Ward 6 Race Descends Into Dick Pics

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily noontime(ish) digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.

Is It November 3 Yet?

Things are getting real messy in the race to be Minneapolis’s next Ward 6 councilmember. Sahan Journal does a nice job sifting through the dirty politicking between Abdirizak Bihi and Jamal Osman supporters, including leaked criminal records and astonishingly random dick pics meant, apparently, to smear Bihi; Osman, the incumbent, denies responsibility for both incidents. “All he does is promote negative propaganda about my campaign or me,” Bihi counters in his conversation with SJ. Pertaining to said dick pics, this thread from the recipient is very much worth your morbid curiosity/time: 

“If you're a woman with an opinion in public, someone will try to weaponize male anatomy against you; you'll get pics, you'll get threats, and sooner or later someone will order you to make them a sandwich,” writes the Strib’s Jennifer Brooks, who accurately concludes that this civic election season has officially hit rock bottom. 

The Liffey Lives No More

After almost 20 years in business, The Liffey will not be reopening post-pandemic. Its swan song was, unknowingly and fittingly, St. Patrick’s Day 2020, when the downtown St. Paul bar poured pints leading up to the last minutes before the COVID shutdown mandate. The bar and restaurant, located across the street from the Xcel Energy Center, was a popular pregame stop before concerts and Wild games, and rooftop patio spots were highly coveted when the weather was nice. Kieran Folliard opened the Liffey in 2003, as part of a triumvirate of Irish bars that included Kieran’s Irish Pub by Target Center and the Local in downtown Minneapolis. (There’s also a Local in St. Louis Park these days.) These venues are currently run by Cara Irish Pubs; Folliard sold his ownership over a decade ago. According to Bring Me the News, the announcement was made via Facebook, though the Liffey’s page and official website are now down. The space won’t be closed for long, as the Star Tribune reports that Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon plans to open on Thanksgiving Day. So if you’re thirsting for a blue margarita and a plate of ribs this holiday season, your dreams are about to come true!

St. Paul: Livable! 

Is St. Paul better than Minneapolis? The fiercely loyal, stupidly partisan, born/raised Minneapolitan writing this sentence sez: no. With that out of the way, St. Paul is making headlines for its superior livability. Just click over to Outside Magazine, which recently ranked Minnesota’s capital among the 20 most livable cities in this vast, bad country. St. Paul scored high marks for green space and walkability, while Outside praised the strides it's making with regard to diversity and sustainability. “For decades, Saint Paul has played the role of humble sibling to Minneapolis. But this laid-back little city has finally hit its stride and in many ways is outpacing its bigger, blingier twin,” the magazine writes. Hm. In other list news: It’s… maybe good to retire in the Twin Cities? Unclear: We rank 131st on U.S. News & World Report’s best places to retire breakdown. 

Hey, Remember that Blizzard that Happened on Halloween?

Wanna score engagement layups on local Twitter? Riff incessantly about the Halloween Blizzard of ’91. This year, however, we can cut everyone some slack, as it's the 30th anniversary of that simultaneously spooky and snowy event that lives on in our hearts and feeds. Minnesota Public Radio just provided a nice collection of HB91 anecdotes and photos; because it’s MPR, a University of St. Thomas psychology professor is even consulted. Writer Nancy Yang wants your memories, too, so head on over and dish nostalgic about the wintery storm that dumped 28.4 inches on the Twin Cities. Here's the original report from KARE 11: