Category Archives: Minneapolis

2025.03.20

The Pioneer Press’ Steve Karnowski reports: “A jury found the alleged ringleader of a massive pandemic fraud case in Minnesota guilty on all counts Wednesday for her role in a scheme that federal prosecutors say stole $250 million from a program meant to feed children in need.” Via MinnPost

Ah, spring and the sweet smell of stadium subsidies in the open air:
Frederick Melo at the Pioneer Press reports: “Calling the home of the Minnesota Wild vital to the future of its downtown, the city of St. Paul will ask state lawmakers to cover half the cost of what’s being pitched as a $769 million, top-to-bottom renovation of the Xcel Energy Center and St. Paul RiverCentre, with the hockey team covering 30% and St. Paul splitting the remaining 20% of the price with Ramsey County.”

Where do swear words come from?

Where do swear words come from?

Don’t call it zombie deer disease’: scientists warn of ‘global crisis’ as infections spread across the US
A contagious, fatal illness in deer, elk and moose has taken hold in the US and is now reaching other countries. While it has not infected humans yet, the risk is growing
Todd Wilkinson in Yellowstone national park, US
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/20/chronic-wasting-disease-spread-zombie-deer-global-us-aoe

Dark energy: mysterious cosmic force appears to be weakening, say scientists
Findings could open up possibility the universe will end in a reverse big bang or ‘big crunch’, say cosmologists
Hannah Devlin Science correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/19/dark-energy-mysterious-cosmic-force-weakening-universe-expansion

‘It’s beautiful, don’t you think?’ The urban miners unearthing treasure in Belgium’s homes and garages
As the historic town of Leuven strives to become carbon neutral, it is transforming how its building are made – and demolished. Are there lessons for the rest of the world?
Oliver Balch
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/19/its-beautiful-dont-you-think-the-urban-miners-unearthing-treasure-in-belgiums-homes-and-garages

Tesla’s challenges run deeper than ‘toxic’ controversy around Elon Musk
Theo Leggett
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz61vwjel2zo

Financial Times Analysis: $1.4 Billion of Tesla Assets “Appear to have gone astray”
by Citizen Earth
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/19/2311341/-Financial-Times-Analysis-1-4-Billion-of-Tesla-Assets-Appear-to-have-gone-astray?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

‘The melodramatic penis’: How The White Lotus reveals the hidden codes of male nudity on screen
Laura Martin
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250319-why-on-screen-male-nudity-is-still-rare-and-taboo

A local expert’s guide to seeing the most beautiful tulips in the Netherlands
Eva Sandoval
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240330-a-local-experts-guide-to-seeing-the-most-beautiful-tulips-in-the-netherlands

At Squirrel Haus Arts donated space: Karen E.Cooper, author, historian and Friends member, will present a free talk sponsored by Friends of Minnehaha Park.
More Famous than Niagara:
Minnehaha Falls in the 1850s
Thursday, March 20
6:00pm—7:30pm
Squirrel Haus Arts
3450 Snelling Ave, Minneapolis
https://www.squirrelhausarts.com/events

2025.03.15

Minneapolis set a record Friday (75 degrees, fondly Fahrenheit or ~24 C for the rest of you). Of course, snow is forecast, but it ain’t here yet.

‘Brain pacemakers’: implants to be tested to help alcohol and opioid addicts
Trial will determine whether electrical pulses can control and decrease yearnings
Robin McKie, Science editor
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/15/brain-implants-alcohol-opioid-addicts-trial

‘Spreadsheets of empire’: red tape goes back 4,000 years, say scientists after Iraq finds
Ancient Mesopotamian stone tablets show extraordinary detail and reach of government in cradle of world civilisations
Dalya Alberge
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/15/stone-tablets-mesopotamia-iraq-red-tape-bureaucracy

‘They’re on. They’re off. We can’t plan’ – bourbon makers dazed by Trump tariffs
The president’s chaotic policy on import duties makes planning impossible, says the CEO of a Kentucky distillery – and state Republicans are unhappy, too
Callum Jones in Louisville, Kentucky
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/15/bourbon-makers-trump-tariffs

