Prince fans frustrated by lack of info about tribute concert at U.S. Bank Stadium

Might need some better organization here. Jon Bream of the Strib says, “Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, made the announcement in July: A Prince tribute concert Oct. 13 at the new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. But a month before the much ballyhooed show, the stadium doesn’t have a signed contract and the Prince estate has not announced any acts or ticket information. … Prince fans from around the world have been expressing their frustrations because they booked plane and hotel reservations planning to attend the concert, but they’ve been left in the dark about details.”

Also in tickets and the stadium problems, Rochelle Olson of the Strib says, “Tickets for the Sunday night Minnesota Vikings game against the Green Bay Packers are white hot so the team is warning fans to be careful trying to buy them. … As of Tuesday, the average resale value of tickets to Sunday’s game was $447, … Because of the high interest, buyers should be especially cautious about counterfeit tickets on the secondary market.”

Well, good luck, pal. The AP reports from North Dakota, “The head of a Texas company building the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline told employees Tuesday that it is committed to the project despite strong opposition and a federal order to halt construction near an American Indian reservation in North Dakota. Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren said in a memo to employees that the four-state, 1,172-mile (1886 km) project is nearly 60 percent complete and that ‘concerns about the pipeline’s impact on the local water supply are unfounded.’ The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and others argue the project will impact drinking water for thousands of tribal members and millions downstream.”

Background checks always sound reasonable, right? At MPR, Tim Nelson says, “The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is overhauling its regulations for ground transportation with an eye toward the ride sharing companies Uber and Lyft. … Cab drivers have long had to undergo fingerprinting and get extensive background checks, partly because they’ve had to have access to secure areas of the airport as part of the regulatory process. But Uber and Lyft drivers get background checks from the companies they work for.” I know people who’d take a ride from Charlie Manson if it’d save them $20.

In the wake of the Wetterling case, Mara Gottfried at the PiPress writes, “More than 23 years since a St. Paul teenager vanished, police have received new information in the case. Hang Lee, 17, was last seen in 1993 with Mark Steven Wallace, a convicted sex offender. Police have said he is a person of interest in the case. Last month, when Washington County prosecutors charged Wallace in an unrelated kidnapping case, police heard from a woman whom the 54-year-old Wallace had confided in. The 20-year-old woman, whom Wallace is accused of terrorizing, said she became aware of a murder in St. Paul and asked Wallace about it. ‘Wallace stated, ‘She entered my business and never came out,’  according to the criminal complaint.”

A bit too much enforcement here. Says Frederick Melo for the PiPress, “[Metric] Giles, who serves as director of the CSP and is an urban farmer, decided this year to do something about the long-vacant space off Sherburne Avenue.  After conferring with church elders, he planted peppers, tomatoes, collard greens, herbs and other low-maintenance vegetables on raised beds surrounded by wood chips. The Frogtown Neighborhood Association, which also leases offices at 501 North Dale St., contributed maintenance funds for grass care. But sometime last week, Ramsey County officials installed a ‘No Trespassing’ sign in front of the garden, declaring it off-limits to the public. … Now, county taxpayers will have to pick up the tab for maintaining the lot.”

We’re No. 2! At MPR, Jon Collins says, “The U.S. census data released Tuesday paints a rosy picture for Minnesota, which has some of the lowest poverty rates and lowest rates of residents without health insurance. The bureau put the state’s official poverty rate at 9.1 percent, with almost half a million people in the state living in poverty last year. The state’s poverty rate is tied with Vermont and lower than any state except New Hampshire. It’s also significantly lower than the national poverty rate of 13.5 percent. While the poverty rate decreased nationally last year, it still hasn’t fallen to pre-recession levels.”

And this, just down the road from Montevideo, garden paradise of the Great Plains. Stribber Mike Hughlett reports, “A former chief financial officer of a large Granite Falls contracting company was sentenced Tuesday to 6 ½ years in prison — the maximum allowed — for embezzling $5.77 million from her employer. … Kirsten Ann Tjosaas looted the company from 2006 through 2015, spending illicit cash on several houses, at least three cars, two all-terrain vehicles, a motorcycle, a water scooter and a sailboat.” There’s always a boat in their somewhere.

That dang Governor, insulting and causing anxiety to our hard-working farmers. Says Brian Bakst for MPR, “Minnesota Republican lawmakers say new state pesticide directives designed to protect pollinators are causing anxiety among farmers. The House Agriculture Policy Committee questioned Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration Tuesday about an executive order aimed at reducing the use of pesticides that can be harmful to bees and other pollinators. … Rep. Jeff Backer, R-Browns Valley, said calls for increased inspection and enforcement are an insult to well-meaning farmers.” And what about Monsanto’s feelings?

On her Bluestem Prairie blog, Sally Jo Sorensen writes, “Sources tell us that farm groups are expected to complain that they didn’t have a place at the table for the development of the policy. However, our understanding is that the policy is based on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture review of neo-nics and the discussions at the MDA Pollinator Summit in February. Representatives of ag groups and ag industry interests did attend the summit  … Knowing that the summit was taking place, why didn’t those concerned about pollinator and pesticide policy attend? Did special interests anticipate special meetings rather than sound science and policy making?”

Hillary’s under the weather. But Tim Kaine was in town yesterday. Erin Golden’s story for the Strib says, “The Democratic nominee for vice president swept through Minneapolis for a short, unannounced visit Tuesday, making a stop at the University of Minnesota and meeting with former Vice President Walter Mondale before heading off to a fundraising event. … As he posed for photos with students outside Coffman Memorial Union, Kaine told the students the event felt a bit like a ‘hometown’ event, as he was born in St. Paul.”

Also in town, another Twins top management candidate. Says LaVelle E. Neal in the Strib, “J.J. Picollo, a vice president and assistant general manager with the Kansas City Royals, has interviewed to run the Twins baseball operations department, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the search. … Picollo is considered to be one of the up-and-coming executives in the game.”