Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
These Guys are Probably Not Prince Fans
Yesterday, the Minnesota Senate passed a bill renaming Chanhassen's stretch of Hwy. 5 the “Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway,” with an overwhelming 55 yays and 5 nays. The five senators who voted “no” to renaming a strip of asphalt after Minnesota’s most iconic resident? These guys: Bruce D. Anderson (R-central Minnesota), shirtless trucker champion Calvin K. Bahr (R-East Bethel), Gary H. Dahms (R-southwest Minnesota), Glenn H. Gruenhagen (R-Glencoe), and Eric Lucero (R-East Central Minnesota), who showed up to work in a velvet purple suit only to smash that “nay” vote. Oh, and they’re not telling anyone why they voted that way. “I've reached out to each of the Senators, and they have declined to share their reasoning for their votes,” responded Rachel Aplikowski, Senate Republican Caucus’ media relations director, to our email query. The legislation, written by Sen. Julia Coleman (R-Waconia), has already passed in the House. Will Gov. Tim Walz reveal himself to be a Prince fan or a hater? We shall see!
Update: We heard back from Sen. Bahr (shirtless guy), who told us, "Jay, Thank you for asking. In seven years I have voted against the naming any of highway, except military, police, or firefighters killed in the line of duty."
Hold the Mayo
Solid scoop from Max Nesterak over at the Minnesota Reformer: The Mayo Clinic has threatened to pull billions (with a "b") in Minnesota investments out state if lawmakers move forward with a pair of healthcare reform bills. Kate Johansen, Mayo's vice chair of external engagement, wrote in an email to Gov. Tim Walz and DFL legislators: "Because these bills continue to proceed without meaningful and necessary changes to avert their harms to Minnesotans, we cannot proceed with seeking approval to make this investment in Minnesota. We will need to direct this enormous investment to other states." She's referring to a $1.1 billion plan to build new facilities and infrastructure—a "time-sensitive" decision she says will need to be made within the next several days. And the bills—the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act and the creation of the Health Care Affordability Board—have already been signed by the House and Senate.
MN: A Beach Haven!
At least, according to a Family Destinations Guide survey spotted by Bring Me the News's Grace Deng. Black Beach in Silver Bay ranked No. 61 in a list of 100. Hey, that's something! According to the article, 3,000 families were asked to name a "hidden beach" they wanted to visit this summer, and someone apparently voted for the black sanded Black Beach. While most black sand beaches get their coloring from lava ash, Black Beach is an oddity in that its black sand comes from the taconite waste mining companies dumped into the lake until they were asked to stop in 1980 due to pollution in the area. Beautiful! Topping the list are beaches in Hawaii, Florida, and New Jersey.
Kevin from The Office is Coming to Maplewood Mall
Brian Baumgartner didn’t just play a chili enthusiast on TV; turns out he’s also one in real life. Since leaving The Office, he’s delighted fans by posting chili pics on Instagram, showing up at chili competitions to judge, and penning Seriously Good Chili Cookbook: 177 of the Best Recipes in the World. Tomorrow, he’ll be in town to chat with fans, sign copies of the book, and hang at Maplewood Mall. This won’t be his first trip to town; before hitting the big time as Kevin on The Office, Baumgartner spent time on Minnesota stages, including the Guthrie, Children's Theater, and Theatre de la Jeune Lune, as well as serving as artistic director at Hidden Theatre.
The Maplewood Barnes & Noble is pumped for tomorrow’s party. You can find more details about the event in their Tweet below.
