Farms take center stage on the campaign trail 🚜

Plus: Jon Cheng reviews a new British-Italian eatery [Plus: Jon Cheng reviews a new British-Italian eatery] View this email as a [web page]( [Star Tribune]( [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! Inflation has finally come for all-you-can-drink milk at the State Fair and I am not here for it 🥛 On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - [State Supreme Court upholds law restoring voting rights to felons upon release from incarceration]( - [Parents admit harassment accusations against longtime Warroad girls hockey coach were untrue]( - [Meet the Minneapolis native who teased Prince, hacked into banks and pocketed $40 million]( - [Jack Farrell, Haskell’s ahead-of-his-time wine connoisseur and media personality, dies at 82]( - [A bullet hole in his ‘golden leg,’ Minnesota taekwondo champ seeks Olympic medal](//t.e2ma.net/click/z2ad53c/3hp1m0/ff7yunsb   Ag takes center stage on the campaign trail Shari Gross/Star Tribune We interrupt our Walz-to-Walz coverage of the presidential campaign to bring you a dispatch from Morgan, Minn., where Sen. Amy Klobuchar and a host of Republican senatorial hopefuls gathered for Farmfest. (After that, we'll return to our regularly scheduled programming.) Minnesota's senior U.S. senator stood for a debate that included, among others, state GOP-endorsed Royce White and the man challenging him for the party's nomination, Joe Fraser, on the penultimate day of the agricultural showcase. The conversation, moderated by WCCO Radio's Blois Olson, was meant to be a sweeping discussion of farm and trade policy. But White kept steering things toward wedge issues, such as when he turned a question about pandemic prevention into a tirade against climate change policy. “Part of the climate racket is that livestock is the issue," White said. “Livestock is the issue. Slowly, but surely, your animals ― and you, as well ― will be deemed nonessential.” The Farmfest debate unfolded as thousands of people packed rallies in Wisconsin for Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Tim Walz in tow, and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as he stumped for himself and former President Donald Trump. The opposing events both took place in Eau Claire, less than a 90-minute drive from the Minnesota-Wisconsin border. (Several news outlets made a big deal about people driving across state lines to attend, even though they were practically in Walz's backyard.) Walz-to-Walz (and Farmfest) coverage: - [Klobuchar, White and Fraser take the stage at Farmfest]( - [Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz hold rally in battleground western Wisconsin]( - [Yuen: What was ‘Mr. Walz’ like as a teacher? Former students say he’s same guy vying to be the next VP]( - [Trump goes after Tim Walz’s response to COVID-19 demonstrations with evidence-free claim]( - [Steve Martin reportedly declines offer to play Gov. Tim Walz on ‘Saturday Night Live’](     GOING OUT - [There could be chalk drawings of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at this downtown Minneapolis art festival]( - [Don’t miss four tap-happy musicals and plays closing out summer’s dog days]( - [Thousands of Minnesota dogs and their owners will gather at Ramsey’s Game Fair]( [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. The menu at Gia changes weekly, but quality is a constant Gia isn't a place for special occasions. And that's actually a great thing. The new southwest Minneapolis venture from chefs and co-owners Lisa Wengler and Jo Seddon, who once cooked for London's River Café, excels with its menu of British-Italian fare like mozzarella di bufala and zucchini fritti, our critic Jon Cheng writes. The restaurant opened in February and its relatively modest pricing lends itself to repeat visits. Cheng has [the full review right here](. Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune MORE FROM THE STAR TRIBUNE - [Fish kill, including hundreds of dead brook trout, found in Duluth creek]( - [Coal ash tainted water spills next to a popular northern Minnesota wild rice bed]( - [Minnesota companies start new-generation pre-apprenticeship programs to build new talent pipelines]( I'VE GOT A BASKETBALL JONES Michael Conroy/Associated Press As a semi-recent NBA enthusiast, I've spent my fair share of games booing LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry. But this summer, like so many of my fellow Lakers, Suns and Warriors haters, it's been nothing short of exhilarating to watch the three of them play with such elegance, such grace alongside a guy I'm usually rooting for in the spring. So believe me when I say that I'll be glued to my desk at 10:30 a.m. today when Anthony Edwards and Team USA take on Serbia in the semifinals to determine who moves on to Saturday's gold medal game. The last time these two squads met up on the hardwood in Paris, Ant and the boys posted a tidy 110-84 win over Nikola Jokic's band of basketballers. Here's hoping we get a repeat performance. Tomorrow, we'll watch Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve lead the women's basketball team against Australia. They, too, are vying for a gold medal game appearance, this one on Sunday. Might need to head to A Bar Of Their Own for that one. In the meantime, pardon me while I listen to the "Space Jam" soundtrack on repeat. (The good one. Not the LeBron one.) IN OTHER NEWS - [Walz won over Harris with a rare ability to reach AOC as well as Joe Manchin]( - MinnPost - [The ‘Minnesota Model’ Making Big Labor Waves]( - Racket - [Immigrant-owned rideshare company Hich says it’s ready to launch service in Minneapolis]( - Sahan Journal - [Tim Walz’s military record, National Guard departure get new scrutiny]( - Washington Post     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE jsphjar via Reddit The good folks over at the largest "Saturday Night Live" subreddit are asking all the right questions. Heck, we asked the same ones ourselves yesterday. My editor and I briefly considered adding Al Franken to the list of actors who might play Tim Walz on "Saturday Night Live." But I figured the 10 we came up with were pretty good picks already. Who do you think should play Walz when the show inevitably lampoons the vice presidential race? Steve Martin already dropped out, and the only universe in which I'll accept him as Walz is one in which Martin Short plays JD Vance opposite him. One of my colleagues suggested Melissa McCarthy and, I've gotta say, I kind of see it. Also, a minor correction to yesterday morning's edition of Essential: La Jefa has never claimed to be a Midwest Princess. She tells me: "I know full well I am a West Coast Midwest Transplant Princess." (Emphasis mine.) Apologies. Apologies all around. 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}. 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