Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
Duck Watch 2025: No "Ruckus" Anticipated
In Tuesday's Flyover, we mentioned a shocking development on the Minnesota DNR's Eagle Cam: A female mallard has moved into the nest and laid eggs. While this plot twist is pretty dang cute, we had questions and concerns. Will the ducklings be able to get down from the nest, which is high above the ground? Could the eagles return and slaughter the squatters? Is the Eagle Cam going to be renamed Duck Cam?
Kristin A. L. Hall, DNR’s nongame wildlife program supervisor, assures us that yes, when the ducklings hatch, sometime in mid-May, they will be able to "fledge the nest" and make their way to water. Though high nests aren’t typical for mallards, it’s not unheard of; wood ducks are the most common high nesters. “I have also seen a Canada goose use an eagle’s nest and successfully fledge their young,” she says. As for the eagles, they’re currently living in a nest closer to the river (ooh la la!), so Hall doesn’t anticipate any gruesome bird fights. “If fish are abundant, there should be no need for ‘a ruckus,’ but we can’t predict what might happen,” she says, diffusing our concerns over a potential "ruckus."
While there’s no plan to rename Eagle Cam to Duck Cam, the feathered squatters sure make for good TV. “Having the camera out there to capture this unusual season has been quite a roller coaster,” Hall says. “I might be biased, but I think it is the best reality show out there.”
Let's Talk Expungements
Passed in 2023, the Minnesota Clean Slate Act was supposed to go into effect this past January 1. That didn’t happen; turns out it takes time to develop a super computer able to correctly spot the 2 million or so candidates for automatic expungement—folks with convictions for things like drug possession, petty theft, damage to property, and other non-violent offenses—out of 16 million criminal records. So state officials are starting small, with about 345 records sent to the Minnesota Judicial Branch this week to be approved… within the next 60 days. Think of it as “turning on a spigot instead of a firehose,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans tells James Walsh at the Star Tribune.
One type of record that will not be auto-expunged via the act? Evictions. Earlier this week, a Minnesota Court of Appeals panel ruled unanimously that legislation shouldn’t have the final say on judicial records, and that evicted renters would still have to petition for their records to be expunged—a big win for landlords. “The ruling seems intended to protect the judiciary’s prerogatives against the encroachment of the Legislature,” notes Mike Mosedale for Minnesota Reformer.
In a brief from 10 nonprofits, advocates asserted that overturning the law would have “grave consequences,” noting that evictions “disproportionately impact communities of color, women, victims of sexual and domestic violence, individuals with disabilities, and individuals receiving public housing assistance.”
MN Counties Score an F On Air Quality Report
The quality of the air out there? Not good, according to this year’s State of the Air report from the American Lung Association. In fact, it’s gotten much much worse over the past couple of years across the U.S., per the ALA...
In this year’s report, 35 of the cities for which there is monitoring data had zero high ozone days and 22 cities had zero days with high levels of short-term particle pollution. This is a considerable worsening from last year’s report, when 55 cities had no days of high ozone and 75 had no spikes in particle pollution.
For Minnesota’s grades, the report used data collected from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency between 2021-2023, focusing on ozone (smog) levels and particle (ash, aerosol, etc.) levels. Of the 15 Minnesota counties that reported on ozone, most scored a C or lower. Anoka, Olmsted, Scott, and Wright all earned an F, while Hennepin did slightly better with a D. The only A-level counties were Lake and Carlton. Particle data grades were even more grim; most counties earned an F, including Hennepin and Ramsey. “We’ve seen some of the worst air quality in the last couple years—certainly I’ve seen in my 25-plus years living here,” Jon Hunter, a senior director at ALA, tells Fox 9, noting that the Canadian wildfires certainly contributed to the state’s particle pollution scores.
As for the best air quality in the country? Bangor, Maine, and San Juan-Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
RIP Jeff Viegel, Co-Owner of Isles Buns & Coffee
An Uptown institution lost its leader this weekend. Jeff Viegel, who owned and operated Minneapolis's Isles Buns & Coffee with his wife, Catherine, died Sunday from a medical incident. He was 70 years old.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Jeff Veigel, beloved co-owner of Isles Bun & Coffee and a pillar of our Minneapolis community,” reads a Wednesday post from the biz's Instagram account. “Known for his Panama hat, red pickup truck, and always wearing boat shoes, Jeff wasn’t just a business owner—he was a mentor, a father figure to many, and a fierce advocate for the underdog.”
An outpouring of condolences and fond memories are being below that Insta post, including many from former employees.
“Jeff and Catherine will always be the best bosses I have ever had, one writes. “He taught me about Yerba Mate, and truly good espresso.”
“Jeff was one of the quirkiest bosses I’ve ever had,” writes another. “Noted for saying ‘where’s my coffee’ during a rush, he was always quick to make people laugh with a dad joke on hand.”
Located at 1424 W. 28th St. in Minneapolis, Isles Buns & Coffee has been serving up caffeine and sweet treats for about 25 years, including its award-winning cinnamon rolls, which people have been known to stand in line for on the weekend.
