It’s not a dumpster fire but it’s pretty close. The Star Tribune’s Paul Walsh reports: “A recycling plant in north Minneapolis caught fire Tuesday morning, sending up huge clouds of smoke and leading to traffic disruptions, authorities said. … The blaze broke out about 10:10 a.m. at Northern Metal Recycling in the 1800 block of 2nd Street N., according to the Fire Department. … Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Tyner said there are drums of kerosene inside. He said the chemical is used for metal stripping. … There are no reports of anyone harmed from the fire.”
When’s she up for re-election again? City Pages’s Mike Mullen writes: “Minneapolis is going to pass a citywide minimum wage increase in 2017. … Don’t believe it? Wanna bet? If so, you’d be going up against someone who’s got a bit of insider knowledge: Mayor Betsy Hodges. … In a statement issued Monday night, Hodges said it’s ‘clear’ the city will pass some sort of minimum wage increase in the near future.”
Some Minneapolis schools thriving — but not all. The Star Tribune’s Beena Raghavendran reports: “Seven years ago, Washburn High School building was settling into old age with ample space for its 800-some students. … Then came its renaissance. Since 2009, Washburn’s student population has doubled to more than 1,600 this year, thanks to leadership changes and the south Minneapolis school’s growing reputation. … Washburn’s space needs have echoed in public comment sections at board meetings throughout the fall, but the school isn’t the only one grappling with too much demand. Throughout the district, 13 schools are enrolling more students than the buildings’ maximum capacities, and most are Washburn’s neighbors in the southwest Minneapolis area. They include Emerson and Windom Spanish Dual Immersion schools, each filling about 100 more seats than the rated capacities.”
Politico’s Glenn Thrush has a long, wide-ranging conversation with Minneapolis Rep. Keith Ellison. “Keith Ellison is chair-slumped in a nondescript union office a few hundred yards north of the Capitol, surrounded by boxes of fliers for his campaign to chair the Democratic National Committee, nursing a nasty cold and eye-rolling at another question about his onetime admiration for Louis Farrakhan. … The Minnesota congressman — a powerful speaker and canny political organizer — was on the cusp of an easy victory in the race for DNC chairman until the past few weeks, when his decades-old writings on the Nation of Islam leader (he called him a ‘role model for Black Youth’ in a 1995 student editorial) resurfaced and ignited.”
In other news…
Gotta have customers: “General Mills continues quest for customers, sales slide” [MPR]
KARE’s Jana Shortal makes the list: “10 Badass Women Who Made 2016 Better By Clapping Back at Body-Shaming Haters” [Shape]
Yes, let’s: “Let’s all be more like this Minneapolis man rave dancing at a freezing bus stop [VIDEO]” [City Pages]
Darn: “St. Paul’s Flow Art Space is closing after over five years” [City Pages]
Sadly, not a jetpack: “Cirrus is betting its future on a ‘personal jet’ ” [MPR]
Settlement: “Hormel Foods to pay $550K in back wages to 403 female applicants at Nebraska facility after US Labor Department finds hiring discrimination” [Department of Labor]
How about a Glensheen-themed “Clue”? “Duluth-Opoly games available for sale” [Duluth News Tribune]
