Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
New, Whimsical Neighbors Coming Soon
For the last 38 years, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre has called the Avalon Theatre at 1500 E. Lake St. in south Minneapolis its home. That building has been up for sale since February, which means that the puppet-loving crew has to move. Thankfully, they announced today that they’ve found new digs a few miles away at 2411 Hennepin Ave. The Uptown-bordering space was the longtime location of Rhymesayers' Fifth Element record shop, which closed and never reopened back in 2020.
“This move is more than just a change of address, it’s a commitment to equity and participation,” HOBT Treasurer Ellen Alphonso says via press release. “By relocating to a space that is physically accessible, HOBT is opening its doors wider and more people can experience the joy, artistry, and community that puppetry and the creative arts bring to life.”
The organization already has events planned leading up to November 1, when programming will officially resume. Before performances, workshops, classes, and the puppet-lending library starts in the new space, HOBT will participate in Hennepin’s Open Streets event, host a fundraiser/house party, and lead a puppet caravan from their old space to the new one.
Malcolm Yards Doorknock Denier Allegedly Politically Motivated
Minnesota has legal protections for political candidates who campaign by door knocking, and that includes access to multi-resident buildings like apartments, nursing homes, and dorms. So after months of being denied entrance to the Flats at Malcolm Yards and the Station at Malcolm Yards apartment complexes, Ward 2 City Council Member Robin Wonsley and Minneapolis Park Board candidate Michael Wilson have filed a legal complaint against owner John Wall.
“Starting in July, Wall has employed tactics to prevent the Wonsley and Wilson campaigns from doorknocking in two apartment buildings, with a total of 353 units and a larger number of residents,” Wonsley writes via press release.
Wall is not a fan of either candidate's positions on policing or rent control. “City Council has made a campaign of disgracing the police profession and run them off,” he wrote in an August 12 email to Wonsley’s team that was made available to the Star Tribune. “May I suggest that you have your candidates revisit the merits of rent control and think through what these policies will do to the innocent renters in Minneapolis.”
There's also evidence that Wall and his wife/business partner Patricia thought about this all beforehand. During a call with several Frey-aligned PACs on August 4, Patricia asked if they could bar Wonsley from their properties while allowing her opponent, Shelley Madore, to doorknock. Frey chum Joe Radinovich, who works with the PACs, said they'd have to let Wonsley in eventually, but they might be able to delay her. According to the complaint, Patricia also donated the maximum $1,200 to Madore as well as $600 to another Ward 2 council candidate, Michael Baskins.
*Through Gritted Teeth* Downtown Is Back, Baby!
Today is the first day of Target Corp.'s mandated three-day work-in-office policy and the Star Tribune is living for it. So much so that staffers have been live blogging what’s happening near Target HQ in downtown Minneapolis all day, placing coverage right in the A1 feature slot with a “breaking news” tag.
If you’re wondering how Target employees coming downtown for an all-staff meeting could possibly sustain thousands of words and minute-by-minute reporting, you are not alone! While the word count is high, the details aren’t particularly riveting. A few highlights:
8:45 a.m.: Voices grew louder at the entrance of Target’s downtown headquarters early Tuesday morning.
9:45 a.m.: Twin Cities suburbs—home to handfuls of Fortune 500 companies—are joining in the return-to-office frenzy.
10:31 a.m.: Target’s closed-door meeting typically focuses on team-building, with a packed lineup of guest speakers and activities. It is also designed to energize employees before the crucial holiday season.
12:30 p.m.: The Chipotle nearest to Target headquarters has two people manning the grill and four workers serving customers for lunch.
1:10 p.m.: The lines at typical lunch hot spots like Green + Grain and Chipotle were no longer than usual.
It's an odd use of journalistic resources, carrying water for downtown landlords, CEOs, and Mayor Jacob Frey (who has been encouraging the return of office work for years now), rather than highlighting the needs and wants of actual workers. Beyond that: Do readers want or need this obsessive level of rah-rah corporate coverage?
Tonight’s Fillmore Show Could Be Interesting…
Are you headed to R&B pop-rocker D4vd’s concert in a few hours down at the Fillmore in Minneapolis's North Loop? According to Los Angeles Police Department, a body was discovered in the front trunk of a Tesla registered to the artist on Monday. After being found and deemed abandoned, the vehicle was towed from the Hollywood Hills, where it sat in an impound lot until some poor worker investigated a smell and discovered the badly decomposed body. There's no news yet on who the victim was, and neither D4vd nor his team have commented.
