WCCO’s Chris Shaffer:

He did say “sacks”… right?

(via Tim and Fleshbot)

• Downtown Journal - Three arrested in Downtown BASE jumping attempt. BASE jumping is illegal in Minneapolis. And most cities.
• Behind the Mortgage - Condo for sale in doomed development includes Adult Entertainment room, complete with mirrors, couches, and poles. BTM is offering a bounty for photos.
• Metro Independent Business Association - The MetroIBA members featured in City Pages’ 2008 Best of the Twin Cities.
• MPR - Rural Renewable Energy Alliance donating solar home heating systems to low-income families.
• St Paul Issues Forum - On 24-hour health clubs. The city is trying to close them down because they don’t keep a CPR-trained staff person onsite round-the-clock. This is supposedly overly restrictive and a remnant of sex-club crackdowns from the ’80s.
• 76th Street - “Does Richfield have too much senior housing but not enough affordable senior housing?” If you even have to ask…
• Longfellow Nokomis Real Estate Guide - Foreclosures in their neighborhood. There are LOTS.
• Northstar Commuter Rail - Construction begins on Coon Rapids station.
• District del Sol - This weekend’s Cinco de Mayo activities in St Paul. (pdf) The lowrider car show is Friday from 4-9 on Wabasha.

So, the mild hubbub over at mnspeak.com is about rockstar restaurateur Thom Pham closing down Temple Bar & Restaurant on Saturday night. If you’re not into dining out but the name seems familiar, perhaps you remember the owner of Thanh Do, Azia, and Anemoni Sushi from the story about him being attacked by a group of men outside Azia on Eat Street. Or perhaps you remember him from the tale of the night he stopped in to Temple and a pair of dine-and-dashers skipped out on a very large bill, then showed up at Azia later in the night, where Pham chased them down and exercised his judo skills.

I haven’t been able to find anything in the media about Temple closing yet, and I never saw any prediction of its end either. So I haven’t been able to verify the rumor. From what I’ve read about Pham and his restaurants, he is the goldenboy of culinary modernity, with sheek atmospheres and satisfying and sophisticated food. His other restaurants are successful, so what made this one a flop? (If it has, in fact, flopped.) Perhaps it was the French-Asian fusion cuisine, perhaps it was the highbrow element, perhaps it was the prices, but I doubt it was the naked sushi.

I never made it over to Temple, as it wasn’t in my immediate price range, so I can’t testify to its quality and performance. Either way, it’s too bad that another restaurant has gone under–it takes so much effort, capital, and PR to get one running in the first place. Not that Pham doesn’t have other projects to manage.

The folks at Stick and Ball Guy turned up a possibility that Land O’ Lakes got the naming rights, generating further interest and leading to a statement from the Twins that they’re nowhere close to finalizing a naming rights deal.

In the event that Land O’ Lakes does win out, Jason DeRusha suggests calling it the Butter Tub. Personally, I’m partial to “field” over “park” and I’m still pulling for General Mills to win the naming rights. Wheaties Field would be sweet.

I have no idea why the Minneapolis City Council (or any committee thereof) needs to spend time voting on a resolution to switch to coffee mugs instead of disposable cups. Couldn’t someone in facilities just swap ‘em out and send out a memo?

It sounds like it’s more about break room decorum, but since they pretty much mandated a green roof for the Target Center which will probably cost more, this is maybe a good jumpstart on saving money for it. They could put out a (reusable ceramic) tip cup, too.

Since MNspeak developed a reputation for itself as a go-to place for media commentary, I’m expecting some good stuff to come out of the news that The Rake is for sale. David Brauer, author of the MinnPost article breaking the news has already jumped into the conversation.

In spite of the fact that Tom Bartel is the owner of The Rake and his son Matt is the owner of MNspeak, you can’t help but wonder if/how MNspeak might also be implicated. Plus it’s fun because it pisses the Bartels off when you “confuse” the two.

Speculation abounds!

As seen on US-169. Originally uploaded by swirlspice.

A bill to adopt California emissions standards in Minnesota [HR 863/SF 481] was introduced by DFL Rep Melissa Hortman from Brooklyn Park and passed the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources yesterday. Concerns expressed in the legislature are:

• Having tougher standards than surrounding states makes Minnesota less competitive.
• Adopting California’s standards means Minnesota would be “turning over Minnesota’s decision-making to bureaucrats in California”. (As opposed to bureaucrats here?)

I understand the concern about giving up the control, but I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be moving to adopt tighter standards, especially considering a number of states have already done it. Way to be a leader, Minnesota! I’m sure there’s a way to do it without tying ourselves directly to decisions made in California. I understand that states need a waiver from the EPA to enact tighter standards than EPA demands, and as such the only way to do that right now is to adopt California’s program. Which seems a little silly, but the more states that do it, the more likely a different way is possible.

Obviously auto industry folks are opposed to the idea, especially dealers that sell a lot of trucks up north. Friendly neighborhood environmental-activist-for-hire Bob Moffitt drops a link to DontTakeMyTruck.com in the comments at MNspeak. No surprise that a group of dealers is responsible for it.
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About three hours ago news broke that the Senate Ethics Committee issued a “letter of admonition” to Sen. Larry Craig pertaining to his debacle at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP), where an undercover police officer cited Craig for soliciting sex in a bathroom there last June.

The letter scolds him for his “improper conduct,” for using campaign funds to pay his legal fees and for flashing his Senate ID whilst saying, “What do you think about that?”

So Craig, who is not seeking reelection (I wonder why?), got off with a stern letter. There’s nothing more coming. No censure. No recall. Just a letter.

As a Minnesotan, this bugs me greatly. See, I travel a lot. In fact, I’ve flown in and out of MSP 12 times in the last seven weeks. And every single time I visit MSP, I find myself avoiding the restroom stalls. I know it’s silly, but I do. And on top of that, more than eight (I counted) of my friends on Twitter have teased me about the restrooms when I tweet that I’m headed to or hanging out at the airport.

Thanks to foot-tappin’ Larry, MSP has a stigma that a terse letter isn’t going to help. Maybe only time will help. After all, the event isn’t on the MSP Wikipedia entry (yet).

Garrison Keillor is suing his neighbor to try to stop her from building a garage. The lawsuit claims the addition would “obstruct the access of light and air to the Nilsson-Keillor property” and “impair or destroy protected historical resources.” Both homes rest in the Ramsey Hill Historical District neighborhood in St. Paul.

And while I can see the drawback of having a stucco garage pop up 8 feet from your second story window, the Strib says Keillor had ample time and opportunity to object. Now it’s up to the courts, although again, the city and Heritage Preservation Commission already held the hearings and gave their approval.

I think the bigger question — above Mr. Woe-b-gone’s access to light and air — is about changing history (and this is what I’m guessing his lawsuit will be based).

Should people living in historical districts keep their house exactly like it was/is, or is it okay to build a garage? What if the Heritage Preservation Commission ok’s first?

I’m sure many of these ancient houses didn’t have a kitchen or indoor toilet at some point. Neighbors let other neighbors add on those. What about drilling into the home to install cable? A satellite on the roof obstructing the beauty of the antique shingles? Planting a new tree that will offer/infringe shade upon multiple homes in the next 20 years?

Thoughts?

The incinerator’s mascot bears close resemblance to Ace and Gary. Mediation connects the dots.

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Bwaha!