Stop Trying to Make Wancing Happen

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.

Wancing = Dancing + Wincing 

Dancing is great! No one who enjoys moving their body to music should ever be embarrassed by the impulse, no matter how eccentric their movements may be. But now there’s something we’re supposed to call “wancing”—walking while dancing, preferably on a public street, because the point is to attract attention to yourself—and the best thing we can say about that is at least it’s a better word than “dalking.” Supposedly, wancing originated in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a town that couldn’t figure out how not to burn down once a year until the 20th century, as though “dancing while walking” is something someone could “invent,” as though that could happen in 2023, and as though Wisconsin could somehow claim credit. Like most plagues, wancing has spread, and now, Richard Chin reports for the Star Tribune, organized wances take place every other Wednesday on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, from Dale to Lexington and back again, with would-be exhibitionists daring you not to look at them. Sorry, but this is the pedal pub of walking. One wancer tells the Strib the "astonishment or shameful glances" she’s encountered are "definitely a Minnesota thing"—yeah, you don’t want to know the response you’d get in places where folks are less shy about speaking their mind. The only kind of gratuitous public dancing we condone here at Racket remains twerking on cop cars. 

Anoka County Jailhouse Death Receives National Attention

Minneapolis man Cristian Rivera-Coba, 22, died July 21 while in custody at Anoka County Jail, three days after being booked on charges of auto theft, fleeing cops, and driving under the influence. The official explanation received by his mother, Odulia Coba? Her son died because he drank “a lot of water.” Now, almost two months later, Vice News has issued a lengthy report that seeks to answer how a seemingly healthy young man never emerged from the jailhouse. Reporter Evy Kwong talks to Rivera-Coba's mom, a family friend/former inmate, two doctors, and multiple activists who express intense doubt over the official "medical incident" narrative. Kwong has also been asking county and hospital officials "for over a month" for explanations and records, including an autopsy report, though she has turned up very little. "To hold someone in custody means removing their autonomy," Dr. Suzanne Shoush, an expert witness on custody deaths with the University of Toronto, tells VICE. "The jailer has exclusive control over the welfare of the person and is therefore exclusively responsible for the conditions in which this man lived and died.” Adds Rivera-Coba's mom: "I will never hear ‘I love you mom.' No mother should have to go through this."

Blaspheming Against Liquor Lyle's? 

Jay here with an admission about my down-the-middle, unfailingly objective reporting process: When a bar or restaurant I love is changing hands, and I’m interviewing the new proprietors, I’m 100% of the time gently seeking reassurance that nothing will change.

Last year, as I interviewed LITT Pinball Bar co-owner John Galvin about his recent takeover of beloved Minneapolis dive bar Liquor Lyle's, it became clear that the new ownership was envisioning something much different. “We want this to be our concept and our brand, just on a slightly larger scale,” he told me when I asked if the famous squeaky red booths would remain (they did not). “We certainly plan to keep an element or two of Lyle’s in there.” This month windows and exterior paint emerged, further suggesting that vibes from the dimly lit 2-4-1 institution that occupied the space from 1963 to 2021 are history. And yesterday via Wedge LIVE!, we learned that at least one LITT co-owner—gasp!—didn’t even like Lyle’s.

Jasha Johnston said as much during a meeting with the city, eliciting horror and nostalgia from Wedge followers. (One commenter asked "How many songs have been written about LITT?") A subsequent Twitter poll drove home that Lyle’s love, with only 16.3% of respondents saying they’re “not a fan” of the departed tavern. LITT recently teased a TBD soft opening; here’s a look at the non-Lyle’s elements you can quietly gripe about as you enjoy pinball and beers at 2021 Hennepin Ave.

It's a Good Time to Adopt a Dog!

Few things are as adorable as watching puppies interact with... well, anyone, but especially anyone who's hot and/or famous and/or successful. That's the whole premise of BuzzFeed's Puppy Interview series! Local nonprofit Ruff Start Rescue took a page out of the ol' BuzzFeed playbook today, bringing a bunch of six-week-old pups to Loons practice "to promote pet adoption and de-stress your Loons before Saturday vs Sporting KC," reports the Star Tribune's Jerry Zgoda. Let's have a look:

"Where's Puckett?" indeed! [Weeps openly] If that was enough to ready you for a canine companion of your own, visit Ruff Start Rescue here—or you can stop by Minneapolis Animal Care & Control this weekend, where they're hosting another Clear the Shelter event in partnership with Best Friends Animal Society. From September 15-17, all adoption fees will be waived, and just look at all the adorable, adoptable dogs and cats.