Baby wombat-snatching US influencer apologises and says she was ‘concerned’ for Australian animal
Sam Jones, who left Australia on Friday, posted a 900-word statement questioning outrage in country where ‘slaughter of wombats’ is permitted
Nino Bucci
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/15/baby-wombat-snatching-us-influencer-apologises-and-says-she-was-concerned-for-australian-animal-ntwnfb

How a New Zealander working from her mum’s kitchen started a news service read by Madonna
The success of Shit You Should Care About has been down to Lucy Blakiston’s focus on social media at a time where news avoidance is growing
Eva Corlett in Wellington
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2025/mar/15/shit-you-should-care-about-lucy-blakiston-media

Clothes brand gets 100 complaints a day that models are ‘too fat’
Jennifer Meierhans
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2xjd41g33o

Trump is coming for your poppers: Major producer closes amid FDA crackdown
Several other companies seem to have followed suit.
By Mey Rude
https://www.out.com/news/poppers-fda-crackdown-double-scorpio

U of M Regents Pass Resolution Gagging Faculty
Plus the Wolves basketball boss, weird weed rulings, and don’t drive like a dumbass in today’s Flyover news roundup.
By Racket Staff
https://racketmn.com/university-of-minnesota-regents-pass-resolution-gagging-faculty-speech

Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for Lebanese moussaka with five-garlic-clove sauce
The Lebanese take on moussaka is a simple vegetable stew of aubergines, chickpeas, spices and herbs, here spruced up with a lively garlic sauce
Meera Sodha
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/mar/15/lebanese-moussaka-five-garlic-clove-sauce-recipe-meera-sodha

Wallace and Gromit on the couch:

Animators React to Wallace and Gromit!

2025.03.14

Walz to tour red districts where GOP is too scared to face constituents by Walter Einenkel https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/13/2309950/-Walz-to-tour-red-districts-where-GOP-is-too-scared-to-face-constituent?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_7&pm_medium=web

Shocker! Former Trump crony has been indicted for child sex crimes by Alex Samuels https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/13/2309952/-Shocker-Former-Trump-crony-has-been-indicted-for-child-sex-crimes?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_8&pm_medium=web

ARTS & CULTURE Teatro del Pueblo celebrates a Broadway legacy with ‘Voces Latinas’ Also this weekend: a Latina art exhibit at CLUES Art Gallery, a Holi celebration at Midtown Global Market and a chance to help shape a Pan-African Museum in St. Paul by Myah Goff https://sahanjournal.com/arts-culture/twin-cities-things-to-do-teatro-del-pueblo-holi-fest-clues/

Freeloader Friday: 91 Free Things To Do This Weekend
St. Pat’s Day parties, band jams, a meat raffle, and more.
By Jessica Armbruster
https://racketmn.com/freeloader-friday-91-free-things-to-do-this-weekend-5

The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis May Be Closed by Summer
Plus feds defund the schools, celebrating Front Row Paul, and a skyway-walkin’ birthday in today’s Flyover news roundup.
By Keith Harris
https://racketmn.com/the-womans-club-of-minneapolis-may-be-closed-by-summer

Survivor who ignited US Catholic church’s reckoning with abuse killed in Louisiana
Scott Anthony Gastal, who at age 11 had testified in court in the 1980s that his priest had raped him, was beaten to death
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/14/church-abuse-survivor-louisiana-killed

‘It’s an extremely sexy story’: How the legendary tale of ‘rebel’ saint Mary of Egypt became a medieval blockbuster
Donna Ferguson
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250313-how-the-legendary-tale-of-rebel-saint-mary-of-egypt-became-a-medieval-blockbuster

‘It’s human conceit to think we’re alone’: life must extend beyond Earth, leading space scientist says
Exclusive: It is imperative humans expand their understanding of space, argues Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Nicola Davis Science correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/14/life-must-extend-beyond-earth-leading-space-scientist-says

Meanwhile, back here on Earth: Fatberg weighing 30,000kg is pulled from a sewer in Western Australia
The blockage – thought to be the state’s biggest ever – was discovered at a wastewater facility during routine maintenance
Rafqa Touma
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/14/fatberg-weighing-30000kg-is-pulled-from-a-sewer-in-western-australia

