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RIP Herbie Butcher
Does 735 E. 48th St. in south Minneapolis belong on our list of cursed restaurant addresses? I've lived in the neighborhood for over a decade, and in that time I've watched it shift from a Chinese restaurant (Star Moon) to a Korean BBQ spot (Sum Dem) to a mac 'n' sandwich joint (Elbow Room) to, most recently, Herbie Butcher's Fried Chicken.
And on Sunday, the owners of Herbie B.'s announced that the vegan chicken shack will close after March 30. Technically, they're calling it an "indefinite sabbatical" and not a "goodbye," promising "it's simply until we meet again." At any rate, you can still score Herbie's frozen fried chicken, mac sauce, tot dust, and Dragon Dust at Herbivorous Butcher HQ in northeast Minneapolis or online. Writes sister/brother ownership duo Aubry and Kale Walch...
When we opened Herbie Butcher's Fried Chicken [in 2021], it was more than just a restaurant-it was a love letter to comfort food and to the community that has supported us through thick and thin. Born in the heart of the pandemic, our goal was to create a space bursting with color, life, and the kind of food that brings us joy. And together, we did just that.
You can read their full Herbie Butcher's farewell note here.
My vote for what replaces it? Bring back Adrian's Tavern, the beloved divey burger bar that existed around the corner of 48th & Chicago for over 50 years. I have no idea how possible or impossible those logistics are—for one thing, the space is far too small—just throwing it out into the universe...
Children's Theatre Union Ratifies First-Ever Contract
In early 2023, almost 50 public-facing workers at the Children's Theatre Co. in Minneapolis—ushers, ticket takers, performance supervisors, box office and concession operators—began organizing a union. On Friday, IATSE Local 13 announced a big win: Those workers unanimously ratified their first-ever collectively bargained contract, making the nation's largest theater for young performers a union shop.
"While bargaining began slowly, we have appreciated the consistent
attention to these negotiations from CTC throughout and since the company underwent a change in both the artistic and managing director roles last summer," an IATSE Local 13 rep says in a statement, referencing CTC's first new artistic director in 27 years. "We are pleased that our work together has produced meaningful gains for member employees and strengthened CTC’s workforce."
Go congratulate the workers at one of CTC's current productions, Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster and Milo Imagines the World. A biggie, Frozen: The Broadway Musical, premieres April 15.
Happy Retirement to a Great Strib Journo
I worked alongside Randy Furst for several years, first at the now-demolished ol' Strib HQ on Portland Avenue and, later, inside Capella Tower. Ninety-nine percent of our interactions followed the same script: Randy, hands full with sign-up clipboards or pamphlets, going desk-to-desk in every department for the purposes of union rabblerousing. I liked him immediately.
Furst, 78, retired from the Star Tribune last Friday, ending a remarkable 52-year run as a general assignment reporter for the newspaper. This nice farewell from his colleague Louis Krauss attempts to encapsulate Furst's career, and lovingly frames him thusly: "As strong-willed and stubborn as he is widely beloved by newsroom colleagues." Krauss continues...
He was also a regular thorn in the side of generations of Twin Cities politicians, police forces and other powerful institutions... Furst is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, one for an investigative series about migrant worker conditions, the other on questions regarding the innocence of two Black men convicted of rape. Among his many other scoops was his detailing the corrupt practices of the Metro Gang Strike Force, a disbanded Twin Cities law enforcement group, and stories on three Northwest Airlines pilots who were drinking and flying.
"He’s scrappy, and someone who will always advocate for fighting harder for workers and even harder for people who are disadvantaged," says Stribber Jeff Hargarten. One former colleague, the great Chris Serres, calls Furst the “Muhammad Ali of interviewing,” adding, "He was a beauty to listen to, and he would control the center of the ring with his questions. He was just relentless."
But perhaps the highest praise comes from former Gov. Jesse Ventura, a man who famously and/or infamously forced the capitol press corps to wear badges identifying themselves as "jackals."
“As far as reporters go, he was one who maybe I trusted a little," Ventura says of Furst. "Believe me, that’s a lot to say... [He] did his best to earn your trust."
As for Furst? It sounds like he has the proper retirement mindset.
“In some ways I’m sad,” the retired reporter tells his old newspaper. “I mean, this has been my entire life and I very much enjoyed what I’ve been doing. On the other hand, I’m kind of excited to try some other things.”
MSP to YYZ Delta Flight Flips While Landing, Injuring 8
Officials at Toronto Pearson International Airport acknowledged “an incident upon landing involving a Delta Air Lines plane arriving from Minneapolis” earlier this afternoon.
Remarkably, everybody aboard the Bombardier CRJ-900 survived the crash, though the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports eight passengers are being treated for injuries. (At least three folks suffered "critical injuries," CNN reports.) In a statement, Gov. Tim Walz says he's "grateful to the first responders and professionals on the scene." The flight was operated by Endeavor Air, a Delta subsidiary that flies smaller planes on shorter flights, the New York Times reports.
Click here to see video and here to see photos of the flipped airplane smoldering on the tarmac.
