Staying safe on the Midway. Katie Galioto at the Star Tribune checks in on local event officials and law enforcement following the recent shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival: “A State Fair spokesperson said Minnesota’s famed get-together, which attracted more than 2 million people last summer, involves the coordination of federal, state and local agencies. More than 200 officers patrol the fair in uniforms and plain clothes, and visitors must go through a bag check at entry gates.”
Job creators. J.D. Duggan at the Minnesota Daily has a piece on the Northside Job Creation Team: “The NJCT is a part of the University’s Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center. The program was sparked during a 2010 North Minneapolis job summit, aiming to reverse the economic disparities facing one of the most marginalized regions of the city. In 2013, NJCT set out to create 1,000 jobs in conjunction with numerous local partners, including the city of Minneapolis. This year, NJCT leadership say they’ve met their goal — although some jobs have moved and some employees have been laid off. More than 1,200 jobs are expected to have been created in North Minneapolis through the program from 2012 to 2020.”
Dam shame. Jennifer Bjorhus at the Star Tribune is following the PolyMet saga through the Court of Appeals: “After a dam holding mining waste burst last January in Brazil, releasing a wall of sludge and killing more than 240 people, environmental advocates asked the state of Minnesota to stay permits they had granted to PolyMet Mining Corp. for a proposed copper-nickel mine with a similar storage dam. Now, in support of that request, they have filed court documents showing that PolyMet used the same geotechnical engineer who helped the owner of the Brazilian mine evaluate its waste dams.”
Dirty cupcakes and holy water. Literary Hub has a book excerpt on Satanists’ attempt to build a public monument in Belle Plaine: “About 150 Catholics, most from out of town (and one holding a statue of the Virgin Mary on his shoulders), showed up at the park to protest, praying and holding signs saying things like ‘Honk against Satan,’ ‘Keep It One Nation under God,’ and ‘Satan Is the Eternal Loser.’ Nearby, a group from the Minnesota Left Hand Path Community supported the monument while lounging on some picnic blankets, where they ate snacks and talked with both protestors and the media. According to the Left Hand folks, they made at least one convert during the protest, and it ‘wasn’t even because of the cookies and lemonade.'”
In other news…
Relish it: “500,000 people watched Har Mar Superstar play a show inside a Minneapolis Wendy’s” [Current]
Keep holding your breath: “Judge’s ruling gives north Minneapolis metal shredder more time” [Star Tribune]
First, we take St. Cloud: “Stearns County website hacked by apparent anti-government activist” [St. Cloud Times]
License to print money: “After years of losses, Stratasys is back in the black” [Star Tribune]
RIP: “Minnesota loses hockey legend: Former Hibbing and Olympic defenseman Jack Petroske dies at 84” [Duluth News Tribune]