Baby wombat grabber Sam Jones leaves Australia after intense backlash including from PM and immigration minister
Montana-based hunting influencer flies out of Australia on Friday after home affairs minister said he couldn’t ‘wait to see the back of this individual’
Graham Readfearn
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/14/sam-jones-baby-wombat-australia-backlash-leaving-australia

Holi celebrations and a lunar eclipse: photos of the day – Friday
Girls are smeared with coloured powder during Holi celebrations in Kolkata, India. Photograph: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images
The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2025/mar/14/holi-celebrations-lunar-eclipse-photos-of-the-day-friday

Take your pic! Sony world photography open award winners – in pictures
Feasting polar bears, flying octopuses and gadgets galore – these stunning images won in their category at this year’s awards
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/mar/13/sony-world-photography-open-award-winners-in-pictures

Om Ali: An ‘unforgettable’ sweet with a sinister history
Soumya Gayatri
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250312-om-ali-an-unforgettable-sweet-with-a-sinister-history

2025.03.13

Paul Walsh at the Star Tribune reports: “More than two years after receiving their first tip about suspected sex trafficking at a downtown New Prague massage parlor, police raided the business and arrested its owner on allegations of promoting prostitution.” Via MinnPost

Walz outlines impacts of Trump’s plans to dismantle U.S. Department of Education By Aki Nace https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/us-department-of-education-dismantling-minnesota-impact-walz-trump/

Passing probe captures images of mysterious Mars moon
Hera spacecraft takes photos of red planet’s second moon, Deimos, while en route to asteroids 110m miles away
Ian Sample Science editor
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/13/passing-probe-captures-images-of-mysterious-mars-moon

California atmospheric river threatens flooding in areas still reeling from fires
Parts of Los Angeles hit by January blazes under evacuation warnings as west coast braces for heavy rain and snow
Michael Sainato
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/13/california-atmospheric-river-wildfires-los-angeles

Woman who lived to age 117 had genes keeping her cells ‘younger’, study shows
Maria Branyas Morera, US-born supercentenarian who died in Spain last August, found to have microbiota of an infant
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/13/supercentenarian-aging-genes-study

Baby wombat-snatching US influencer at risk of losing Australian visa
Video footage, described as ‘callous’ and ‘pretty dreadful’, shows Sam Jones grabbing the joey from its mother at night
Graham Readfearn
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/13/sam-jones-us-influencer-baby-wombat-stolen-from-mother-ntwnfb

‘In plain sight’: how The Hague museum was secret hideout from Nazi forced labour
Mauritshuis exhibition reveals how Dutch men hid in attic to avoid being taken to Germany in second world war
Senay Boztas in The Hague
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/13/hague-museum-secret-hideout-nazi-forced-labour-mauritshuis

Larry Stanton: the artist who captured New York’s gay scene at a time of crisis
A new exhibition in Los Angeles celebrates the life and work of a painter who died at 37 of Aids as he tried to preserve a record of those around him
Veronica Esposito
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/mar/13/larry-stanton-new-york-los-angeles-exhibition

What snow can teach us about street design
‘Sneckdown’ is a term used for when there is a build up of snow at a street intersection. These so called ‘sneckdowns’ are informing urban planners how to design safer and more pleasant streets for pedestrians and drivers in the US.
Produced by Cagney Roberts and Darryl Laiu
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0kx9vx8/what-snow-can-teach-us-about-street-design

An Italian cultural ambassador’s guide to Rome
Andrea Carlo
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250310-alberto-angela-an-italian-cultural-ambassadors-guide-to-rome

Woman arrested in US for allegedly holding stepson captive for 20
Ana Faguy
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c05m01mp999o

‘He strangled me without asking’ – experts say choking during sex now normal for many
Sima Kotecha
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62zwy0nex0o

Now that Uptown’s killed and dead, it’s time to worry about Dinkytown: How Alive or Dead is Dinkytown in 2025? Depends on Who You Ask. Business owners, politicians, students, and longtime observers debate the health of the singular Minneapolis neighborhood. By Jay Boller https://racketmn.com/dinkytown-minneapolis-university-mn-in-2025

