Are you ready? Doughnut Day is coming 🍩

Plus: Tell us your favorite place in St. Paul [Plus: Tell us your favorite place in St. Paul] View this email as a [web page]( [Star Tribune]( [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! Here's hoping "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" ends my silver-screen losing streak tonight 🐒 On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - [Dakota County will use sales tax bump to find homeless families a place to live]( - [Wisconsin jury convicts 81-year-old Arizona woman of fatally shooting her romantic rival in 1985]( - [Meet the woman looking to make St. Paul more magnetic]( - Moriarty says Walz criticized her because she's queer. His supporters call the attack "shameful."]( - [17 Minnesota companies make Fortune 500 list, two more than last year](   Doughnut Day is coming. Are you ready? Leila Navidi/Star Tribune A photographer I once worked with had a saying. He called it the five P's: "Proper planning prevents poor performance." While we here at Essential are typically concerned with what you need to know today, we're casting into the future this morning for planning purposes. As any cultured person will tell you, Friday is National Doughnut Day. Watch out for a Star Tribune-curated list of the best local deals in honor of the pseudo-holiday. In the meantime, reporter Sharyn Jackson has a wonderful story out of Isanti County for you. Jackson spoke with Kara Johnson, a Cambridge teacher who has tried a new doughnut every week for the last three years. This so-called Donut Odyssey began as a pandemic hobby to keep busy and support local businesses after lockdown closures. Like any good planner, Johnson works off a spreadsheet to track treats she'd like to try. There are at least 60 to tick off. Johnson also listed 10 Minnesota-based doughnuts to check out — the "churronut" from Órale Mexican Eats caught this newsletter writer's eye. Sharyn has the [full interview with Johnson here](.     GOING OUT - [The Big Gigs: 10 best concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week]( - [Tickets go on sale this week for Cyndi Lauper, Gracie Abrams, John Hiatt and Brad Paisley]( 'Tis the summer of the sour beer Light beers and cocktails have long claimed the boozy summer beverage crown. But sour beers have been making inroads lately, and freelancer Michael Agnew has a list of brews to keep in the fridge, many of them local. The sours from Pryes made his list — it doesn't quite feel like summer until I've spent a quiet evening on the brewery patio with a glass of the raspberry sour and a pepperoni pizza from the kitchen. (And if you see me playing hooky there later today, no you didn't.) Check out the [full list of Agnew's favorite sour beers here](. Provided MORE FROM THE STAR TRIBUNE - Battle between Comcast and Bally Sports networks "at an impasse"]( - [Ramstad: After 11 years as Minnesota's state economist, Kalambokidis leaves the post]( - [Anticipated flooding prompts road, park closures in St. Paul]( - [Readers suggest 10 more names for Minnesota's championship-winning hockey team]( Tell us your favorite place in St. Paul Leila Navidi/Star Tribune One of the top stories in this edition of Essential is courtesy of reporter James Walsh, who spoke with Visit St. Paul CEO Jaimee Lucke Hendrikson about her efforts to promote the "less-glitzy" twin of the Twin Cities. (His words.) That got us wondering: What are your favorite places to go in the capital city? As far as I'm concerned, the bartenders at the St. Paul Grill make what's arguably the best old fashioned in the Twin Cities, and Xcel Energy Center is an incredibly underrated venue — not a bad seat in the house. Send us your favorite St. Paul parks, places to eat and more: essential@startribune.com. IN OTHER NEWS - [Are lawsuits against Minnesota cities' plans to increase housing density over?]( - MinnPost - ['Meet the boss': Minnesota Black entrepreneurs discuss access to funding, tips for success]( - Sahan Journal - [Could this be Julian Loscalzo's final ballpark tour?]( - Pioneer Press - [You should listen to this week's Vibe Check podcast about what Pride Month means in 2024 and why big arena concerts feel like they're on life support](     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE WCCO Radio host Jason Derusha took to Threads yesterday with a question that's been on my mind recently: What kind of socks are we wearing these days? I've heard that Gen Z considers ankle socks a "dead giveaway" for millennials and I've gotta say: Touché. Personally, I'd wear crew socks to the gym, but a newfound love of my Mystic Lake Casino fanny pack would make me look like a dad at Disneyland circa 1993. Not sure I can pull it off. Thanks for reading Eder Campuzano, reporter Patrick Condon, editor [Email]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]([Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Manage]( your preferences | [Opt Out]( using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? [Sign up]( to receive our future emails. View this email [online](. 650 3rd Ave. S. Suite 1300 | Minneapolis, MN 55488 US This email was sent to {EMAIL}. To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.