10/5/2023 -- Twins Advance, Emmer Eyes House Majority Leader Role

Good morning. Today is Thursday, October 5th. Here is everything you need to know to start your day in the Twin Cities.

Do you Believe?! Twins Sweep Blue Jays

The Summary: The Minnesota Twins ended their 21-year postseason series victory drought by sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series. This win comes the day after a 3-1 win in game 1 that ended the notorious 18 game playoff losing streak. With the win, the Twins advance to the AL Divisional Round where they will face the defending World Series Champion Houston Astros.

How It All Went Down: The Twins were powered by a strong outing from Sonny Gray and a bullpen that collectively gave up no earned runs. Carlos Correa played a key role on both the offensive and defensive side for the Twins. In the fourth inning, Correa drove in the Twin’s first run with an RBI single. Later, Correa led the Twins out of multiple pinches with a pick-off at second in the fifth inning and a double play to end the sixth.

What’s Next: The Twins have advanced to the ALDS and are set to face the Houston Astros starting this coming Saturday in a best-of-five series. Houston is a familiar opponent for Carlos Correa who spent seven seasons with the Astros and helped them to three World Series appearances. The Twins were 4-2 against the Astros in the 2023 season.

Dad Came Through: Sonny Gray’s five-year-old son told his dad before game 2, “You better not lose.” Sonny responded with, “I’ll try my best.” Well, he did just that.

The Celebration: Champagne bottles were popping in the Twins locker room during the post-game celebration.

What they’re saying: After game 1, Rocco had this to say about the crowd at Target Field: “I thought this place was going to split open and melt…Fans took over the game.”

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) Eyes House Majority Leader Role

The Summary: GOP U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is planning to run for majority leader following Kevin McCarthy's removal as Speaker of the House. The Minnesota Representative arrived in Congress in 2015 and last year was elected to the third-highest position in House Republican leadership, barely winning a competitive three-way race for the position.

The Context: Kevin McCarthy's short-lived tenure as speaker ended in a historic vote, with eight Republicans and all Democrats voting to vacate his seat, leaving the House in uncharted territory. The effort to vote out McCarthy was led by a small group of GOP House members with Rep. Matt Gaetz putting forward the motion to vacate the speaker’s chair. The Republican Party now faces uncertainty in selecting a new speaker leading to a halt in House business until a new speaker is elected.

Why Emmer: In his tenure as a Congressman, the Minnesotan has gained affection across a broad coalition within the Republican Party. As the House Majority Whip, Emmer is next in line to move up the leadership chain. Emmer has also held other prominent leadership roles within the GOP including chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Pushback from Trump: The path to Majority Leader will not be without obstacles as people in Donald Trump’s circle look to derail his campaign. Emmer has publicly said that he does not plan on endorsing Trump in the primary and also encouraged other House candidates to distance themselves from Trump during the 2022 mid-term elections.

Mayor Frey Urges Mpls City Council to Approve New 3rd Precinct at Minnehaha Avenue Lot

The Summary: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has requested the city council to allocate funding for a new police precinct building at the 2600 Minnehaha Avenue lot, less than a mile from the previous 3rd Precinct building that was damaged during the George Floyd protests in 2020. Frey's proposal comes after the council voted against rebuilding the old precinct and scrapped a plan to co-locate it with the 1st Precinct, citing cost and timeliness considerations.

The Cost: Frey has proposed establishing a "comprehensive safety center" at the 2600 Minnehaha Av. site, acknowledging it would entail a higher cost compared to a standard police station. Although Frey letter hasn’t specified an exact budget, an earlier city assessment suggested that constructing a new station at this location could range between $22 million and $26 million.

Minnesotans are Welcome to Submit New State Flag Designs

The Minnesota state flag and seal are undergoing a redesign, with Minnesotans aged 18 and older invited to submit up to three ideas each for both the flag and seal by October 30. The current state seal has faced criticism for its imagery featuring a white man plowing a field in the foreground and a Native American man riding away into the sunset. Unless rejected by the legislature, the new emblems will become official on Minnesota Statehood Day in May 2024. People can submit designs here.

✔Quick hits

🏥 A metro bus crash at Chicago Ave. and 25^th St. East left one dead and 6 in the hospital (Kare11)

🥵 September 2023 was the hottest September ever recorded in Minnesota history (BringMeTheNews)

🚌 Minneapolis VA and Catholic Charities Twin Cities team up to fight veteran homelessness with mobile medical unit (WCCO)

🚬 Minnesota legislative auditor launches inquiry into office of cannabis management director appointment (MPR)

💲 Minnesota Governor's residence renovation costs soar by 80% (WCCO)

🏠 St. Paul considers eliminating single-family-only zoning with the hopes of increasing housing supply (Star Tribune)

❗ Hennepin County Attorney's Office works through backlog of 1,700 unprocessed rape kits (Star Tribune)

🏫 Minneapolis Public Schools anticipates budget cuts, likely staff reductions (Sahan Journal)

📏 Minnesota organizations unite to counter extreme views in school board elections, led by the Minnesota School Board Integrity Project (MPR)

🍔 Minneapolis Fall Restaurant Week kicks off on October 9^th (MplsStPaul Mag)

Keeping you Busy this Weekend

🎉 10^th Annual Borough Block Party: Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Borough Block Party on Saturday, October 7th, from 12 PM to 10 PM with live music, food, and drinks. The free block party is open for all ages, dog-friendly, and takes place outside of Borough in North Loop.

🍂 20th Annual Gale Woods Fall Fest: Celebrate the beauty of Minnesota's nature at Fall Fest on October 7th and 8^th from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM at Gale Woods Farm in Minnetrista. The festival features a variety of family-friendly activities including meeting farm animals, live music, sheepdog herding trials, a farmers market, cider making, cooking demonstrations and more. This is a free event.

🍳 Eat a Bodega-Style Egg-And-Cheese at Egg On a Roll: Axios Twin Cities recently gave Egg On a Roll’s breakfast sandwich (pictured above) a rave review. Egg On a Roll is open Monday through Saturday, from 7:30am to 3:30pm, at 201 N 5th Ave. in Minneapolis. Read their full review here.

🍻 Twin Cities Oktoberfest: The 13th annual Twin Cities Oktoberfest at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds is set to take place on October 6-7. This event offers a variety of local brews, ciders, and seltzers from breweries like Utepils, Sociable Ciderwerks, and Lupulin. Attendees can also indulge in traditional German food and enjoy Oktoberfest music. This celebration is one of the state’s largest and features 20 beers and ciders from four local breweries. Tickets are $10 and be purchased here.

🥉 Honorable mention: Open Streets Lyndale, Flip The Script Film Fest, Coffee Midtown, Scarecrows in the Garden

The Final Word: Taylor Swift in Minneapolis?

I can’t say I’d call myself a “Swiftie,” but even I am wondering if Taylor Swift will make an appearance at US Bank Stadium when her boyfriend’s (Travis Kelce) Kansas City Chiefs take on the Vikings this weekend. Mayor Frey has asked Taylor to attend the game. All I know is that the Chiefs are 2-0 when she is in attendance at their games…maybe its best she doesn’t attend?

-Patrick

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