Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
Restaurants for Sale!
If you’re in the market for a restaurant space, this is your lucky day. Three high-profile Minneapolis spots are on the block.
First, there’s Tiny Diner, which can be yours for $975,000. The Powderhorn eatery (don’t you hate that word?) is currently closed for the winter. “See you in spring 2026,” says its website, perhaps optimistically.
Owner Kim Bartmann previously put Tiny Diner on the market as recently as 2024, though there were apparently no takers. "I can’t predict what the future holds, but I do really hope it lets the Tiny Diner stay open forever,” Bartmann said at the time.
Then there’s the not-at-all-awkwardly named Hey Y’all Tipsy Taco Bar, in the Northeast site that formerly housed Betty Danger’s. The “instantly controversial, seemingly terrible Tex-Mex restaurant,” as Em referred to it, shut down on February 7 after receiving “brutal online reviews.” No word yet on the cost, but yes, the Ferris Wheel is included.
Finally there’s Nightingale. The Lyndale Avenue restaurant is not itself for sale, but its building is. According to the Business Journal, the property is listed at $1.1 million. So I guess if you’ve always dreamed of being a restaurant’s landlord….
Gun Control… Now?
The Minnesota Legislature has kicked off another year of potential gridlock, with a close division between the parties making ambitious legislative efforts difficult. But that hasn’t stopped the DFL from advancing a major gun control package of 15 proposals.
Among the DFL asks: requiring reporting of lost or stolen firearms, requiring safe storage, a second pass at the binary trigger ban that’s been hung up in the courts, and bans on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and “ghost guns.”
All those weird guys with beards in the GOP aren’t on board with any of that, of course, though the two parties may find common ground in the areas of mental health support and school safety.
Present at the Capitol today were a number of gun violence survivors, including students and community members from the Annunciation Catholic Church and School. Among them was Lydia Kaiser, an eighth grader who was shot in the head when a gunman fired 116 rounds into the school last August.
Said Gov. Tim Walz: “What I'm telling Republicans is, ‘I am more than happy to hear their ideas.’ What I'm not going to hear is ‘We can't do this.’”
Sorry, Guv, but I expect that is exactly what you’re going to hear.
ICE Watch—Now in Handy Bullet-Point Form
While our “ICE Watch” feature is retired (permanently, we hope), we’ve still got our eye on ICE here, as well as the aftermath of the federal invasion. Bring Me the News reports that there was heavy activity in the east metro Tuesday morning, with sightings in St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Little Canada, and Falcon Heights. Agents may also have been present at the Scott County courthouse in Shakopee on Tuesday afternoon.
Here’s a rundown of today’s other ICE-related news.
- One month after the feds shot Alex Pretti, an in-depth look at his life. (Star Tribune)
- A woman raising an 11-year-old son discusses life in hiding. (Sahan Journal)
- A nice feature on Ashley Fairbanks, who has raised over $20 million to help Minnesotans with her website, Stand With Minnesota. (The Guardian)
- Betty McCollum speaks (finally!). (KMSP)
- Richfield pizza place launches a fundraiser after its co-owner, the uncle of Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez, is deported. (Bring Me the News)
- U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud found the Trump administration in contempt for transferring a Minnesota man to Texas in January, ordering the government to cover the cost of his plane ticket home. (Star Tribune)
- A new lawsuit from Minnesota clergy, demanding the right to minister to detainees at Whipple. (Minnesota Reformer)
- ICE activity unsettled Somalis who have made St. Cloud their home. (MinnPost)
- Columnist David Perry looks at the learning loss from the “ICE pandemic.” (Star Tribune)
How to Help: NE Bar Crawl for Rent Relief
As we’ve learned during the ICE occupation, we all help in our own ways. Some of us are good at organizing mutual aid efforts. Some of us are good at tracking ICE activity. Some of us have artistic skills to lend. And some of us are very good at… drinking.
For those in that final category, may we suggest you put your considerable imbibing capability to work this weekend at a pub crawl through northeast Minneapolis between 1-6 p.m. this coming Saturday.
The drinking establishments you’ll hit include Dusty's, The Briar, Bauhaus, Centro, Sociable Cider Werks, and Broken Clock Brewing. Each will donate a portion of their proceeds toward rent relief for residents of Northeast affected by the ICE presence.
To register, a minimum donation of $30 to one of several neighborhood funds is suggested. The goal is to raise $10,000, so be prepared to consume copiously and/or fancily. (Racket reminds you to please drink responsibly, etc.)
