Meet the women who reinvigorated a Minneapolis neighborhood

Plus: Minnesota student test scores are out. How did the kids do? [Plus: Minnesota student test scores are out. How did the kids do?] View this email as a [web page]( [The Minnesota Star Tribune](   [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! I recently rescued an old television set and plugged in my Nintendo Entertainment System. I fear you may never see me again 🎮 On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - [More severe weather expected across Minnesota, Weather Service says]( - [Traveling over Labor Day weekend? Here's what to expect]( - [Quiet scoring night from Napheesa Collier doesn’t stop Lynx from thumping Phoenix]( - [Guy Fieri makes pit stops at local establishments, hangs with Vikings players when in town]( - [Yuen: What is a ‘DEI hire’? If you use that term, we know what you really mean.](   Meet the women creating 'a good little neighborhood' in south Minneapolis Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune The intersection of Nicollet Avenue and W. 35th Street in Minneapolis was considered "kind of a dead corner” in the wake of the looting and vandalism that followed the murder of George Floyd not far away. But a group of small businesses is revitalizing the neighborhood, Nick Williams reports. Women are leading the charge in the resurrection of this portion of south Minneapolis. “Now it’s on its way back,” Lyndale Neighborhood Association's Sarah Linnes-Robinson said. Erin Flavin's Honeycomb Salon and another small shop she owns, Marigold, are part of that effort. So is Kim Bartmann's bar, Pat's Tap. And Betsy O'Connor's vintage clothing store, B-Squad. Hola Arepa owner Christina Nguyen, who took home the James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest this year, calls the area "a good little neighborhood." The flurry of activity contrasts with the city of Minneapolis' efforts to draw people downtown. While proximity to the city center is a boon for businesses on this stretch of Nicollet, one local landlord said easy access to the Chain of Lakes and Interstate 35W is another major draw for tenants. “It’s important for people to be able to shop local,” Flavin said. “And I think it’s good for my kids to watch their mom do this.” Williams has [all the details here](. A note about our intrepid business reporter: Starting next week, he's moving over to the Sports Desk to work as a team leader for the Minnesota Star Tribune's beefed-up prep sports department.     GOING OUT - [A behind-the-scenes look at the Native American fare at this year's Minnesota State Fair]( - [Review: Country star Jon Pardi throws a party at the State Fair grandstand]( - [What these 5 movies teach the world about Minnesota is ... interesting](   [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.   Student test scores remain stagnant, latest data shows Minnesota students are about as proficient at math and reading as they were last year, according to new data released by the state Department of Education today. About half of Minnesota students met or beat state standards in math and reading during the 2023-24 academic year. Student proficiency dropped during the pandemic and has been slow to recover, mirroring a national trend. Anthony Lonetree, Mara Klecker and Jeff Hargarten have the [details about student achievement here](. Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune MORE FROM THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE - [Introducing the Minnesota Top 20, the Star Tribune’s new statewide high school football ranking]( - [Minnesota needs to help older adults live well. Is a Department on Aging the answer?]( - [Sen. Nicole Mitchell pleads not guilty; prosecution agrees she didn’t steal laptop in alleged burglary]( - [Meet the Minnesotans competing for Team USA at the Paris Paralympics]( THIS WEEK IN NATURE Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune The bears are getting chonky and it's almost time to harvest that wild rice. As some of Minnesota's largest omnivorous mammals begin to load up in anticipation of winter and the official state grain becomes ever-so-abundant, take a moment and scroll through some of the best nature photography our talented image-makers have to offer. Check out [today's edition of This Week in Nature here](. IN OTHER NEWS - [Balancing legacy, local needs: Residents debate plans for George Floyd Square]( - Sahan Journal - [Stauber-Schultz rematch in Minnesota’s 8th has tightened, but is it in play?]( - MinnPost     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE u/AggravatingEagle8402 via Reddit The Mall of American's Nickelodeon Universe isn't for everyone, it seems. I've only lived here for 2½ years so have only ever known it as a place where Spongebob Squarepants, Dora the Explorer and Leonardo the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle greet you into a bright, gooey-looking indoor amusement park. But at least once a week, I meet a born-and-raised Minnesotan — or at least someone who lived through the '90s here — who waxes poetic about the days when the mall hosted a load of Peanuts-themed rides and attractions. Reddit user AggravatedEagle8402 summed up those sentiments perfectly in this meme. I'm particularly fond of the reference to "The Simpsons," because this is how I imagine the inner monologue of people who long for Camp Snoopy: "[I used to be with it](. But then they changed what 'it' was. Now what I'm with isn't 'it,' and what's 'it' seems weird and scary to me." Get out there and yell at a cloud, old man! Thanks for reading Eder Campuzano, reporter Patrick Condon, editor     [Premium digital access] GET IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO EVERY STORY [Premium digital access] GET IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO EVERY STORY [Subscribe]( SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER [Email]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]( [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.