chief in America today is maybe one of the most daunting jobs there is,” Chuck Wexler, executive director of the recruiting firm Police Executive Research Forum told CNN last year.

State of the search: St. Paul had received 15 qualified applications as of Tuesday, per the Pioneer Press.

The intrigue: The list of candidates reportedly features six leaders from within the department, including assistant chief Stacy Murphy and commander Axel Henry, who heads the narcotics unit.

• The last time St. Paul hired a chief from outside the department was in the 1930s, the Pioneer Press notes.

What they're saying: Kathy Lantry, co-chair of St. Paul's hiring committee, told the Pioneer Press that the decision wasn't a reflection of the quality of current applicants.

• “Do we think the pool should be bigger? The answer to that, in my opinion, is always, ‘Yes.’ You want to have choices," she said.

What to watch: A relatively small pool of external applicants in St. Paul isn't a good sign for Minneapolis, which is looking for a police chief to lead a department under much heavier criticism and facing deeper officer shortages.

• A city spokesperson for Minneapolis said the city's search is a "fluid process and we don’t know the number of applicants" until the Aug. 1 deadline for preferred candidates passes.

Construction to rebuild a South Minneapolis post office that burned down in the 2020 riots is underway.

Context: The Minnehaha Post Office, which had served the community for decades, was destroyed during the unrest that followed George Floyd's murder.

• The U.S. Postal Service announced last year that it would rebuild the location at its former site just south of E. Lake Street.

Of note: A USPS spokesperson didn't respond to Axios' request for comment on the plans or the expected completion date.

But the Longfellow Community Council tweeted the news on Wednesday, saying residents are "so excited to see it coming back!"

🗳️ A proposal to raise St. Paul's property taxes to fund early childhood education for low-income families won't appear on this year's November ballot.

• The City Council voted instead to create an advisory committee to look into the issue further. Supporters say they'll now aim for 2023. (Pioneer Press)

🌮 Centro is opening its Eat Street location next week alongside bakery/cafe Vivir and burger restaurant Everywhen Burger Bar. (Star Tribune)

⚖️ Former Minneapolis police officers Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were sentenced Wednesday to three and 3 1/2 years in prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights. (Axios)

⚕️ A North Dakota judge temporarily blocked the state's trigger abortion ban, a day before it was scheduled to take effect. (Axios)

💰 A state Senate ethics panel investigating state Sen. Omar Fateh recommended that the Minneapolis Democrat undergo additional campaign finance training for failing to properly report campaign ads that ran on Somali TV.

• The committee dismissed another complaint related to funding the senator sought for the YouTube channel. (Minnesota Reformer)

Just 7% of Minnesota children under 5 have gotten a COVID-19 shot since the vaccines were approved for the cohort last month, state data show.

The big picture: The lack of local interest mirrors national trends.

• The same percentage of parents responding to Kaiser Family Foundation’s latest national vaccine monitor survey reported vaccinating their child, Axios health editor Adriel Bettelheim reports

Between the lines: While children in this age group are less likely to get seriously ill from COVID, many public health experts say the shots can provide important protection for the kids and the community at large.

What to watch: The Kaiser survey suggests uptake might remain low. More than four in 10 parents of young kids said they do not plan to vaccinate their children against COVID-19.

• Another quarter of respondents said they want to “wait and see."

Go deeper on parents' vaccine sentiments.

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After Southwest Voices declared 38th and Nicollet as the best food corner in the city, we asked you for suggestions of what might be better.

A lot of you agreed about 38th and Nic being the best, but here are four more reader picks:

• Selby and Western in St. Paul: Readers Shevek M. and Courtland M. boast this intersection with Moscow on the Hill, W.A. Frost, Handsome Hog, Red Cow, Yumi Japanese and Nina's Coffee.
• 43rd and Upton in Minneapolis, according to Robert H. It's got Martina, Rosalia, Naviya's Thai Brasserie, Zumbro, Jones Coffee, Tilia, Harriet Brasserie, Sebastian Joe's and Great Harvest.
• 26th and Nicollet in Minneapolis: Nick G. says a second Nicollet corner is the best, with Black Forest, Black Sheep Pizza, Lu's Sandwiches, Glam Doll Donuts, Bad Waitress, Eat Street Social, Pennisula Malaysian Cuisine, Lil T's, Jasmine 26, Copper Hen, Christo's, and Icehouse. Bonus: Quang is just a block south.
• University and Grotto in St. Paul: Carol B. says "This is the best food corner. There is a crab boil, several Asian restaurants and a boba shop. Try it out."