Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
Unions! They Just Keep Formin' 'Em!
The 50 members of Minnesota Timberwolves/Lynx in-house audio and video crew have filed for union recognition under the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 745, according to a Tuesday press release. The crew requested voluntary recognition on Monday, per the IATSE, but their request went unanswered by Timberwolves management, and they've formally filed for a National Labor Relations Board election.
Crewmembers, who handle technical roles like operating in-house cameras, replays, video, audio, etc., cite the need of "reliable, inflation-adjusted wage increases" as their major motivating factor; the crew at the Target Center has received just three (three!) wage increases since the Wolves’ founding in 1989, according to the release.
If they succeed, the Timberwolves/Lynx crew will be MN's second unionized in-house sports group, after the Minnesota United's crew voted to unionize in 2022. “Our crew is inspired by the success of the union at MN United, and they want that at Target Center too,” said crewmember Josiah Wollan.
Warehouse District, Lively?
Warehouse District Live wrapped up its illustrious 2024 season this past weekend, but it sounds like Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and his Downtown Action Council have some new pitches for revitalizing the Warehouse District beyond an event that brings almost no one out and looks depressing as hell.
The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's Keith Schubert reports that the mayor has suggested the possible creation of "social districts" within the neighborhood where open containers would be allowed. New Orleans who? The idea was included in Frey's new Downtown Action Plan, released Monday, about which they mayor said in a statement, "This plan isn’t just ideas, it’s about action." Yes, we got that from the fact that it's called the Downtown Action Plan, very good.
In addition to open-container-friendly spaces, ideas in Frey's 18-page plan include new signage and billboards, year-round events, enhanced public spaces with improved lighting, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and street activations. Mostly good ideas, mostly falling under the umbrella of "make downtown a place that doesn't suck to be, generally speaking." Wish we'd thought of that. Now if only we could get a nice park, public restrooms, or a destination-worthy riverside attraction...
Strib Publisher/CEO Reveals Book, Strib Dutifully Writes About Book
Over the past week, the Washington Post peeled off 200,000+ digital subscribers, the result of (misplaced) outrage over its owner, billionaire divorcée Jeff Bezos, thumbing the scale with WaPo's presidential non-endorsement.
Closer to home, we're seeing another example of powerful people in journalism benefitting from their newspapers. Did Star Tribune editors, who report to publisher Steve Grove, independently consider their boss' just-revealed forthcoming memoir worthy of news coverage? Apparently, because today this story about How I Found Myself in the Midwest: A Memoir appeared in the Strib via two contributing writers who assembled three sources. Interestingly, Grove's quotes were emailed in. Must be a busy guy!
Conspicuously absent from the lapdoggy story? Any mention that the Strib newsroom was apparently "blindsided" by Grove's side hustle as a memoirist, as reported earlier this month by Minnesota Reformer's Patrick Coolican. Also not noted: The fact that publishing powerhouse Simon & Schuster only afforded How I Found Myself in the Midwest a low-rent, Kindle-exclusive-ass cover, though you're not supposed to judge books by those.
Within the Strib, there've been rumblings about whether things like a statewide listening tour and, soon, this book, could be Grove using his high-profile gig as a launching pad back into politics. Maybe his plans will be more clear by June 24, when this "passionate tribute to the power of moving forward by going back home" hits bookstores. We look forward to the Strib's clear-eyed, impartial review.
Let's Watch Walz Play Crazy Taxi
One week until the election, how's everyone holding up? Ha, ha, ha... yeah me too.
Anyway, while the candidates of one major party spent the weekend hosting a "carnival of grievances, misogyny, and racism," here's Gov. Tim Walz playing Crazy Taxi with New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. (Astute gamers have pointed out they're playing an inferior mod of the classic Dreamcast game, FWIW.)
