Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
Vanity Fair Has High Hopes for T-Wolves' Anthony Edwards
A new profile by Tom Kludt in Vanity Fair asks if Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards is “the next face of the NBA?” While I don't follow basketball close enough to have thoughts on that angle, I did find it entertaining to learn more about his hobbies and B-plot side adventures, which include his film debut in Hustle, a 2022 Netflix movie starring Adam Sandler, who compared Edwards to Paul Newman and was impressed by his “quiet confidence.” He’s also really into bowling these days. (“Every time I go, I’ma crack 200 at least once.”) The piece isn’t all puffery, however. Basketball training coach Justin Holland, who met Edwards at 14, describes his early skills as “mediocre,” noting that he “couldn’t throw a brick in the ocean.” Edwards also shares his top-five players list (he’s No. 1, of course), as well as his thoughts his PR fuck ups, including getting a $40K fine by the NBA after a video of him saying homophobic slurs was shared on Instagram: “I’m always working on being better.”
Great, Now We’ve Got to Worry About Chlormequat Too?
According to a recent study by the Environmental Working Group, there’s a new chemical on the rise in our bodies: chlormequat. The plant growth inhibitor (it helps plants stand up straight for easier harvesting) is banned from food crops in the U.S., but it’s still OK to be used on imported crops. For the study, the nonprofit tested urine collected from 96 people between 2017 and 2023 for chlormequat. In 2017, 69% of study participants tested positive, then 74% did in 2018, and, by 2023, that number had hit 90%. In mammals, it’s been linked to sluggish fertility, fetal growth issues, and puberty delays. “Just as troubling, we detected the chemical in 92% of oat-based foods purchased in May 2023, including Quaker Oats and Cheerios,” the published report states.
Chlormequat isn’t the only alarming thing found in Cheerios these days. Just last week Consumer Reports sent a letter to General Mills asking it to take steps to lower the amount of phthalates, a plastic chemical also linked to reproduction and development woes, found in the cereal, as well as Yoplait, some Progresso soups, and canned Annie's ravioli.
LUSH Plans To Go Full Non-Profit
Last summer, the owners of LUSH Lounge & Theater created the LUSH Legacy Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that aims to protect and promote drag artists and other queer performers at a time when many LGBTQ+ creatives are under attack. This week, the group announced plans to purchase the restaurant and theater as well. “There’s a lot of work ahead, and a lot of unknowns, but we know we are doing something truly special,” Nathan Eckstein, LLF Board President, says in a statement. “We believe this bold initiative will make LUSH Lounge & Theater the very first nonprofit LGBTQ+ bar and theater in the nation, at least that we are aware of.”
Turning the venue into a nonprofit means increased partnerships and collaborations with local groups like Rainbow Health, more opportunities for artists looking for stage time, and increased financial transparency. A meet-and-greet with the board is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 14, where people can offer feedback and get more info on the bar’s upcoming plans.
A Tale of Two Pizza Guys
When Dave Stein took over the neighborhood pizza joint at Washburn & 50th in 1992, he re-christened it Michelangelo’s Masterpizzas. But when the south Minneapolis pie joint closed in 2017 for renovations, it would never reopen. What happened? Anna Koenning and Brian Martucci have answers for you in this great Southwest Voices piece. They spoke with Martin Davis, who took over Masterpizzas in 2007 and spent over $100K on renovations. But when Stein died in 2021 from bile duct cancer and left the building and the pizza joint to his family, Davis moved on. “I didn’t want it to be awkward like ‘Hey, before you die can you sign a lease for me or how do you want to work this out?’ which was probably really bad on my part,” Davis says. These days, he’s still slinging pie, delivering for Carbone’s. Meanwhile, local chain Tono Pizzeria & Cheesesteaks plans to open in the long-vacant space sometime this spring.
