Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
Cheesehead Barbie?
We’re fast-approaching Barbie burnout thanks to the promo for Greta Gerwig’s new movie. But this is a pretty cool local angle: Did you know that Barbie’s from the Midwest? According to ancient lore, before moving to Malibu she grew up in Willows, Wisconsin. The Badger State first shows up in a Barbie book series from the ‘60s, and it turns out Midge, Barbie’s (uh, kinda problematic/long discontinued) friend is also from Wisconsin. (Hooray?) The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel dives deep into Barbie’s 'Sconnie ties in this piece, which even includes info on a 2015 Willows, Wisconsin, collection “consisting of Cherry Pie Picnic Barbie, Homecoming Queen Barbie, and Soda Shop Barbie.” Willows is also featured in a 2018 episode of Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures TV series, where she takes a road trip from Malibu to visit family, eat cheese curds, and help move a cow sculpture made of cheese for Cheddarfest.
Last Legislative Sesh Keeps on Giving
It still amazes us how much Minnesota Democrats did not fuck up this past legislative session. (Rideshare drivers and nurses are free to disagree.) Though the big scores DFLers racked up are well documented, today J. Patrick Coolican in the Minnesota Reformer ticks off some of the lesser known Ws. For starters, the renter’s credit, which you used to have to file for separately (and at least one Racket staffer still needs to get around to filing), is now a credit that you can claim when you file your income taxes. (Renters are apparently leaving $379 million on the table every year.) Other sweet developments: Payday lending is capped at a (still too high) 36%, the state created a new Department of Children, Youth, and Families apart from the Department of Human Services, and a task force will look into the medical benefits of psychedelics. (And you thought weed legalization was something.)
Soccer Fans Rally After Piddling Heist
We’ve already written at Racket about what dedicated fans the Minnesota City soccer club has. So it’s not much of a surprise that when the volunteer team’s trailer was swiped from an Augsburg University lot, it was “fans to the rescue,” as the headline in Jennifer Brooks’s most recent Strib column puts it. The equipment in that trailer—merch racks, some tables, water coolers—wouldn’t be of much use for the thieves, unless we seriously misunderstand what’s hot on the black market these days, but replacing them would cost the team $15,000. Fortunately the team’s dedicated fans (who bought tickets even during a pandemic-canceled season to keep the team afloat) have already raised nearly $20,000 via GoFundMe. As for the trailer, “a tidy white cube with an oval Continental Cargo sticker on the back,” it’s still missing, so keep an eye out.
Dairy Queen Evicted! Is Mall of America Dead?
Since 1992, there has been a Dairy Queen in the Mall of America. But now, after over 30 years, shoppers are SOL if they wanna stop for a Blizzard. Back in May, the mall filed an eviction lawsuit against Bloomington-based franchisee Non-Typical Cos. claiming that the company owed around $75,000 in unpaid rent. The two groups managed to come to a settlement out of court, but the DQ’s five-year lease expires this year as well, so the shop is out of the mall… at least for now. Meanwhile, blessed Minnesota still boasts well over 200 Dairy Queens; you can check out our ranking of Twin Cities locations here.
