Hundreds in Minneapolis march against Charlottesville violence

At MPR, Doualy Xaykaothao reports: “Hundreds of anti-racism protesters demonstrated in front of the Minnesota Republican Party headquarters Monday, and then wound their way through Minneapolis. The protesters carried signs opposing racism and the violence that erupted in Charlottesville, Virginia during a white nationalist demonstration … . Minnesota Republican Party chair Jennifer Carnahan told MPR News the groups have the right to peacefully protest, but she rejects allegations that the party in general is racist.” 

And for WCCO-TV, Reg Chapman says: “A second rally was underway in Minneapolis Monday night in response to the violence in Charlottesville surrounding a gathering of white supremacist groups. The anti-racism rally in Minneapolis began around 5 p.m. outside the Minnesota Republican Party office on Franklin Avenue. About 200 people were in attendance, and hundreds more were expected to join. … After gathering at GOP headquarters, protesters marched through downtown Minneapolis, briefly blocking traffic and light rail trains at several intersections.”

And then there’s this, from MPR’s Tim Pugmire: “Some Minnesota Republicans are condemning the weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and some Democrats who are trying to tie the GOP to the display of racism and anti-Semitism there. … [Republican Party chair Jennifer] Carnahan also criticized Minnesota DFL party chair Ken Martin for making similar allegations against Republicans over the weekend. In a social media post, Martin blamed Trump, as well as right-wing ‘rhetoric, policies and actions’, for a rise in hate crimes. Martin isn’t backing down. He said Monday that there’s no doubt about the connection. He accused Carnahan of blindly supporting Trump.” 

Ole and Lena Shrimp. Says Kristen Leigh Painter for the Strib, “Two Minnesota food companies are joining forces to expand indoor shrimp farming in the state’s landlocked southwest corner. Marshall-based Schwan’s Co. is taking a minority stake in Tru Shrimp Co., an affiliate of Ralco, a maker of animal feed. Tru Shrimp uses technology to simulate a natural bayou where it then grows shrimp that the company says is safe and affordable for human consumption. Headquartered in Balaton, a town of about 600 residents about 20 miles south of Marshall, Tru Shrimp announced earlier this summer plans to build a 4,000-square-foot shrimp hatchery in Marshall.”

Go ahead, make all your snooty cosmopolitan jokes. Barry Amundsen of the Forum News Service says, “All Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar locations in Minnesota will remain open, the corporate franchisee said Monday. The announcement followed news that up to 135 Applebee’s restaurants will be shuttered across the country this year. The franchisee has about 50 restaurants in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.” Personally, I never eat anywhere that doesn’t have a celebrity chef.

Northwest Minnesota is dry. Another Forum News Service story says, “It’s dry across much of northwest Minnesota, and the Department of Natural Resources is asking people to be cautious with any outdoor projects, such as mowing, that could cause wildfires. Weather stations in Roseau, Karlstad and Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge have not recorded a quarter-inch rain event in the last 30 days, the DNR said. Most of the Warroad area received less than 1 inch of rain in the last month.”

Finally, a true sign of the times. Says Bob Shaw in the PiPress, “It’s the last call for St. Paul’s only 3.2 bar, and the owner is ready to turn out the lights. ‘I’m 75. It’s too late for me,’ said John Weber, taking a break from mowing grass at the Beehive Tavern in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. ‘There is no money in it anymore.’ The Beehive once was among dozens of Twin Cities bars serving the low-alcohol beer. But sales of 3.2 beer are as flat as a week-old opened bottle of Pabst, and Minnesota is one of only five states that still sells it. That means the future of 3.2 bars like the Beehive is bleak. The low-alcohol beer is also sold in gas stations and supermarkets, where sales have been hurt by the recent addition of Sunday liquor sales. And tastes have changed, making 3.2 Minnesota’s most endangered brew.” Here’s hoisting a fine, not-too hoppy Keystone Light to memories of The Beehive.