Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.
Get Ready To Rumble: VP Hopefuls Debate Tonight
It’s time for the best/messiest political debate of the year: the vice presidential debate. I’ve been a fan since 1992 when Admiral Stockdale, debating against Al Gore and Dan Quayle, confessed to missing a question because his hearing aid was turned off. Tonight’s debate, featuring Sen. JD Vance and Gov. Tim Walz, should provide a mix of chaos and anxiety. The Washington Post has its concerns for Walz, pointing out that he’s not great with a teleprompter (relatable), has misstated several facts about his past, and rarely addresses the press. Walz is "a surprisingly bubble-wrapped campaigner," they write, one who "speaks loudly and carries a big schtick." But hey, that’s better than whatever the racist hell Vance is trying to do these days, and the people WaPo spoke to at rallies seem enthusiastic. “Tim Walz is Santa Claus," one supporter exclaimed. "I am thrilled with Tim Walz."
In other Walz news, this time from Fargo, North Dakota's Valley News Live: A Minnesota woman is blaming Walz as the reason why a company won’t send her a $2 bloody Trump bill commemorating his first assassination attempt. She was trying to buy the maximum amount of five, one for each of her grandkids. No reason was given as to why National Collectors Mint, the makers of this fine (not actually legal) tender, doesn’t ship to Minnesota. But she has her own suspicions. “[Walz] doesn’t want Trump to be President… There’s so much political rhetoric going around it’s unbelievable,” she says, suggesting that Walz or Kamala bills wouldn’t face the same problems. In reality, the reason is probably banal, like NCM not wanting to pay Minnesota sales tax. That said! A plot against commemorative items that goes all the way to the White House would be pretty exciting.
Can Bubble Technology Be Used In Crime Prevention?
File this one under... huh: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is looking into how bubbles and bubble machines (as in, the stuff kids play with) can be used to de-escalate or even prevent volatile situations.
“You think I’m joking. I’m actually not,” he told attendees during a MinnPost Festival panel talk this weekend. “It’s a bubble machine—and the people who are looking to cause trouble are like, ‘I can’t look tough around these bubbles.’ So they disperse and it de-escalates the situation and people who aren’t looking to cause trouble love bubbles.”
Whether or not the city decides to invest in bubble wands, MinnPost notes that downtown parking lots and even the Brass Rail Lounge have added bubbles to their security toolbox, which also includes things like locked gates and 24/7 cameras. It’s certainly a more whimsical (and potentially more enviro-friendly?) option than 2022’s idling cop car strategy, just one of the memorably stupid chapters of “Operation Endeavor.”
Minnesota Spent $98.4 Million Lobbying This Year
That’s up 18% from 2022, according to a new 198-page report from Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. In 2023, lobbyists repped 1,781 organizations looking to influence policy decisions on the legislative, administrative, and metro governments.
The biggest spenders this year? Xcel Energy, which dropped just under $2 million for the purposes of re-upping energy plant contracts; the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce threw $1.85 million against things like paid family leave; and Education Minnesota (aka Minnesota’s teachers’ union) spent $1.64 million.
Michelle Griffith at Minnesota Reformer has a great rundown on key takeaways here, including a breakdown on how much Uber and Lyft spent (semi-successfully) fighting against pay boosts for its drivers. Also, according to my own calculations, lobbyists spent $3,381 on 34 plaques. Who wouldn’t be swayed by a plaque?
Lynx Could Ban Crocheting Next Year
Knitting, a craft that requires sharp, chopstick-like devices, is already banned from Timberwolves and Lynx games. Could crochet hooks be next? That's something avid crafter Christina McCollum, who’s been a regular at Lynx games since 2016, worries about. According to this MPR profile by Sam Stroozas, she’s been frequently asked to stop making things during games by security. “I had been working on my shawl the whole game,” she says of a recent incident. “Everyone around me was like ‘what are you doing? She does this all of the time,’ so they know.” She says she’ll be checking in with management next year to get the OK to craft while watching. In the meantime, maybe she could get into friendship bracelet making or macrame? Currently down 0-1, the Lynx play the Connecticut Sun tonight at Target Center in Game 2 of the best-of-five WNBA semifinals.
