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Hook & Ladder Asks for Help
Oh no: The Hook & Ladder Theater and Lounge is in trouble and at risk of closing its doors "without immediate support," according to a recently launched GiveMN campaign.
The Longfellow performance arts center, located at 3010 Minnehaha Ave. in Minneapolis, is coming up on its 10th birthday. But "rising costs, declining ticket sales, and shifting audience habits now threaten this vital community space," according to the fundraising page. At this writing, 130 donors have raised $8,788 for the venue, which has set out to raise $75,000 by October 31.
"Your gift—big or small—helps us keep the lights on, the stage alive, and our community together," the Hook team writes.
More MN Counties Team Up With ICE
Dispatches from our hellworld: The Star Tribune's Christopher Magan and Jenny Berg report that more Minnesota counties are partnering with ICE. Since Trump returned to office this year, seven rural counties have signed agreements to partner with ICE: Cass, Crow Wing, Freeborn, Itasca, Jackson, Kandiyohi, and Mille Lacs.
Sherburne, Kandiyohi, and Freeborn counties have long been contracted to hold detainees for federal agencies (including ICE), according to the Strib, but this partnership is new. "Most did not reply to requests for comment," Magan and Berg write, "but the two sheriffs who spoke to the Minnesota Star Tribune said they did so more to avoid legal liability than to earn money enforcing immigration laws."
Oh yes, about that money: Congress's budget bill included $170 billion for immigration enforcement, with $14 billion earmarked to reimburse local governments. Would be great if the government provided things like universal health care, college, and parental leave instead, but, again, you live in hellword.
A Lynx Lore Longread
Shake off Tuesday night's bummer of a loss and get ready to watch the Lynx take on the Mercury in game three Friday night with this glowing feature from Front Office Sports: "How Cheryl Reeve Turned the Lynx Into the WNBA Gold Standard."
"In a back corner of the Minnesota Lynx practice facility is a glass trophy case," Annie Costabile's story begins. "It has four sterling silver WNBA championship trophies from an era when giants roamed Minneapolis, lingering in the nightmares of opponents as the Lynx built one of the sport’s most formidable dynasties. But in another universe, on another planet, in another dimension, there are six."
The Lynx are a favorite (just typing that feels like a jinx—a Lynx Jinx) to win it all again this year, something the once-dynastic team hasn't done since 2017. And doing so would make Reeve’s Lynx the first WNBA franchise to win five championships. Can they shake off last year's heartbreak and get the redemption they so desperately want? Reading about Reeve, you'll believe. Sorry, not sure why this blurb keeps rhyming!
PSA From Smitten Kitten...
...Welp, that's it from us. Have a great weekend, everybody!
