KARE 11's Huppert takes a leave of absence

Plus: Why Tim Walz is such a big deal right now [Plus: Why Tim Walz is such a big deal right now] View this email as a [web page]( [Star Tribune]( [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! There are just as many syllables in "Suni Lee" as there are in "USA" so I'm just gonna chant her name next time she medals 🏅 On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - [Police raids shed light on Minnesota’s weak laws, fragmented oversight of animal rescues]( - [St. Paul council president calls Pa. governor a ‘hardcore Zionist,’ says Kamala Harris shouldn’t pick him]( - [Minnesota will auction guns, crossbows, fishing poles, deer mounts seized from scofflaws]( - [Homeless camp off Bruce Vento trail forces advocates to explore new approaches]( - [Viral trail camera video captures rare footage of Canada lynx in northern Minnesota](   Why is Tim Walz on my TV and my social feeds and my podcasts all the time? Anthony Soufflé/Star Tribune It seems Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is everywhere these days as Vice President Kamala Harris' search for a running mate nears the home stretch. Turn on the TV and there he is, touting bills he signed into law and dressing down former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. Log on to your social feeds, and clips of Walz seem to inspire activists and influencers to wax poetic on his Midwest dad vibes. He even infiltrated my podcast feed. Scott Galloway, co-host of "Pivot," said Walz possesses a certain "you can trust me vibe." But, even though he and co-host Kara Swisher agree that the Minnesota governor is affable, they rank Walz's chances behind Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. That's the conclusion bettors have come to as well, as the Star Tribune's Richard Chin reports this morning. More on Walz: politics reporters Briana Bierschbach and Ryan Faircloth explore why a former congressman and school teacher seems to have struck a chord with so many Americans as the veepstakes continues. “He’s successfully threaded the needle of being liberal enough for the liberals and moderate enough for the moderates,” said Marty Seifert, a former candidate for governor and Republican legislator from southwestern Minnesota. Walz's folksy demeanor has long been an asset on the campaign trail, and it would complement Harris' West Coast sensibilities, insiders say. But not everyone's a fan. State GOP Chair David Hann said that while Walz sells himself as a moderate, Republicans see his tenure in St. Paul as marked by divisive partisanship. Harris is set to hold the first campaign rally with her chosen running mate in Philadelphia on Tuesday. NBC News reported late last night that Walz is among the six candidates with whom she met recently. Read everything we and others have recently published on the veepstakes at the links below. Related coverage - [How Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz became an unexpected contender for vice president]( - [Walz is a longshot to be the VP pick, according to bettors]( - [Who are Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s top competitors for vice president?]( - [Harris campaign's vetting team has met with 6 potential VP picks as the selection process nears its end]( - NBC News - [Tim Walz Brings Folksy Demeanor, Liberal Record to Harris VP Shortlist]( - Wall Street Journal     GOING OUT - [The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities area this week]( - [The new direct flights to Ireland are dreamy – but here’s why you should skip Dublin]( - [What to watch: How to enjoy Lollapalooza from the comfort of your home]( Minnesota medal count 👀 And we're up to five after an astounding floor routine from Suni Lee won her a bronze medal in the all-around gymnastics competition yesterday and Regan Smith earned a silver in the women's 200-meter butterfly. Smith set a new U.S. record in the event with a time of 2:03.84. 🥇 Lee and Team USA claimed gold in the women's all-around gymnastics event. 🥈 Smith previously took second in the women's 100-meter backstroke and added another silver yesterday. Sarah Bacon won silver in the women's synchronized springboard. 🥉 Lee's all-around performance earned Minnesota its first Olympic bronze in Paris yesterday. Who we're watching today: Smith competes in the 200-meter backstroke at 2:30 p.m. Alise Willoughby of St. Cloud will race in the BMX semifinals at 1:15 p.m. The finals begin at 2:50 p.m. Rosemount's Payton Otterdahl competes in the men's shot put qualifying round today. The finals are tomorrow. And Lara Dallman-Weiss of Shoreview begins the mixed-gender 470 sailing event, which ends Aug. 7. [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. KARE 11's Huppert takes a leave of absence KARE 11's Boyd Huppert will be off the air for the rest of the summer as he gets advanced treatment for blood cancer. The 62-year-old broadcaster is scheduled for CAR T-cell therapy on Aug. 12. Huppert shared the news with viewers last night. Neal Justin has [the latest on Huppert here](. Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune MORE FROM THE STAR TRIBUNE - [90 days in jail for man who crashed car while drunk, left wife with fatal injury]( - [Beer sales are waning. Can nonalcoholic brews buoy the industry?]( - [Target’s latest Demo Day was all about AI]( - [Lileks: Don't call it August]( CURIOUS MINNESOTA Hennepin County Library I love petty squabbles that make history. And apparently the white folks who settled in the land now known as Minneapolis originally named the area "All Saints" as a way to one-up the nearby settlements of St. Paul and St. Anthony. (I did the chef's kiss gesture upon learning that.) This week's edition of the Star Tribune's reader-powered reporting project aims to unravel the full story behind the city's naming. In 1852, Hennepin County commission members chose a name for the community to vote on. The winner: Albion. But residents roundly rejected it, and ... well, you know the rest of the story, and reporter [Erica Pearson has all of the details about it here](. IN OTHER NEWS - [Activists feel hoodwinked as police groups dictate model policy for school cops]( - Minnesota Reformer - [The art of preservation: Native artist paints her way through Arikara history]( - Sahan Journal - [Big job ahead for panel tasked with felony marijuana expungements]( - MPR News     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE ZappBrannigansburner via Reddit There will come a day when we can move on from one of the most obnoxious debates to plague us here in the United States of America: Can a woman be president? (The answer is "yes.") Some version of that is happening now, with Kamala Harris the Democrats' likely nominee for the office. We heard the worst takes in 2016 when Hillary Clinton ran against — and then when she lost to — Donald Trump. Heck, it was a thing in 2008 when John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. Reddit user ZapBrannigansburner unearthed an earlier example of this tired old debate in a 1963 edition of the Minneapolis Tribune that features a roundup of upstanding Midwesterners answering the question. According to these panelists, women are ill-suited to run the country for …reasons. Thank goodness for Vern Hause. Be the Vern you want to see in the world. 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? 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