Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
Famously Cranky Internet Food Critic Visits Fair, Is Too Nice
If you’re mercifully offline, you probably aren’t familiar with Chef Reactions. For the rest of us, he’s the TikTok (3.6M followers) and Instagram (1.6M) star who used to work in professional kitchens, but now spends his days savaging viral slop recipes from clueless wannabe influencers. It’s a necessary internet role, and the razor-sharp, deadpan critic fills it admirably. When Chef Reactions (government name remains a mystery, apparently) announced he’d be traveling to the Minnesota State Fair, it caused a stir in local corners of social media—Racket even extended multiple (ultimately ignored) invitations for him to join our review crew.
Fast-forward to today: Chef Reactions posted his State Fair recap vid, which you can watch below. In the fun, breezy, nicely shot 14-minute clip, we see him take on many of the new foods and classic attractions at the fair. "I got recognized more in two days than I have in two years,” he says. “I didn't realize Minnesota was Chef Reactions country." Our chef friend went way too easy on Blue Barn, though he correctly ID’d this year’s biggest talker, the Fried Ranch from LuLu’s, as a scarf. While Chef Reactions is at his best when he’s bullying clout-chasing purveyors of gross-out food via social media, the meanest he gets here is describing a deep-fried Twinkie as “mediocre at best.” The Maple Cream Nitro Cold Press Coffee from Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop scored a perfect 10/10, as did the cheese curds from Mouth Trap. No arguments from us.
"I can only cram so much into my gullet, you know what I mean?" Chef Reactions says at one point during his multi-day fair shoot. Brother, do we ever.
In the House
Yes, we know it’s a presidential election year and that’s all anyone cares about. But whether Tim Walz heads to D.C. next year or remains behind, Minnesota politics could undergo a major shift in 2025. The DFL currently controls both houses of the state legislature, but the outcome of a small number of legislative races could change that. Control of the Senate comes down to a single seat, which Sen. Kelly Morrison (DFL-Deephaven) vacated to run for the U.S. House seat currently held by President Dean Phillips. And today in the Strib, a team of writers and designers (Briana Bierschbach, Josie Albertson-Grove, Tom Nehil, Bryan Brussee, and Ellie Lin) takes a look at the 15 races that will determine control of the Minnesota House of Representatives this November. Peruse this easy-to-read graphic and impress your crush with your in-depth knowledge of Mankato area politics! And if you like games, you can choose who you think will win each seat, and see what the final breakdown will be if all goes as you predict.
The Latest Vision(s) for George Floyd Square
Sahan Journal's Katrina Pross has the latest on plans for George Floyd Square, writing that "local residents are still divided about how the city should redevelop the intersection that now bears his name."
City planners released three ideas for Chicago Avenue and 38th Street last month: an open concept street, a transit mall, or a pedestrian plaza. All of the proposals would allow for wider sidewalks with space for memorials and art; where they differ is on their treatment of vehicular traffic. But the open concept would allow for regular vehicular traffic and would restore the Metro Transit D Line and Route 5 bus; the transit mall would allow local traffic, emergency responders and buses; the pedestrian plaza would not allow buses to return to the area, though Route 23 could continue on 38th Street. (The square is currently open to car traffic, and some city bus routes, including the 23, returned to the intersection in March).
At the latest public information session, held Tuesday, Pross writes that community members voiced concerns about how the vision would honor George Floyd's legacy while benefiting residents and businesses in the area. “I think the four years has shown an inability to react, to prioritize, to organize and to unify around any common goal,” said one resident, Ace Rice, who was born and raised in the neighborhood.
The next community workshop is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on September 24 at The Square at Chicago Ave. Shops (3736 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis).
Meet the MN Boy Who's Raised and Released Over 500 Monarchs
What are you doing this summer to better the Earth? It’s probably not as cool as what eight-year-old Jaxon Schrupp has been up to: Searching the woods near his Vergas, MN, home in search of monarch chrysalides. "I look for munch holes on the milkweed and poop," he tells Inforum’s Kevin Wallevand on a recent search. He gently brings them home where he puts them in butterfly boxes and feeds and cares for them until they reach their final butterfly form. ("We have caterpillars in here that are fat because they eat a lot," he notes.) It’s estimated that Schrupp has released over 200 monarchs this year and over 500 over the past two years. Wallevand and Cathy Wurzer over at MPR recently proclaimed the boy to be a true conservationist; Minnesota Land Trust estimates that the state’s monarch population had declined as much as 72% over the past decade.
