Repeat drunk drivers can keep their licenses in Minnesota. Here’s why.

A brief history of Minnesota's favorite chip [A brief history of Minnesota's favorite chip] View this email as a [web page]( [The Minnesota Star Tribune](   [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! Are you, like me, starting to wonder what to do with that leftover Sweet Martha's bucket? Luckily [we have some suggestions.]( Also, I recently learned that Sweet Martha's makes about 3 million cookies a day during the fair. [Seriously.]( Anyway, on to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Ashley Miller TODAY’S TOP STORIES - [Who are we? A demographic snapshot of Minnesota today]( - [Woman who dropped off attempted bribe for Feeding Our Future juror pleads guilty]( - [Minnesota wants new limits on 3M plant that piped industrial chemicals into the Mississippi River]( - [Minnesota’s eight U.S. House seats are on the ballot. Here are four races to watch.]( - [Mobile Market delivers food to Twin Cities communities in need](   What happens to a driver’s license after repeat drunken driving offenses? Richard Tsong-Taatariii/The Minnesota Star Tribune After a driver with a lengthy DWI record [crashed last weekend into a popular St. Louis Park restaurant patio](, killing two people and injuring nine others, many have expressed frustration that the suspect had a valid driver’s license. Steven Frane Bailey, 56, of St. Louis Park, has five previous drunken driving convictions stretching from 1985 to 2015. “He certainly would’ve been in position to get [his license] back,” said Peter Wold, a criminal defense attorney. After his arrest Sunday, Bailey’s blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.325%, more than four times the legal limit. Reporter Elliot Hughes wrote up [this explainer on Minnesota’s drunken driving laws.](According to the most recent data from the Minnesota Department of Health, there were more than 24,300 drunken driving arrests in 2021. [Read More](     GOING OUT - [The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities area this week]( - [Popular Bean and Bear lakes trail reopens Friday on North Shore of Lake Superior](   [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.   Rent control ruling too late to help one St. Paul tenant More than a year ago, Sumeya Mohamed got a letter saying the city granted her St. Paul landlord permission to raise her rent by up to 26% — far surpassing the 3% limit set by the city’s rent stabilization law. Mohamed quickly appealed the city staff’s decision in July 2023. She won her appeal last month by a unanimous City Council vote. The victory, though, came too late. Mohamed and her family moved out of their East Side apartment earlier this summer to escape the possibility of a $400 monthly rent increase. The case between Mohamed and her landlord tested St. Paul’s first-in-the-Midwest rent control law in new ways, generating thousands of documents, demanding hours of staff time and ultimately [raising more questions than answers.]( Richard Tsong-Taatariii/The Minnesota Star Tribune MORE FROM THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE - [Twin Cities charter school fraud took place under direction of school’s current leader, former employees say]( - [Strip malls abound in the Twin Cities area. Here’s why they’re useful, ugly and convenient.]( - [Minneapolis City Council approves year extension for activists to purchase Roof Depot for indoor urban farm]( CURIOUS MINNESOTA Bruce Bisping/File, the Minnesota Star Tribune Some of the world's most famous products got their start in a garage. Google. Amazon. Microsoft. So, too, did the humble Old Dutch potato chip. The Minnesota-based snack's history is the subject of this week's edition of the Strib's reader-powered reporting project. Carl Marx began frying potatoes in his St. Paul garage in 1934, packaging the treats in little wax bags. Marx chose the name "Old Dutch" because he associated the Dutch with cleanliness and quality. How did it expand? Why do Old Dutch chips come boxed in pairs? For that and more, you'll have to read business reporter Brooks Johnson's dispatch [here.]( IN OTHER NEWS - [Can the U.S. census keep up with climate-driven displacement?]( - Grist - [Two Minnesotans bring Somali representation to beauty contests]( - Sahan Journal - [Trump says Elon Musk would head a government efficiency commission if he's re-elected]( - Axios     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE @bonnie_ljohnson via Instagram This photo by Bonnie Johnson that tagged our Instagram account reminded me of this great roundup we did last spring to spotlight one of Minnesota's hidden gems: pick-your-own flower farms. Specifically, we have a whole host of [sunflower spots around the state.]( Thanks for reading Ashley Miller, producer 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.