New rules. The Star Tribune’s Emma Nelson reports: “Short-term rentals are no longer under the radar in Minneapolis, after the City Council approved a set of regulations Friday that will require rental ‘hosts’ and websites like Airbnb to be licensed with the city. … The regulations, introduced in two ordinances by Council Member Jacob Frey, require short-term rental services and some hosts to obtain a city license.”
Scary. The Duluth News Tribune reports: “Police responded to a report of a woman on fire at 11501 Highway 23 at 1:59 p.m. Thursday. A passerby saw the woman on fire on Highway 23 and extinguished the fire. The woman was transported to a local hospital with what police described as life-threatening injuries. Police said the woman was in critical condition on Thursday night.”
Update on pigs foot incident in Willmar. The Forum News Service reports (via the Pioneer Press): “Two more charges have been filed against a Willmar man accused of throwing a pig’s foot onto a farmers market stall operated by Somali vendors. … Joseph Francis Fernkes, 61, was originally cited for misdemeanor disorderly conduct in connection with the Aug. 12 incident. … According to a formal criminal complaint filed late last week, he is now also charged with one count each of third-degree and fourth-degree criminal damage to property. … Fernkes allegedly swore at the vendors and threw a pig’s foot onto their food stand. Because the pig’s foot was considered biohazardous, all of the food and produce at the stand — $168 worth — had to be discarded.”
Crossroads/Concierge resolution. The Star Tribune’s Miguel Otárola report: “Former tenants of a 698-unit apartment complex in Richfield and their landlords reached what affordable-housing advocates are calling the largest settlement of its kind in the nation. … The settlement resolves a housing discrimination lawsuit filed in federal court in 2016 alleging the owners of the Crossroads at Penn — now Concierge Apartments — broke the law when they renovated the complex for an upscale market.”
In other news…
Mama bear: “Remodeled Stillwater Cub is flagship for chain, says SuperValu” [Pioneer Press]
Ugh now the hipsters are going to ruin the Silver Bay police: “Silver Bay police proposal gets hairy” [Duluth News Tribune]
You know you want to: “It’s prime time for leaf-peeping in central and southern Minnesota” [MPR]
Funny, eh?
We built a huge stadium, handed hundreds of millions (Billion .5?) of dollars to the NFL,we’re making all kinds of concession to Minneapolis business leaders so they can cash in on the Super Bowl, like bending the rules so Bars can stay open til 4 am and increasing the Police presence (Huge overtime bill) to keep property safe, etc…but when the little guy tries to make a extra buck renting out his meager space the city puts the hammer down. There is something grotesquely wrong with this picture.