Why Is Minnesota So Bad at Not Getting COVID?

Minnesota’s Prolonged COVID Woes

The highest single-day count of new COVID-19 cases since December (4,253). The highest rates of hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 since last December. Active cases reaching a 2021 high. Positive test rates rising. By just about every metric, Minnesota continues to be among the worst states in the nation at curbing the pandemic. MPR’s perpetual bearer of bad news David H. Montgomery has the info here. 

The Great Minneapolis Cop Out Continues

If you see something, say something—but not to the cops, because they’re not listening. Minnesota Reformer’s indefatigable Deena Winter spoke with a north Minneapolis man named Mike Rhodes who witnessed a shootout in his alley, called the authorities, and got stonewalled. “Rhodes sought answers from the police department and heard the same thing again and again: Call the mayor and ask for more police funding." Imagine any other government service trying to pull that shit. 

Police May Offer New Evidence in Franklin Killing

In 2013 a grand jury decided not to indict the police who shot Terrance Franklin 10 times in the basement of his Uptown apartment. Now, two of the officers who were on the scene say they can offer testimony that might change that outcome, and they’re asking for immunity from prosecution in exchange, the Star Tribune reports. The case is under review by the Hennepin County Attorney’s office after an in-depth piece in Time earlier this year raised unanswered questions. 

Did Netflix Yoink Lydia Liza's 'Baby It's Cold Outside' Parody? 

Unclear, but this much is certain: Twin Cities singer-songwriter Lydia Liza is steamed. 

In 2016, Liza and Josiah Lemanski dropped a #MeToo-friendly version of the 1944 Frank Loesser holiday song that infamously has sex-creep undertones. Their consent-focused cover went viral, netting credulous coverage from CNN and the opposite from Fox News. So you can imagine Liza’s surprise when Netflix’s new holiday film, Love Hard, teased a strikingly similar spoof duet by actors Nina Dobrev and Jimmy O. Yang. If there’s a smoking gun, it’s the fact that both Liza and Netflix’s version answer the lyrical question “What’s in this drink?” with “LaCroix.” (Lemanski says pomegranate; O. Yang specifies lemon.) “I wish people would talk to ‘the little guy’ and bridge that gap without gatekeeping or avoiding paying out,” Liza tells 89.3 the Current. “I'm tired of seeing that happen to creators. It's just ridiculous.” Is plagiarism afoot? Decide for yourself!