2025.03.08

Dustin Nelson at Bring Me the News reports the Twin Cities Book Festival is saying farewell to the State Fairgrounds. The Rain Taxi-run event will host its 25th fest at St. Paul’s Union Depot, organizers announced on Thursday. Via MinnPost

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz bring Black art ‘Giants’ to the Minneapolis Institute of Art
Also this weekend: Digital art by a Japanese trans artist at FKM Gallery; art and poetry exploring the immigrant experience at Indigenous Roots, and a performance festival spotlighting composers of color at MacPhail Center for Music.
by Myah Goff
https://sahanjournal.com/arts/twin-cities-weekend-arts-events/

Texas cities run short of MMR vaccine as measles outbreak drives demand
Pharmacies are struggling with supplies as fatal outbreak expands and health secretary sows disinformation
Melody Schreiber
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/texas-mmr-vaccine-measles-outbreak

Mormon church rocked by child sexual abuse allegations in California
Look-back window results in nearly 100 allegations against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/mormon-church-child-sex-abuse-allegations-california

‘She is evil’: Amy Coney Barrett under attack by the right wing after supreme court USAid ruling
Conservative justice who frequently votes with the far-right side of the supreme court faces backlash for recent ruling
Adam Gabbatt
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/amy-coney-barrett-under-attack-by-right-wing

‘Etched in my mind’: witness to South Carolina firing squad execution describes killing
Brad Sigmon was executed on Friday for the murders of his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 2001
Guardian staff
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/south-carolina-firing-squad

‘I’m on the side of the workers’: the Minnesota senator calling out Trump and Musk
Tina Smith is leaving at the end of her term, and says she would call Musk a dick even if she had to face re-election
Rachel Leingang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/tina-smith-minnesota-senator-interview

Anora is nothing new – Hollywood has always been obsessed with sex workers
Anne Billson
Mikey Madison is the latest in a line of actors dating back to Janet Gaynor to win Oscars depicting the sex trade. Why this is, and whether it lessens the stigma of such work, is an open question
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/07/hollywood-obsessed-with-sex-workers-anora-mikey-madison

Athena spacecraft declared dead after toppling over on moon
Robotic private spacecraft touched down about 250 meters from its intended landing site on Thursday
Richard Luscombe
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/07/athena-spacecraft-mission-dead

‘We’re fairly different’: life in New Zealand’s remote self-declared ‘republic’
The tiny town of Whangamōmona on the North Island maintains some eccentric traditions – past ‘presidents’ have included a goat and a poodle
Anna Rankin in Whangamōmona
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/08/whangamomona-new-zealand-self-declared-republic-feature

This is how we do it: ‘After mutual cancer diagnoses we didn’t have sex for five years. Then we discovered toys …’
Jill and Bob became more like housemates than lovers during an illness-enforced break, but a delivery of sex toys brought back the fun
As told to Olivia Ladanyi
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/mar/08/this-is-how-we-do-it-mutual-cancer-diagnoses-sex-toys

2025.03.02

Tim Walz regrets getting ‘sucked in’ to addressing Trump’s pet-eating lies
Harris running mate discussed campaign missteps after saying he’ll run for third term as Minnesota governor
Ramon Antonio Vargas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/02/tim-walz-election-immigration

And the winner is … the rising generation of older female actors
With this year’s Oscars about to be handed out, Hollywood women of a certain age have never been more bankable or in demand. What’s behind the cultural shift?
Barbara Ellen
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/02/older-female-actors-hollywood-women-age-cultural-shift

Private spacecraft Blue Ghost lands on Moon
George Sandeman
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9208qv1kzo

First, catch your (CGI) dragon: hope that visual effects breakthrough can reanimate UK film industry
Pioneering startup technology allows camera operators to see on-screen graphics while filming in real world, rather just imagining them
James Tapper
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/02/cgi-visual-effects-uk-film-industry-on-screen-graphics

A look at Minneapolis’ plan to redevelop Lake Street Kmart, reconnecting Nicollet Avenue
The plan includes a park, housing, a grocery store, and space for small businesses.
Dustin Nelson
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/minneapolis-unveils-plan-for-redeveloping-lake-street-kmart-reconnecting-nicollet-avenue

