10/23/2023 -- Whose Money Is Influencing Mpls City Council Elections? Gophers Win + Violence at Palestine Rally

Crime

Vehicle Drives Through Pro-Palestinian Rally in Minneapolis

The Summary: During a pro-Palestinian rally in Minneapolis, a vehicle allegedly drove through the crowd, but no injuries or victims have been confirmed. After the driver was stopped by protestors, he proceeded to exit the vehicle and lunged at protestors with a knife or box cutter, according to MPR news. Protestors also reported hearing a gunshot. There have been no arrests related to the incident.

Witness Videos: There were multiple videos and photos taken during the time when the car drove through the protest. Links to these videos can be found here, here, and here. Viewer discretion is advised.  

Local Politics

Money from Outside the Twin Cities is Influencing Minneapolis City Council Races

The Summary: New reporting from Kyle Stokes at MinnPost shows that money has been flowing in from outside Minneapolis to influence the local city council races. The analysis focuses on two political action committees, All of Mpls and Minneapolis for the Many, both of which have accused the other of receiving donations from people who live outside Minneapolis.

Minneapolis for the Many: The left-wing PAC has raised $92K from January 1 to September 19, with just 25% of those funds coming from a Minneapolis resident or a Minneapolis based organization. The PAC has publicly endorsed five candidates across the city council races.

All of Mpls: The center-left PAC that has supported Mayor Jacob Frey has raised $443K with just over half coming from individuals and/or organizations outside of Minneapolis. Their largest donor, Vance Opperman, lives in Wayzata and donated $50k to the PAC that has publicly endorsed seven city council candidates.

Competitive City Council Races: Because all 13 council ward maps were redrawn last year following the 2020 census, each city council seat is up for grabs.  Early voting has already started and in-person voting will take place on November 7^th – learn more about the candidates running with election guides by the Star Tribune and Axios.

Housing

Twin Cities Eviction Cases Surge

The Summary: Eviction cases in the Twin Cities, are surging at one of the fastest rates in the U.S., with Hennepin County experiencing a 44% increase in eviction filings in the first nine months of 2023, and Ramsey County seeing a 25% rise in the same period.

What’s driving the spike: The surge in eviction cases is attributed to several factors, including exacerbated individual financial challenges due to inflation, an ongoing shortage of affordable housing, and increased costs for developers seeking to construct affordable housing units. A recent Minnesota Housing Partnership survey found one in four Minnesota renters and one in 10 homeowners pay more than they can afford for housing.

Politics

❯ Emmer Eyes House Speaker Role: Rep. Tom Emmer has officially announced his candidacy for U.S. House Speaker. Emmer's decision comes after the failed bids of other candidates, including Rep. Jim Jordan, and follows the removal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, which has left a leadership vacuum in the House. Allies close to former President Donald Trump say he does not support Emmer’s speaker bid.

❯ Dean Phillips To Announce Presidential Run: Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips is actively preparing for a presidential campaign and is planning to launch it in Concord, New Hampshire, on October 27, according to Politico. Phillips plans to focus his campaign on New Hampshire and decide the future of his campaign strategy based on the state’s primary results. MPR News interviewed constituents from Dean Phillips district who shared mixed feelings about the possible presidential run.

Sports

🏈 Floyd of Rosedale Returns to the U of M: The Minnesota Gopher football team beat the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City for the first time since 1999. The low scoring game wasn’t without drama as a controversial late game Iowa punt return for a touchdown was called back.

🏒 Gopher’s Split, Wild Drop Two: The #1 nationally ranked Gopher hockey team went 1-1 against the #5 University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks over the weekend. The Gophers were propelled by a strong offensive effort in game 1 and were derailed by six penalties in game 2.  The Wild dropped their record to 2-2-1 following a loss to the LA Kings and an overtime loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

🏀 Minnesota Timberwolves Season Begins: The Timberwolves open up their 2023-24 season on the road against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Coming off a first-round playoff loss to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets last season, odds makers have the Wolves finishing about the same with their win total predicted to be 43.5. Read a full preview of the T-Wolves season here.

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Quick hits ✔

Headlines From Around The Twin Cities

❯ Twin Cities in Motion will provide full refunds for the canceled Twin Cities Marathon and TC 10 Mile (Kare 11)

❯ A fire engulfed the former Kmart building in south Minneapolis, leading to the collapse of a portion of the structure (KSTP)

❯ The wife of Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman faces accusations from the Minnesota Attorney General's Office of participating in Feeding our Future fraud (Star Tribune)

❯ Minnesota's budget surplus has grown to an estimated $2.4 billion (AP News)

❯ Twin Cities suburbs, including Minnetonka and Edina, aim to expand their police forces in their 2024 budgets, despite relatively low crime rates (Star Tribune)

❯ Activists march in opposition to the new site for the 3rd Precinct in Minneapolis. (MPR News)

Beyond the Twin Cities ✔

Headlines From Outside the Land of 10,000 Lakes

❯ Additional aid from the United Nations enters into Gaza as bombing continues (NPR)

❯ A second Trump lawyer has pleaded guilty to election interference in Georgia (BBC)

❯ A Maryland judge was shot and killed outside his home over the weekend (WaPo)

❯ Former Minnesota Twins player arrested in alleged murder in Lake Tahoe (MSNBC)

❯ United Airlines set to debut a new boarding process to save time (CNN)

The Final Word: 🍁

It was a beautiful fall weekend in the Twin Cities — here are some colorful trees from my Saturday run in South Minneapolis.

-Patrick