Are They Gone Yet?
Maybe they’ve all scurried back to their lairs by now, but word is that Minneapolis was infested with loathsome feds Thursday prior to a press conference announcing multiple federal Medicaid fraud indictments. Someone even spotted leathery, undead child-murderer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Loring Park Dunn Brothers. Imagine seeing this before you’ve had your coffee.
The indictments were announced by pasty Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald. Apparent fraud-expert Dr. Mehmet Oz was also on hand to TV-guy-ishly say, “We’re going to crush these fraudsters." Even Very Real Journalist Nick Shirley, looking here like the winner of some kind of Hitler Youth Make-a-Wish contest, joined the gang, further evidence of the nonpartisan, totally non-retaliatory nature of these charges. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who earlier this week approved a $1.8 billion slush fund for the president to disperse to convicted insurrectionists and other cronies, did not make it to today’s sideshow.
Whether the easily distracted Trump DOJ, which botched a number of fraud investigations earlier this year while choosing to harass local immigrants, can competently prosecute these cases remains to be seen.
Shout out to Max Nesterak of the Minnesota Reformer, who noted, “President Trump has granted clemency to numerous individuals who have stolen hundreds of millions in Medicaid funds” and asked McDonald, “Can we expect any of these folks to be shown the same mercy?”
“I’ll take a different question,” McDonald said hastily.
Maybe We Need a Moratorium on Moratoriums!
On Thursday the Minneapolis City Council passed a six-month moratorium on building data centers in the city by a vote of 8-5. Proponents for the moratorium say time is needed to evaluate the environmental impact of such centers and implement appropriate regulations. Opponents claimed a moratorium would scare off business.
The weirdest moment in the debate? When Pearll Warren, our weirdest council member, took a strong stand against… the word “moratorium.” “I’m really having a hard time with that word,” the 5th Ward council member announced. “I wish that word would just get flushed down the commode.” (Maybe “toilet” is another word she wants to flush?)
Supporters do not currently have the votes to overturn a possible Mayor Jacob Frey veto. But maybe a creative synonym could secure CM Warren’s vote in the future? A “regulatory pause”? A “temporary halt”? A “time out”? Any of those work?
Roof Depot Funding
Over the next few days, as journalists poke through the Minnesota legislature’s $1.2 billion bonding bill, we’ll be learning more about what is and isn’t in there. But here’s a nice little goodie, as reported by Andrew Hazzard at Sahan Journal: $4 million was set aside for a new water distribution facility on the Roof Depot site in Minneapolis. This is the last step needed for the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute to finally complete buying the site from the city.
A quick refresher: The city planned to demolish the Roof Depot building, but the EPNI eventually secured an agreement to use the property as an urban farm, affordable housing, and community hub. But the arrangement was dependent on funding that the legislature promised in 2023 but then failed to follow up on in the intervening years, imperiling the EPNI plan. Now... everything looks OK? It’s hard to believe this saga is finally drawing to a close… or at least entering its next chapter.
A New Way to Experience Rondo: Roblox
The history of St. Paul’s historically Black Rondo neighborhood has been told in many formats. Now it’s a game, allowing players to experience the old and the new, via the online gaming platform Roblox, writes Trevor Mitchell of MinnPost.
Rondo-Verse was created by Jolie Davis, a Macalester sophomore, and Benny Roberts, the executive director of Rondo’s Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. Players can choose avatars including former St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and photographer Gordon Parks as they travel through time along I-94 (the interstate that ripped apart the neighborhood) between Old Rondo and New Rondo. Now ain’t that something.
