Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
All Eyes on 26th & Hiawatha
If you've ever been a pedestrian or cyclist at Hiawatha & 26th, then you know the intersection is "not great" for those not in cars. Hell, it's not exactly a treat for folks who are driving—between the light rail, the LRT trail, and all those intersecting lanes of traffic, there's a lot going on. Real head-on-a-swivel situation.
It turns out, as a Bluesky user pointed out today, there's a proposal to redo the intersection to make it more pedestrian-friendly; the Minneapolis City Council will vote on it Thursday. That's good! Unfortunately the Pedestrian Advisory Committee doesn't support the proposed redesign, writing in a statement that, "the design as a whole does not provide adequate refuge for pedestrians with limited mobility, a top priority for the PAC." That's bad!
The PAC says crossing distances are its biggest concern—that is one wide roadway—and the lack of adequate medians for folks to use if they can't cross all in one go. They also want to prohibit right turns on red, which feels like it should already be a rule here if you ask us.
The Worst Things the Reformer Has Uncovered About GOP Senate Candidates (So Far)
The Minnesota Reformer has unsurprisingly been crushing the "weird and salacious shit you should know about GOP Senate candidates" beat. Sure, they call it their coverage of "the 15 or so races that will determine control of the Minnesota Legislature," but, you know, six of one, half-dozen of the other...
The latest scoop regards Kathleen Fowke, the ultra-rich wife of former Xcel Energy CEO Ben Fowke, who was already in the pages of the Reformer for taking a homestead tax break on one of her multiple properties. You may not be surprised to learn that Fowke is still quite cozy with energy companies, especially Xcel; during her unsuccessful 2022 senate run, more than 70% of individual and lobbyist contributions to her campaign came from donors with ties to utilities, according to Michelle Griffith's story. Many of those donors are back this year, including three current and former Xcel VPs.
It's an important story, but frankly a rather tame one when you put it up against some of the other wackos the Reformer has reported on this cycle:
- Steve Pape, the “social moderate” (his words) in 35B, who supports a total constitutional abortion ban.
- Erica Schwartz, a candidate in 18A, who eventually apologized after suggesting that the DFL was steering us toward a second Holocaust (“They’re promoting all this transgender," she had added, eloquently).
- Cal Warwas, the Republican in 7B, whose social media posts that run the gamut from climate denial (global warming is "a lefty scam") to homophobia (the PBS children’s show Arthur is “harmful to children”) to white pride (what's so wrong with it, he wants to know).
- And then, over at Axios, Torey Van Oot had the scoop on Caleb Steffenhagen in 48B, who's involved with an anti-gay, anti-masturbation group called Dangerous Men United (no relation to the brewery). "Tired of letting PORN and LUST cripple your walk with Jesus?" their website header reads. LOL. LMAO.
Scandal Lurches Closer to Mayor's Office
The latest person to plead guilty in the massive/ongoing Feeding Our Future fraud case is Sharmarke Issa, a former Minneapolis official who served as board chair of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority for nearly three years. According to Sahan Journal's Joey Peters, he pled guilty to stealing $3.6 million.
Here's Peters: "Sharmarke Issa was supposed to advocate for low-income housing, but stole federal money meant to feed underprivileged children and bought a $700,000 house."
Man, that sucks. Sharmarke has agreed to forfeit the home as well as other properties he owns to the feds as part of his plea deal.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey appointed Sharmarke to the MPHA board in 2019 and appointed him to a second three-year term before Sharmarke resigned. Peters writes that in 2022, when the allegations against Sharmarke were first made, Frey called them “appalling” and said they “run counter to the values that we are entrusted to uphold in the city of Minneapolis.”
Springboard Expands Basic Income Program
Did you know that Springboard for the Arts has been overseeing a pilot program that provides local artists with a guaranteed income? Well, did you know that the St. Paul- and Fergus Falls-based nonprofit just announced plans to extend the program to five years, adding 25 new rural artists to the roster?
Jenna Ross at the Minnesota Star Tribune has that story today, writing that the extension and expansion of the initiative makes it one of the longest-running programs of its kind. (It was already one of the first.) By January, 100 Minnesota artists will receive $500 a month from Springboard, no strings attached—unless, I guess, you're a fiber artist.
Executive director Laura Zabel tells the Strib that it's not a matter of artists being more worthy or deserving; it's just that creative professions tend to be undervalued in our society.
“I love thinking about guaranteed income as a way of honoring that we all have contributions to make to our community," she tells the Strib. "And we need a little bit of time and space and breathing room to make those contributions."
I'm not—no, shut up, I just have something in my eye!
