Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily noontime(ish) digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
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Cheap Ride, Take It Easy
It'll surprise you because only 1 percent of the estimated 624,000 residents who qualify are using the damn discount, Minnesota Reformer reports. If any of the following apply to you—Medical Assistance, MinnesotaCare, unemployment, food stamps, energy assistance, free/reduced lunch, or public housing—you're likely eligible for the Transit Assistance Program (TAP), which launched in 2017 and cuts fares by $1.50-$2 per Metro Transit ride. Tap this TAP link to learn more.
Do You Ever Feel Like (Paying For) a Plastic Bag?
As the pandemic worsens and we plunge ahead with a return to normalcy, old favorites of the pre-COVID era re-enter our lives: movie theaters, concerts, paying .5 cents for (so-called) single-use bags. The ordinance began last year as an attempt to reduce waste and protect our precious storm drains and tree branches, a city press release reads. But in those wacky early days of COVID, back when we called it the splashier-sounding "coronavirus," fears that the virus spread via surfaces caused the city to hit pause on the 5 cent fee... not sure that logic tracks, but whatever. Beginning October 1 you'll, yet again, have to cough up 5 cents per bag (and hopefully no COVID) while shopping.
Labor Leader Challenges Pappas
You may know Sheigh Freeberg's name from its frequent appearances in City Pages and, now, Racket. The treasurer/secretary of Minneapolis union Unite Here! Local 17 has played a central role in unionizing the craft beverage industry, and on Tuesday he announced plans to run for the Minnesota State Senate. "I will champion a working families agenda that includes living wages, healthcare for all, housing for all, paid family leave, and universal child care," Freeberg writes in his campaign announcement. In 2022, the St. Paul labor leader will have to primary Sandy Pappas, the Democratic lawmaker who has represented District 65 since 1991. In 2020, Pappas defeated her Republican challenger by more than 60 points, though redistricting means she'll have to defend her seat after just two years.
Kirill, Kirill, Kirill Forever
Speaking of labor: The long, contentious contract negotiations between the Minnesota Wild and young star Kirill Kaprizov resulted in a five-year, $45 million conclusion Tuesday. The 24-year-old Russian scored 27 goals and notched 51 points through 55 games during his breakout 2020-21 season, good enough for top rookie honors. And for sports fans unfamiliar with with '10s-era Boston punk scene, the above header is a shoehorned reference to the signature jam from Krill:
