Study: Minneapolis graduation rate 50th out of 50 metro areas

We’re No. 50! Out of 50. Alejandra Matos of the Strib says, “Minneapolis had the lowest graduation rates compared to 50 other major cities, according to a study released by a Washington-based education group.  The city’s graduation rate was below 50 percent, while the national average is approximately 75 percent. The study, conducted by the Center for Reinventing Public Education, grouped graduation rates from charter schools and public school in the 50 cities.”

Doing the people’s work. Also from Matos: “Minneapolis school board members are expected to meet in two weeks to get new information on the racial makeup of schools and district boundaries, some of the most divisive issues facing the district. But school officials want to do this without opening the meeting to the public. E-mails obtained by the Star Tribune show that district officials have gone out of their way to ensure that informational sessions like the one coming up do not trigger the state’s open meeting laws.”

Thank you. In the PiPress, Nate Sommer writes, “Mobile food shelves got a $1 million boost Wednesday. The nonprofit Hunger Solutions Minnesota pledged $1 million total to 17 Minnesota food shelf groups so they can expand or begin mobile operations. The efforts aim to deliver food to those unable to access traditional food shelves because of age, distance or disability. Using refrigerated vans or buses, mobile operators deliver groceries to residents and communities in need. There are six mobile food shelves in the Twin Cities … .”

Coach was over the line. David La Vaque in the Strib says, “Maple Grove boys hockey coach Tom Starkey submitted his resignation Tuesday after two seasons as the team’s coach. The resignation comes after Starkey was charged with two counts of DWI in connection with a Sept. 5 boating incident on Cross Lake in Crow Wing County. He was driving a boat ‘with several kids on the transom pulling a wakeboarder’ when he was stopped by a deputy on patrol, according to a complaint filed in the case. A blood-alcohol breath test found that he was above the legal limit of 0.08, the complaint said.”

Hmmmm. I’d like four six packs of Keystone Light every Sunday, by drone please. Nick Woltman of the PiPress says, “Online retail giant Amazon is planning to offer same-day grocery delivery in the Twin Cities, according to food safety review materials the company filed with the city of Minneapolis. A planned distribution center, to be located just a few blocks west of the Minneapolis-St. Paul border at 769 Kasota Ave., will store and ship grocery items — including salty snacks, milk and ice cream — sold through Amazon Prime Now, the documents say.” Oh, and throw in an Austin Powers movie, a Vince Flynn novel and three pairs of tube socks.

Speaking of socks, Mary Divine of the PiPress reports, “A display of socks and underwear hanging outside Valley Outreach in Stillwater was meant to bring attention to the social service agency’s latest clothing drive. Instead, it attracted thieves. Multiple pairs of socks and underwear have been stolen since last Thursday from a clothesline strung between two trees in front of Valley Outreach, 1901 Curve Crest Blvd. ‘We wanted to bring awareness to our ‘Undie Week’ sock and underwear drive,’ said Tracy Maki, the organization’s executive director. ‘We thought it would be a quirky thing to draw attention, which it has. I expected a few pairs would go missing, but now we’re up to about a dozen pilfered items.’”

Tracy Mumford at MPR previews the new season of “Fargo,” which starts a next Monday. “Season two will open with a familiar character: Lou Solverson, Molly’s cop-turned-diner owner dad from season one. The season takes us back in time to 1979, when Lou was a young state trooper in Luverne, Minn. The story jumps across state lines to Sioux Falls, S.D., where Lou gets tangled up in the most haunting crime of his career. We heard him give an eerie rundown of it in season one. Enough bodies to climb to the second story, he said. ‘I’d call it animal, but animals only kill for food.’” The cast is stacked with notable names and familiar faces: Kirsten Dunst, Ted Danson, Jesse Plemons, Jean Smart, Nick Offerman and Jeffrey Donovan. Judging from the series teasers, there’s plenty of ’70s hair to go around. There’s also a lot of history to play with, including the impending election of Ronald Reagan (played by Bruce Campbell).” It has to be better than “True Detective.”

Is there really anything “fresh” about the gun debate? In the Strib, Abby Simons reports: “ … gun control supporters say they are more motivated than ever to apply the kind of sustained pressure gun rights advocates have brought to bear. Brian Rusche, executive director of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, said his organization has undertaken similar efforts before, but amped up its efforts since nine African-Americans were killed last June during a similar mass shooting at a Charleston, S.C., church. … Now Rusche is determined to find a reasonable consensus with the gun owners lobby, rather than the bruising debates of the past.” Reasonable? 

Yet another story of the travails of a “plus-size model,” except that this one is male. At The Huffington Post, Jamie Feldman writes, “For all the strides being made to make fashion more inclusive, one group of people is still notably absent from the conversation: men. Zach Miko is helping to change that. Miko is an actor, musician and model who is 6’6″ with a 40-inch waist. He is also, according to online media outlet Mic, Target’s only plus-size male model. In a new interview with the site, he recalls his experience with the brand thus far as being ‘the first time I ever put on clothes that made me feel good about myself.’” Big question: When will he be buying this season’s hottest boots?

Speaking of Target, you of course know what they’re talking about when they drop “in-house programmatic” on you, right? For AdAge, Alexandra Bruell does a Q&A with one of Target’s digital gurus, Kristi Argyilan. A sample:

Advertising Age: What have you been focused on in your first year at Target? What have you changed since joining?

Ms. Argyilan: We’re focused on a deeper understanding of who our guest is and, from a media perspective, on how we can connect with her and him. For marketing specifically, it’s really being focused on ‘Expect More Pay Less’ — that brand promise — and how to bring it to life in a more modern way. I’ve been focusing on what kind of expertise is required. If our guest wants to see us on TV or video or on a mobile phone, how are we creating a seamless experience for him or her.”

She said “guest” didn’t she?

I couldn’t resist. It’s like a guy with a drinking problem staring at a full bottle of Jack Daniels. From ABC. “It’s been two weeks and two days since Scott Walker suspended his presidential campaign, and the former GOP contender — who was once leading the polls in Iowa and gaining early support from the likes of the Koch brothers — is settling back into his day job as governor of Wisconsin. … Last week, Walker attended the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., and posed for pictures with Hilda, winner of the 2015 Cow of the Year award. The Expo, which lasted six days and is an annual Wisconsin event, boasts exhibits, classes and of course, dairy cattle shows. On Friday, Walker also announced the theme for his state’s 2015 National Christmas Tree Display: Wisconsin sports.” I assume the cow and tree display were sanctioned by the ALEC.