Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily midday digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
Alarmist Cops Walk Back Weed OD Post
Cops will never let a moral panic go to waste. Even if they have to invent one. We saw as much pre-Halloween, when law enforcement agencies around the country ginned up the “rainbow fentanyl” scare, a cynical bit of pre-election theatrics that worked TV news viewers into a tizzy over red-meat issues like crime and immigration. (Predictably, kiddo trick-or-treat hauls produced zero rainbow fentanyl pills, Vice found.) Which brings us to the recent adventures of the Rosemount Police Department who, earlier this week, warned Facebook followers of "several recent marijuana overdoses" in the suburb. One, they wrote, resulted in "seizure like symptoms after ingesting marijuana wax." Sensing complete and utter bullshit, Redditors piled on, dunking on the preposterous OD claims and the accompanying scary pot confiscation photo. In a long-winded follow-up later in the week, Rosemount PD explained that they had deleted the post, and apologized if the warning had been "misconstrued"—i.e. justifiably read as a hysterical cop rant about weed causing seizures and overdose. Funny stuff, dumb cops. But real talk: The drug supply is drowning in fentanyl right now, as we reported in April, so be careful out there.
New Whoopsy GOP Whip Still Bullish as Crypto Implodes
The GOP has a new, possibly accidentally elected whip, and he’s a noted blockchain-head. Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, who co-chairs the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, sees his position as a chance to help the unregulated crypto market shine. “We need to use the stage that is Congress to promote all of you beyond the walls of the Capitol,” Emmer said at a recent Blockchain Association event. “People need to understand more out there that they shouldn’t be afraid of this.” Meanwhile, the huge crypto bubble that began bursting when VeeCon came to U.S. Bank Stadium in May? It's still bottoming out. Bitcoin hit a two-year low last week; Bahamas-based crypto exchange site FTX recently declared bankruptcy after losing 94% of its wealth; and analysts are warning that things will keep getting worse. And though Emmer leads a committee that could presumably enact some crypto regulations, he told fellow true believers that he's not looking to “rush in and put a huge wet blanket of regulation atop this industry.” This is not Emmer’s first brush with denying reality; while he has claimed that he's not an election denier, he did sign an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 2020 election results.
Encampment Study Green-Lit
On Tuesday, Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a study of the city's response to homeless encampments. As Southwest Voices notes, the unanimity of the vote makes it veto-proof, and that's good news for proponents of dignity and safety for our unhoused residents, as Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed a similar measure in the past. The directive asks for the mayor's office to study and analyze existing practices toward encampment closures, as well as to provide data on post-closure impacts including injuries and loss of property, among other things. Elsewhere, MinnPost has a great Community Voices submission today providing context and calling for the legalization of tent encampments, citing legalization efforts in cities like Missoula, Montana. (And NPR took a good look at the situation in Missoula and elsewhere around the country earlier this year.)
Renderings! Renderings! Renderings!
Cities are always getting new stuff. But what will all these incoming contrabulous fabtraptions look like? That’s where sweet, sweet renderings come into play. This week? We’ve got three doozies, all of which we've posted below. First up: A flashy new glimpse at what First Avenue’s 8,000-seat amphitheater along the Mississippi River in north Minneapolis might look like when it opens by 2024; the venue is part of the $300 million, 53-acre Upper Harbor Terminal project, and it has changed considerably since the 2019 rendering. Next up: Pending city approval, St. Paul’s gay/soccer bar Black Heart might be getting a big ol’ outdoor patio on University Avenue; owner Wes Burdine tells the Strib the bar could start construction “this winter and have it done in time for the next soccer season.” Last up: This curious development that’s taking shape in deep south Minneapolis, home to few such developments; Nick Halter of Axios says the four-story, 50-unit building at 54th and Chicago will have almost 4,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space. As a resident of the nearby Field neighborhood, I'm rooting for a brewery.
