Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
Uh Oh: Suburban Teens Have Discovered E-Bikes
Fox 9's Courtney Godfrey sets a dire scene from the once-placid streets of downtown Excelsior: "We ever ran into some teens who had three on one bike, only two of three wearing helmets, all of them admitting to being 14." That's a major problem, you see, as e-bike riders are supposed to be 15. And according to "concerned neighbor" Teresa Nesenson, the problem doesn't stop there: The scofflaw teens in question "don't care" about zipping by pedestrians or generally unleashing two-wheeled havoc in their suburban hometowns. "We're trying to stop them, and I wish we could do more," South Lake Police Chief Brian Tholen tells Fox 9. "We have to make sure our juveniles and our kids are not going to get hurt or killed."
Tholen doesn't provide any data about youngsters getting hurt or killed on e-bikes, though he does say that among the 50ish who've been stopped by cops since April, a little more than half have been under 15. Erik Salvold, owner of Erik's Bike Shop, chimes in like a good bike salesman to note that the technology isn't the issue—it's about following the rules. Be that as it may, Fox 9's Courtney Godfrey reports that "several" cities in the West metro are considering ordinances that would limit the use of e-bikes. Adult handwringing over teens doing dumb shit? Historically, that's limitless.
Indiana Jones and the Lost Logo
It’s been one thing after another for ol’ Indy this year. First Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny gets whooped in the box office on the 4th of July by that creepy Qanon-ish anti-child-trafficking movie starring Jesus. Now, reports Jay Gabler at the Duluth News Tribune, the Duluth-based outdoor supply company Frost River has filed a federal lawsuit against Lucasfilm, along with its competitor, Filson, for “misuse and misrepresentation” of its products. Frost River claims that the filmmakers stripped logos from its packs before giving them to Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge to use in the movie. Furthermore, they say clips from the film in which their logoless bags were featured were used in a promotional campaign, implying that they were Filson bags. "Indiana Jones, an eccentric archaeologist, is known for stealing priceless artifacts while dodging giant, rolling boulders," wrote a Frost River lawyer in the complaint, trying a little too hard. "Not unlike its character, Lucasfilm had no qualms misappropriating Frost River’s successful 'Geologist Pack' and other Frost River products." That "not unlike" is doing a lot of work there.
Unhoused People Are Especially at Risk During Heat Waves
Our perilously cold winters are especially hard on unhoused folks here in Minnesota. But when the temps rise into the heat advisory zone that’s dangerous too. The Real Minneapolis is working to help the homeless stay cool. “We aren't paramedics, we aren't emergency personnel or we aren't nurses, we're just community members who are really trying to make sure that our unhoused friends are safe and are provided with basic human needs,” founder Valerie Quintana tells MPR. That involves getting at least two bottles of water to every person in need, checking people for signs of dehydration or heat exhaustion, and offering cold showers via an RV. The non-profit group, which provides meals, resources, blankets, and other services year-round, is mostly funded through donations from organizations, but people can also help out via PayPal and Venmo.
Why Is 'Good Morning America' So Obsessed With Us?
Consider the following: In February, Minneapolis was one of five U.S. cities selected by Good Morning America for their national pizza competition, and the show ultimately awarded the honor to our own Wrecktangle Pizza. Last month, we talked with Minneapolis author Emma Törzs, whose debut novel was GMA's monthly book club pick. A few weeks later, GMA stopped by Stillwater for its "Main Street USA" segment, and then today, the morning talk show was ONCE AGAIN back in Minnesota, this time dropping by the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory in St. Paul and Target Field in Minneapolis and highlighting an array of locals including baker Zoë François, Carlson's Llovable Llamas in Waconia, Birchbark Books, and Mosaic Hockey Collective. That's a lotta 'Sota!
