Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily noontime(ish) digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
Folks, it's raining
Hey, if the Strib can lead with the weather so can we. At this point in our bone-dry summer, a rainy morning really is more than something to make small talk about. Brutal drought conditions have dried up Minnehaha Creek and reduced the falls to a sad and barely visible trickle. Meanwhile wildfires continues raging: The largest in the BWCA gained another two miles of ground Monday, evacuating another 159 homes and cabins. The forecast up north is a bit better later in the week—less wind, more rain—so hopefully crews containing the blaze get a much-needed assist from Mother Nature.
Garth looks
Garth Brooks was live on Facebook last night with his weekly country music show "Inside Studio G," where he answered fan questions and addressed a handful of upcoming COVID-canceled dates. This week's episode kicked off with some local licks: a cover of "Ain't Goin Down Till the Sun Comes Up," by Reina del Cid, the former Minneapolis singer-songwriter who's currently winning over Garth from her new hometown of L.A. "Ninety-nine percent of the stuff you see, I wouldn't pass on as worth seeing," Brooks tells viewers. "This is one I'm telling you you're gonna watch again and again and again." Watch the cover in full below.
The Lazzaro Show
Tony Lazzaro, the MNGOP donor charged with sex trafficking minors, will appear in court this afternoon to request release to his Minneapolis condo. How does he hope to convince the judge? By seeking "the most restrictive bond conditions imaginable," according to a motion filed this morning. We're talking 24-hour video surveillance, ankle monitor location tracking, and bio-metric locks. "Mr. Lazzaro will be living inside a real-life 'Truman Show' scenario," per his attorney. Huh, anyone else remember how that movie ends?
Good, better, Best Buy
Take that, Amazon! The St. Paul-born, Richfield-headquartered electronics chain is reporting that it saw a 70% bump in quarterly earnings; revenue grew almost 21% to a record $11.8 billion in May, June, and July. "We have delivered a remarkable first half against a volatile backdrop," says Best Buy's chief executive Corie Barry in a call with analysts today. While the Best Buy website is still losing traffic, in-store and curbside shopping has gone up, with increased sales in home theater, appliances, computing, and mobile phones, because we're all so very very lonely in quarantine. Best Buy is so optimistic that they're expanding their wares, with plans to add grilling equipment, patio furniture, exercise machines, and even beauty products to their stock. Watch out, Sephora!
