A story at TMZ says, “Lizzo is starting the new year with a list of grievances about the state of social media – including the notion that ‘cancel culture’ has been warped into something unrecognizable. The singer has been expressing a lot of opinions lately about what she sees as total nonsense when it comes to what people focus on online – especially as it relates to her. On Sunday, though, she had a new thought … namely, that cancel culture itself is appropriation. … Here’s how Lizzo puts it … ‘There was real outrage from truly marginalized people and now it’s become trendy, misused and misdirected.’ She adds, ‘I hope we can phase out of this & focus our outrage on the real problems.’ In the comments, several people seem to agree.”
For MPR News, Dan Gunderson says, “Young farmers were waiting when a new grant program recently went on line for the first time. ‘Demand has been huge. We had 28 applications come in the first five minutes,’ said Minnesota Department of Agriculture program manager Jenny Heck. The first round of the Down Payment Assistance Grant Program has $500,000 to help young and emerging farmers by matching up to $15,000 of the cost for buying farmland. Applications quickly exceeded the 30 to 40 farmers who the first round of funding will cover on a first-come-first-served basis. The agency will cap applications at a waiting list of 100.”
For 24/7 Wall St., Samuel Stebbins writes, “Though the consumer price index has dipped since hitting a multi-decade high of 9.1% in June 2022, inflation remains at historic highs, and Americans across the country are feeling the pinch – particularly those on the lower end of the income spectrum, without the means to absorb rising costs. According to the latest five-year ACS data, the typical household in Minnesota earns $77,706 a year, though there are many places in the state where incomes are far lower. Of the 313 towns in the state with available data, Aurora ranks as the poorest. The typical Aurora household earns just $32,287 a year, 58.4% less than the statewide median household income.”
Also at MPR News, this from Kirsti Marohn, “A familiar icon has stood guard in the west-central Minnesota city of Pelican Rapids — and been the subject of countless vacation photos and selfies — for more than 65 years. But last week, a crane hoisted ‘Pelican Pete,’ a 15-foot pelican statue made of concrete and steel, to a temporary perch a few blocks away. Pete was moved to clear the way for removal of an aging dam that will be replaced with rock rapids. Dubbed the ‘world’s largest pelican,’ the sculpture has stood next to the Pelican River in the city’s downtown since 1957.”
This from Stribber Josie Albertson Grove, “At least four people were wounded in a shooting early Sunday morning on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, police said. They said no one had been arrested as the investigation continued into the evening. According to a police statement, officers found two men wounded outside a party at 930 Hennepin after an exchange of gunfire about 3:30 a.m. Police said gunshots had been fired and a security guard had shot back.”
And Tim Harlow of the Strib says, “City leaders in Blaine and Anoka County got a $9 million Christmas present when Congress passed its fiscal 2023 omnibus spending bill just before the holidays. The money will go toward upgrading Hwy. 65. Blaine has taken the lead on advocating for change on Hwy. 65,’ Mayor Tim Sanders said. ‘We are glad to see this investment that returns federal tax dollars to our community. This project has momentum that it has never seen before and it is time to push to fully fund the project.’ Blaine, in concert with Anoka County, has for years been pushing to address problems along the highway that splits the 10th largest city in Minnesota. The highway carries more than 59,000 vehicles each weekday, which is on par with Interstate 35W just a few miles to the east. The high volume combined with five intersections that have stop lights leads to major congestion.”
For Racket, Jay Boller says, “Almost one year ago, Racket provided you a scoop on plans to transform the shuttered Uptown Theater into a 2,500-capacity entertainment venue. Today, we’ve got another one for ya: The former Pourhouse space down the block is nearly ready to re-emerge as Green Room, a 400-capacity live music club. The team behind Coup d’tat, the original tenant at 2923 Girard Ave. S., still holds the lease, and they’re entrusting the address to local musician Tanner Montague. … The new proprietor has been busy erasing the bro-y club ambience that defined Pourhouse’s five-year, abruptly concluded run. The endless flatscreen TVs are gone, replaced by a veritable greenhouse of faux plant life; the curious wiseguy branding has been tastefully painted black; the bathrooms have been refinished. In total, Montague estimates it took about $70,000 to retune the two-level, 10,000-square-foot space’s vibes.”
For Britain’s Daily Mail, Alyssa Guzman writes, “A panicked deer crashed through the front door of She Said Butcher Shop in Moorhead, Minnesota on Saturday at high speed – to the surprise of both the animal and the shop’s owner. ‘This was truly an ordeal and I am really not sure who was more scared at the time me or the deer, but it was a pretty terrifying experience overall,’ store owner Melissa Evans wrote in a comment on the video.”
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