What is chemsex? Here’s what you need to know
Alexander Cheves Nikki Aye
https://www.out.com/health/what-is-chemsex#toggle-gdpr

2025.03.01

Future of George Floyd Square divides community, city leaders five years after murder
Some community members want the intersection turned into a pedestrian plaza, others want it to remain open to car traffic to help support nearby businesses.
by Katrina Pross
https://sahanjournal.com/public-safety/george-floyd-square-development-minneapolis-city-council/

Kennedy Jr backtracks and says US measles outbreak is now a ‘top priority’ for health department
Health secretary earlier said outbreak was ‘not unusual’ but with first US measles death in decade steps up response
Guardian staff and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/01/kennedy-jr-measles-outbreak-health-department

Email shows that Musk ally is moving to close office behind free tax filing program at IRS
Program is apparently being closed according to email from former Tesla engineer installed in GSA
Nick Robins-Early
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/01/musk-close-irs-free-filing-system

Tortured death of trans man in western New York echoes notorious 90s killing
Seven people have been arrested over ‘horrific’ death of Sam Nordquist, 24. A similar case in Wyoming once helped fuel the LGBTQ+ rights movement
Edward Helmore
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/01/sam-nordquist-killing-matthew-shepard

‘I was in shock’: DC gallery pulls exhibits of Black and LGBTQ+ artists amid Trump DEI crackdown
Art Museum of the Americas’ abrupt cancellation after anti-diversity order is ‘how fascism unfolds’, curator says
David Smith in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/01/art-museum-of-americas-exhibit-trump-dei

Holidays at a one-time Communist luxury beach haven? Yugoslav resort built for Tito to rise from ruins
Revolutionary leader’s derelict Adriatic getaway is on verge of a new life after starring in Kate Winslet film and hit Mr Beast YouTube video
Kim Willsher in Kupari
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/01/communist-tito-yugoslav-adriatic-luxury-beach-resort

‘I don’t know whether I’d describe it as fun’: Aimee Lou Wood on the intensity of making The White Lotus
She is the Sex Education star now stealing the show in Mike White’s hit series and about to appear in a gritty new Netflix drama. It’s all she ever wanted – but somehow, this ‘sad and shy’ actor finds folding the washing more rewarding than fame
Zoe Williams
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/mar/01/i-dont-know-whether-id-describe-it-as-fun-aimee-lou-wood-on-the-intensity-of-making-the-white-lotus

From Unforgiven to The Firm: Guardian writers pick their favourite Gene Hackman movies
After the death of the esteemed actor, writers highlight their favourite movies from a long and varied career
‘He let us hate him’: Gene Hackman had a rare power – he didn’t need to be liked
Radheyan Simonpillai, Andrew Pulver, Benjamin Lee, Charles Bramesco, Andrew Lawrence, Pamela Hutchinson, Scott Tobias and Jesse Hassenger
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/01/from-unforgiven-to-the-firm-guardian-writers-pick-their-favourite-gene-hackman-movies

Melek Erdal’s recipes for börek cake and yoghurt soup
Greek and Turkish flavours flourish in a spinach and feta filo pie and yoghurt and spinach soup with fried bulgur dumplings
Melek Erdal
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/mar/01/borek-cake-and-yoghurt-soup-recipes-melek-erdal

Tickled pink: rhubarb growers see explosion in demand for Yorkshire crop
Despite wet weather hitting yields, supermarkets are reporting a doubling in rhubarb sales compared to last year
Robyn Vinter North of England correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/mar/01/tickled-pink-rhubarb-growers-see-explosion-in-demand-for-yorkshire-crop

Sydney Mardi Gras parade 2025 – in pictures
All the colour, costume and camp of the 47th edition of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Jim Powell
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/gallery/2025/mar/01/sydney-mardi-gras-parade-2025-in-pictures

Uptown Art Fair

It’s that time of the year when the Uptown ‘Art’ Fair sprawls like a cancer across the heart of my part of Our Fair Cities. Suburbanites with SUVs drive the wrong way down one-way streets vainly looking for parking, and push perambulators down crowded aisles of ticky-tack.