Why high school sports are the hottest ticket in town ⚾

Plus: How Minnesotans feel about the war in Gaza [Plus: How Minnesotans feel about the war in Gaza] View this email as a [web page]( [Star Tribune]( [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! My plea to the weather as I woke to sunny skies and a cool 61 degrees: Please don't change — stay what you are ☀️ On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - ["He was a hero": Eulogists remember officer Jamal Mitchell, honor his service]( - [Video: Several waves of strong to severe thunderstorms hitting Minnesota today]( - [Publisher Steve Grove maintained occasional contact with Walz chief of staff, former colleague]( - [Race-based scholarships at Minnesota State University Moorhead subject of new civil rights complaint]( - [Meet the 19 Minnesotans who won prestigious Bush fellowships](   Move over, Target Center: The high school athletics fields are where the real action is Jerry Holt/Star Tribune While the school year is winding down for most students, the last few weeks have been among the most bustling for spring sport athletes. And even though major-league outfits like the Vikings and Timberwolves get the lion's share of attention, high school sports coverage has a consistent and loyal fanbase. That's especially true for news organizations that serve midsize metropolitan areas like the Star Tribune and my alma mater, the Oregonian. And it isn't just readers — several staffers in such newsrooms either grew up in the area we cover or have kids in local schools, making them fervent fans themselves. [image] Provided As prep sports editor Kevin Bertels will tell you, the unending interest in these annual contests comes from the community they foster and the cycle of parents and athletes who move through the scene. As one thrilling set of all-stars sets their sights on graduation and collegiate play, another is just starting to wow crowds and recruiters alike. The highs are also as spectacular as anything you'll see at Target Center or U.S. Bank Stadium. Reporter Ron Haggstrom and sports reporting intern Cassidy Hettesheimer spent much of yesterday following 88 high school golfers as they sought to qualify for today's championship contests. Haggstrom also spent the day tracking the state lacrosse quarterfinals. Watch out for more of that coverage today, including who made the All-Metro boys' and girls' teams. Chip Scoggins also has a wonderful dispatch, linked below, about some of Minnesota's most sought-after Division I baseball recruits. On Monday, watch for spread coverage here at the Star Tribune as Target Field hosts the boys of summer for a full day's worth of championship games. Related coverage - [Introducing the high school girls' lacrosse Metro Player of the Year: Tori Tschida of Lakeville South]( - [Introducing the high school boys lacrosse Metro Player of the Year: Quinn Power of Lakeville North]( - [Scoggins: Minnesota's best young baseball pitchers have colleges' attention]( - [It's high school baseball state tournament time. Here are the brackets, how to watch, who to watch.](     GOING OUT - [TV review: "Presumed Innocent" is guilty of being wildly different from the movie]( - [3 new grilling recipes just in time for Father's Day]( - [Inside Hodgepodge, the new food truck at Forgotten Star Brewing]( - [Lake Elmo Inn will open restaurant in St. Paul's Union Depot]( [Share this newsletter with friends]( Do you enjoy Essential Minnesota? Encourage your friends and family to [sign up](. You also can share it using the links below. Minnesotans split on war in Gaza, but conflict registers as low priority for voters Minnesota Democrats and Republicans are evenly split on Israel's war against Hamas, according to a Star Tribune/KARE 11/MPR News poll. While 72% of Republicans approve of the Israeli government's actions as it seeks to root out Hamas, 71% of Democrats disapprove. Still, only 2% of Trump voters cited the war as their top election concern, while 1% of Biden voters did. Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza have killed over 37,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials. The Hamas attack on Oct. 7 killed 1,200. Politics reporter Josie Albertson-Grove has the [full story about the Gaza poll here](. Angelina Katsanis/Star Tribune MORE FROM THE STAR TRIBUNE - [Schwan's planning massive Asian food plant and corporate office in Sioux Falls]( - [Biden nominates Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Provinzino to be next Minnesota federal judge]( - [Teen pregnancies decline again in Minnesota after pandemic blip]( WHO SAID ARENA SHOWS ARE DEAD? Emma Goldschmidt/MSG Entertainment Artists with broad name recognition like the Black Keys and Jennifer Lopez may be struggling to fill arenas and, in many cases, cancelling dates and tours because of it. But there are still artists not named Taylor Swift capable of filling enormous venues. Take, for example, viral pop sensation Melanie Martinez, who played to a sold-out crowd at Target Center yesterday, as our music critic Chris Riemenschneider reports. The show comes the weekend after Noah Kahan played back-to-back sellouts at Xcel Energy Center. IN OTHER NEWS - [Art exhibit in Mahnomen puts positive reservation stories front and center]( - MinnPost - [Where were you six years ago when a raccoon scaled a St. Paul skyscraper?]( - MPR News - [How 2020 changed policing — and didn't — in Minneapolis: A talk with U of M sociologist Michelle Phelps]( - Racket     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE If you've scrolled through Minnesota's corner of Reddit lately, you've probably seen locals posting photos of insects asking, "Is this a tick?" (One unfortunate soul recently polled the social site only to learn they had bed bugs.) The query has become so common that the sight of Patrick Warburton's handsome mug was a wonderful surprise yesterday. Thank you, Reddit user BananaFartman_MD. Thanks for reading Eder Campuzano, reporter David Taintor, 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.