Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily midday digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
Security Costs a Nightmare for Night Market
The Little Mekong Night Market in St. Paul has been on hiatus for two—ugh, better make that three years, we guess. Citing rising security costs, St. Paul’s Asian Economic Development Association says it can’t afford to present the popular summer event this year, Frederick Melo reports over at the Pioneer Press. Hiring police once cost $20,000, according to the organizers, but may now run as high as $100,000—or more than half the event’s budget. The city of St. Paul has recently begun to require events to pay on-duty cops overtime rates, and imposed other new security requirements as well.
Maplewood Police: We Handcuffed Children “Professionally”
While investigating reports of shots fired on Monday night, Maplewood police intercepted four kids–two 10 year olds, a 12 year old, and a 16 year old–who’d just left a McDonald’s. All four were handcuffed, placed in the back of a cop car, and then, after surveillance footage cleared them of wrongdoing, released. "Officers acted with a high level of professionalism and responded in accordance with their training and the fluidity of the situation," Maplewood PR guy Joe Sheeran told Bring Me the News. The parents of the kids, however, strongly disagree. "I get there and my baby is screaming and crying in the back," Cokeila Taylor told MPR. Toshira Garraway, mother of the teenager, pointed out that two of the kids have already lost family members to police violence. There’s 46 minutes of bodycam footage at BMTN plus camera phone footage showing Garraway showing up at the scene after her son was allowed to make a phone call.
Make That Ten Thousand and ONE Lakes
If you follow esteemed hyperlocal journalist Wedge Live then you're already quite familiar with Lake Chipotle. (If you don't? Follow Wedge Live!) That's not a Chipotle on Lake Street, mind you: It's a lake that forms in the parking lot of Chipotle Mexican Grill at Hennepin Avenue & 26th Street. And now, as recently discovered in a fairly viral TikTok, Minnesota's newest lake has its very own website. The site encourages visitors to submit their own Lake Chipotle photos—just not if they're taken from a passing car. "Please support Hennepin redesign plans that keep our cyclist, pedestrian, and transit riding visitors safe," the site urges. The city of Minneapolis TikTok account has been made aware of Minnesota's littlest lake: "New lake alert," the city responded after being tagged in the TikTok yesterday. Visit Lake Chipotle at 2608 Hennepin Ave. in Minneapolis and take in its majesty for yourself, then send your 'Potle pics to tourism@lakechipotle.org.
This Weather Is No Joke!
We've said it before and we'll say it again: Minnesota has too much weather. But if the wind whipping outside today is bothering you, well, you could have it much worse. Heavy winds toppled nine semis on I-35 near Faribault earlier this week. And matters are even worse down in southeastern Minnesota. A tornado slammed the poor little 80-person town of Taopi in Mower County, leaving 10 of its 22 homes splintered beyond repair. You can read the blow-by-blow, and see some scary photos, here.
