5/17/2024 -- 2040 Plan Pushes On

Housing

Appeals Court Rules that Minneapolis 2040 Plan Can Continue 🏡

The Summary: The Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed a District Court order that had suspended the 2040 Housing Plan. The ruling allows multifamily housing developments to resume.

Getting Caught Up: Since its adoption in 2018, Minneapolis' 2040 plan has faced legal challenges, primarily from environmental groups. These groups argued that the plan should undergo environmental review under the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act.

Appeals Court Findings: The Court of Appeals identified errors in the injunction, noting that the burden of proof should have been on the plaintiffs to demonstrate the necessity of the injunction to prevent environmental harm.

“Today’s news is a step in the right direction, and we are appreciative of legislative efforts to act in providing clarity for not only Minneapolis but for cities across Minnesota” -Mayor Jacob Frey

Minneapolis

Trump Claims Minneapolis Would Have Burned To The Ground Without Him

The Summary: Ahead of his speech at the Minnesota GOP annual dinner, Donald Trump completed a pair of interviews with KSTP and Alpah News in which he made false claims about winning Minnesota in the 2020 election and launched attacks against Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, labeling the state as "out of control."

Other Remarks : During the interviews, Trump criticized President Biden, made unsubstantiated claims about immigrants crossing the border, and suggested mass deportations. He also commented on anti-police sentiments and asserted that Minneapolis would have burned down in 2020 without his intervention.

Reactions: In response to Trump's remarks, Governor Walz highlighted Trump's lack of action during the George Floyd protests and questioned the validity of the awards Trump claimed to have received.

Business

❯ Income Stagnation: New data compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reveals widespread income stagnation, with Minnesotans having the least mobility between income levels.

❯ UHC Fine: UnitedHealthcare is facing a fine of $450,000 for allegedly breaching Minnesota's mental health parity laws, with the Minnesota Department of Commerce requiring the insurer to overhaul its policies to ensure equal access to mental health care.

What Else We’re Reading…

Minnesota Bans Book Bans

Book bans have been a recent national topic of discussion with Minnesota lawmakers also engaging in the conversation. This past week, the DFL controlled legislature passed a bill that would prevent books from being banned. The legislation now heads to Governor Walz for a final signature.

Sports

Wolves Force Game 7 🏀

The Summary: After losing three straight games to go down 2-3 in their playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, the Wolves fired back in a big way winning game 6 with a score of 115-70. 

Suffocating Defense: For the second time in the same series, the Timberwolves held the defending NBA champions to 80 points or less.

Ant Wants 7: There was no stopping Anthony Edwards who scored 27 points in just 37 minutes of gametime. That included this highlight reel dunk. He was also pretty fired up in the locker room after the game.

What’s Next: The Wolves will head to Denver for Game 7 which will be played on Sunday. The timing of the game depends on the outcomes of the Knicks/Pacers game.

Other Sports News

⚾ The Twins struggled in their home series against the Yankees, losing all three games and getting outscored 14-1.

🏒 Minnesota’s PWHL team faces Toronto on Friday in a decisive game 5 in the first round of the playoffs.

🏈 The Minnesota Vikings announced their 2024-2025 schedule this past week.

Quick hits

Headlines From Around The Twin Cities ✔

❯ Two St. Paul nonprofits are planning to build affordable housing on Arcade, East Seventh streets (Pioneer Press)

❯ The Minnesota State Fair has announced their free entertainment lineup (Kare11)

❯ Minnesota AG Keith Ellison is suing a contract-for-deed seller who allegedly targeted the Muslim community (Sahan Journal)

❯ Ever wondered the story behind the Epoch Time’s billboards? The Racket has the story (Racket)

❯ A new rideshare service, Wridz, has officially rolled out in the Twin Cities (WCCO)

❯ Segregation between Black and white students in Twin Cities K-12 public schools has worsened (Axios)

Beyond the Twin Cities

Headlines From Greater Minnesota ✔

❯ Rochester Public Schools are moving to formalize a procedure for helping transgender kids (MPR)

❯ Hinckley-Finlayson schools are facing blowback for banning a Native drum group at graduation (Northern News)

❯ Officials say a Superior National Forest wildfire is 75% contained (Star Tribune)

Police are saying that Crookston officers fatally shot a hatchet-wielding man (WCCO)

The Final Word: Best Beach in the Twin Cities? 🏖

With temperatures getting into the 80s this weekend, I want to know what the best beach is in the Twin Cities metro area. I’d love to share a community sourced list in next Thursday’s newsletter to give readers a good preview for the summer. Reply to this email with your favorite and why its the best!

-Patrick