Welcome to Flyover, a daily roundup of essential, overlooked, or intriguing Minnesota news articles.
Craig thinks codes should be apolitical, but…
That’s at least what she expressed to journalist Whitney Curry Winbisch, who attended a blockchain symposium for high-profile attendees in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, focused on the US outlook. Tickets for the August event were over $10,000, with hotel rooms around $1,000 per night. Notable attendees included Eric Trump, former White House communications director Anthony “Mooch” Scaramucci, and Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman.
“Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), the sole Democrat present at the symposium, didn’t push back against the prevailing attitude,” Wimbish notes. She’s running for the US Senate against populist candidate Peggy Flanagan and conveyed to her audience that the integration of digital assets into the financial sector should exist outside political influence.
But is that really feasible? It should be. After all, politics is rife with controversy. The code is, in fact, already laden with political and partisan implications. House majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota), who established the Parliament’s Cryptocrat’s Caucus, has even been dubbed “Crypto’s Dream Speaker.” Investment in crypto for 2024 has reached over $245 million, which accounts for nearly half of all corporate money spent on electoral campaigns. Given that a speaker at Jackson Hole touted his influence over the SEC, the Federal Reserve, and much of the White House, it’s hard to view this as anything but an effort to further enrich the already wealthy.
Minnesota Language: We’ve got them
Since 1980, the US Census Bureau has been gathering data on language proficiency and English use at home, creating a wealth of insights into Minnesota’s linguistic landscape over the past forty-five years. Shubhanjana Das and Cynthia Tu explored this data in a visually engaging story from Sahan Journal about the state’s language diversity.
Interesting tidbits: the number of Spanish speakers has surged tenfold in the last three decades, while the number of German speakers has plummeted from 47,000 to 16,000 from 1980 to 2023. Somali and Hmong are now the second and third most commonly spoken languages, respectively. This is significant data, as census results and surveys can indicate where translation services are necessary, like in hospitals and government offices. It also contributes to innovative projects like the Ojibwe People’s Dictionary and the searchable Hmong language database created by the University of Minnesota’s Faculty of Linguistics.
Check out this fantastic election guide (featuring some incredible fixes)
This year has been significant for the Minneapolis City Council, with all 13 seats up for election. There’s a lot going on, and unless you’re like me, tuning into city council meetings via the YouTube Channel while you work, it could feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not aware of who is running in your neighborhood. Fortunately, Matt DeLong, Deena Winter, and Susan Du put together an excellent guide to candidates in each ward, ranging from long-time incumbents to newcomers.
You can see a mix of candidates, too—the youngest is 21 (Max Thero) and the oldest is 88 (Touser Leslie Davis, Republican), with a variety of political affiliations, including Republicans, moderates, and socialists. It’s worth noting the amusing detail where Shelley Madore, all the MPLS-supported candidates, misrepresented her age. Ah, life gets a bit hazy after 35!
Downtown Pizza Hut is closing! It’s got weeds!
Unfortunately, if you’re craving mass-produced Italian food in downtown Minneapolis, you’ll need to head over to Buca di Beppo. The Pizza Hut at 1101 Hennepin Ave. will end its lease next February. (This particular location previously attempted a unique “sports bar” concept back in 2015, as reported.) Apparently, the building is on the market for $1.57 million. This might indicate that Louisiana-based LLC Alsal Holdings, which operates various cannabis outlets, is eyeing two dispensaries downtown, especially with the Green Goods Dispensary at 207 SS Ninth St. having started selling recreational marijuana. That’s quite a shift!
