This kind of wear and tear has to be expected. After all, the stadium is nearly years old. The Star Tribune’s Rochelle Olson report: “Ongoing repairs to the zinc-paneled exterior of U.S. Bank Stadium remain visible with no hard deadline for completion and the $1.1 billion building’s Super Bowl showcase getting closer by the day. … Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) executive director Rick Evans said he could see cranes working on the northwestern facade from his office in the building with several more carrying two-person crews on other faces of the 13-month-old stadium.”
Local Airbnbers apparently bullish, though. WCCO reports: “Airbnb says its goal of doubling the hosting community in the Twin Cities ahead of Super Bowl LII is well ahead of schedule. … In February, the short-term rental platform announced Project 612, in which the company hoped to grow the local hosting community to about 2,000 hosts so that the Twin Cities could ‘take full economic advantage’ of the NFL championship game. … On Thursday, the San Francisco-based company announced that the Twin Cities hosting community had swelled to more than 1,700 hosts – growing 73 percent over the last six months.”
The governor and the Legislature didn’t disagree about everything last session. MPR’s Solvejg Wastvedt reports: “Minnesota’s school leaders say new opportunities for free preschool are in high demand this school year. … Funding approved by the Legislature last session provides $70 million in new spending on three of the state’s main early education programs. It’s the latest in several years’ worth of increased early education spending during Gov. Mark Dayton’s term. … Some of the money is specifically for low-income students and students deemed at-risk for other reasons. Other funds provide free preschool for any 4-year-old, regardless of family income.”
Just a quiet, small town. The Rochester Post Bulletin’s Brett Boese reports: “An Austin couple are in custody and awaiting criminal charges after an investigation of a drive-by shooting during the weekend uncovered a large marijuana grow operation. … Austin Police Chief Brian Krueger says a house in the 900 block of 11th Avenue Southwest was struck by a hail of bullets Saturday night between 9:30 p.m. and midnight; authorities recovered nine, .40-caliber bullet casings at the scene Sunday morning. No one was injured.”
In other news…
Might be a good idea: “Dozier calls for improved ballpark safety after 2-year-old girl hit by line drive” [Star Tribune]
Who says golf is dying? “Topgolf closes Twin Cities land deal for glitzy, high-tech all-season center” [Star Tribune]
A fitting honor for the celebrated New York musician: “Music News: Bob Dylan is the last Village Voice cover ever” [The Current]
Well this is gross:
Lisa Goodman puts gum from her mouth into opponent’s hand at Ward 7 forumhttps://t.co/G7e1OgM8SI pic.twitter.com/UoPZDwGXYm
— Wedge LIVE! (@WedgeLIVE) September 20, 2017
In case you were wondering: “Here’s how Target Field was morphed into a football stadium” [Pioneer Press]
SOS: “Vista Fleet boats unmoored, set adrift overnight” [Duluth News Tribune]
Golf
…as an outdoor sport is apparently losing recreational market share pretty rapidly, and the ‘Strib has carried stories this year of several courses closing, so TopGolf may or may not prove to be something for Brooklyn Center to get excited about. Or, given the length of winters here, maybe it’ll be a big hit.
Speaking strictly selfishly, however, I’m sorry to see the theater go, since it was as close to a “neighborhood” movie theater as I’m likely to get in this northern corner of Minneapolis. The Regal cineplex was usually a 5-minute drive away. Now, the nearest movie theater is at the Arbor Lakes monument to consumption in Maple Grove, 20 minutes and more away. I can see my movie attendance dropping as a result, since catching a film on a weekday whim will be both more challenging and more expensive.