Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily midday digest of what local media outlets and Twitter-ers are gabbing about.
Baby He’s a (TV News) Star
Yep, that’s Prince all right, his lil smirk unmistakable even at age 11. In 1970, WCCO asked several Minneapolis students their take on the 20-day teachers’ strike, and one of them just happened to later become the city’s most popular musician ever. Little Prince’s perspective on the day’s labor question? "I think they should get some more money cause they work extra hours for us." Damn, I bet the Minnesota Federation of Teachers wish they’d had this clip available a month ago. WCCO offers an extensive look at how their team stumbled across the interview while searching their archives for coverage of the 1970 strike, and how they verified Prince's identity—a nice little peek at how a story like this makes it to your screen. And if you want to know more about the strike itself, read Racket’s recent interview with Bill Green, the author of Strike! Twenty Days in 1970 When Minneapolis Teachers Broke the Law, out this September.
Where’s Barb Going?
This is Barb Abney’s last week on KFAI. Her morning show cohost, Mason Butler, told Bring Me the News that Abney will skedaddle from her current position after her final show on April 8 “for a role at MPR,” though there are no confirmed details. Hmm, will the next position also be a Current position? Abney, who hails from Ohio, also known as “the Mother of Presidents” (Ohio, not Abney, that is), came to Minnesota in 2006 to work at the Current, till she was fired in 2015. She then moved on to Go 96.3, which is Christian music or something now?, and later to KFAI. In other Bring Me the News news, Racket endorses this doughnut take. (I—Keith, that is—also endorse their simpler spelling, though that is not Racket house style.)
NY Times Loves How MN Loves Women's Basketball
Ever wondered how Minneapolis became "one of the country’s most fervent women’s basketball communities"? Well folks, this Sunday New York Times feature from Natalie Weiner explains exactly that. In short, as Lindsay Whalen once told Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve, "Hey, you build this thing and win, people will come.” But of course, it hasn't always been easy. The Lynx, one of the five WNBA franchises that share owners and arenas with their NBA counterparts, nonetheless had to fight for practice facilities and promotion that rivaled the guys. After subtle branding pushes like ensuring you see a Lynx logo anywhere there's a Wolves one at their practice facility and, let's not forget, lots of winning, the Lynx are thriving. And correspondingly, Minnesota has the most girls’ high school basketball players per capita in the country. It's worth reading the whole thing!
No Northstar Rides to Twins Games This Year
Bad news, northern suburbanites: If you want to see a Twins game in person this year, you’re gonna have to drive to Target Field—Metro Transit has announced that Northstar won’t be running additional trips during special events this summer. The train runs from Big Lake all the way to the Twins’ North Loop stadium, with park-and-ride stops along the way in Elk River, Ramsey, Anoka, Coon Rapids/Riverdale, and Fridley. Agency spokeswoman Laura Baenen tells the Star Tribune it all comes down to money, as Anoka County is withholding its share of operating funds. The move is the latest public transportation bummer for riders in the ‘burbs. In recent years, things have heated up in Apple Valley and its surrounding area, as the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority and Metro Transit have fought over the contract for the Red Line (and MVTA struggles to stay afloat). No wonder parking stresses suburbanites out so much.
