Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily 1 p.m.(ish) digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
Just Like Cereal! Alfredo Sauce Comes with Prizes Now
U of M grad Christopher Shea, who's now writing for Dartmouth Week, landed one helluva scoop Friday: Lebron James's head was discovered inside a jar of Target-brand alfredo sauce. In his must-read piece, Shea interviews Justine Reed, the "area resident" who noticed James's plastic toy dome tumbling out amid the cascade of creamy sauce. “It’s crazy. It just plopped into the sauce," the Massachusetts woman says. "It was hysterical and horrifying at the same time." Reed placed the head, which "still smells like alfredo sauce," atop her family's Christmas tree. The Minneapolis-based company that produced the sauce is investigating the incident, Shea reports.
Delta Quietly Flips the Bird at Basic Economy Fliers
Bad news for the peasants who can only fly in the cheap seats: Delta is no longer giving us SkyMiles or Gold Medallion points when purchasing these flights. The airline rolled this change out yesterday with no fanfare or press release; ThriftyTraveler.com, living up to its name, noticed the change while shopping for cheap seats. (We discovered the news after reading a bit about it in Axios’s daily newsletter.) While Main Cabin Economy seats will still earn SkyMiles, you have to pay more for those flights. If you are really jonesing for points accrual, however, you can apply for a Delta credit card, but you’ll be getting way less points than you did previously. According to Thrifty, using a Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card to buy a $300 basic fare used to earn you at least 2,100 SkyMiles. Now you’re just going to get 600 SkyMiles. No news yet on whether or not we’ll still get those delicious cookies or half a can of pop on our flights.
Baby, It’s Less Cold Outside
You may have a suspicion that Minnesota winters have gotten less brutal over the course of your lifetime. Wouldn’t it be nice to back that hunch up with some numbers? Well Rilyn Eischens at the Minnesota Reformer has five charts today showing how our state climate has changed over time. Average temps have risen by three degrees since 1895, with winters warming 13 times faster than our summer. In the 20th century, we had only 15 winters where the temperature never dropped below zero; in the past 20 years alone, we’ve had nine such winters. It’s also wetter, and your allergies are worse. (Not mine though—I’ve been getting shots and they have positively changed my life. If your insurance covers them, look into it!)
However, We’re No Less Dramatic About the Weather
Hey, did you hear? Minnesota is under a weather advisory, as the Twin Cities might be about to get a foot of snow. The Strib has a post up with some choice quotes from meteorologist Brent Hewett with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen:
"If you have the work-at-home option, Friday would be a good day to do that."
"You will need to get the shovels out."
"Don't try to rush anywhere. Don't tailgate. That is a pretty quick way to end up in the ditch or a multi-car accident."
And with that, I am heading out to meet with my coworkers. Have a great weekend, folks!
