Marathon mania descends upon the metro this weekend. Here's what to know.

Mail theft is on the rise in U.S. [Mail theft is on the rise in U.S.] View this email as a [web page]( [The Minnesota Star Tribune](   [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota ! Let's go, runners 🏃 On to the news 📢 [Zoë Jackson] By Zoë Jackson [David Taintor] By David Taintor TODAY’S TOP STORIES - [Klobuchar to play key role on Jan. 6 amid questions over whether Trump, Vance will accept results]( - [Park Tavern crash spotlights patchwork of Twin Cities patio regulations]( - [Minneapolis City Council wants to take a deeper look at Frey administration’s books]( - [Minneapolis Foundation invests $1 million in school district efforts to strengthen student literacy]( - [He nurtured the arts in New York Mills and Lanesboro. Can he do it in Warroad?](   Twin Cities Marathon mania descends upon the metro this weekend Renée Jones Schneider/The Minnesota Star Tribune It’s marathon weekend in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Thousands of runners will set out from downtown Minneapolis in what Twin Cities in Motion organizers call “the most beautiful urban marathon in America.” The full marathon starts at 8 a.m., while the 10-mile race begins at 7 a.m. The Star Tribune newsroom has been busy this week covering every aspect of the race: from elite runners to watch to how to get around whether you’re a spectator or just looking to go about your normal business on Sunday. Check out the links below for our coverage. After last year’s black flag cancellation due to heat and humidity, all eyes are on this weekend’s forecast. Not to jinx it, but it’s looking pretty ideal, if a bit breezy. Along with about a dozen other Star Tribune staffers (Stribby unfortunately will not be participating this year), I’ll be running my first Twin Cities 10 Mile race. After finishing, I'll cheer on the marathoners. There’s something irresistible and inspiring about the collective human effort on display. To everyone running, I hope it’s a safe and satisfying race. See you out there. - David Taintor Related coverage - [An essential guide to this weekend’s Twin Cities Marathon]( - [How to get around on Sunday amid race day road closures]( - [What Twin Cities Marathon organizers have learned after 2023′s heat cancellation]( - [Duluth’s Grandma’s Marathon 2025 races filling at record pace]( [Read More](     GOING OUT - [The 5 best things our food writers ate this week]( - [On a Minnesota thrifting road trip, the journey is as priceless as the finds]( - [Savion Glover will bring his drum set and tap shoes to the Dakota]( What we're up to this weekend Every Friday, your friendly neighborhood Essential Minnesota team will share a bit of what we're up to over the weekend. We'd love your suggestions — maybe we'll give 'em a shot and give you a shout-out in Monday's edition. Send your favorite places to sip, hike, bike and more to essential@startribune.com. Here's what we've got on tap: 🏃 I've mentioned my weekend training runs so many times here that I'm starting to feel like a broken record. On Sunday, I'll be up before dawn to head downtown for the Twin Cities 10 Mile race. Good luck to all the runners! - David Taintor 🤘🏽 I'm looking forward to a chill weekend. I'm going to start the new "Love Is Blind" season with some friends tonight. And on Sunday, I hope to cheer on David and everyone else running the marathon. - Zoë Jackson 👟 My weekend also pivots around the 10-mile — first time in my life I've willingly run an organized race. Many months of runs have gone into it, but my training regimen in recent days has mostly been to suffer in non-silence about a persistent ache in my left heel. Good luck to me! (and all the other runners, natch.) - Patrick Condon 🎃 I'm in Sacramento for a wedding right now and I'm flying out to Arkansas for another wedding tomorrow. But don't worry: I'm still keeping up with [my scary movie marathon](. Over the next three days, I'll sneak in viewings of "The Black Phone," "MaxXxine" and the first two sequels to the Spanish paranormal zombie thriller, "Rec." -Eder Campuzano   [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.   Check it out: Mail theft is on the rise in U.S. The days of sending checks in the mail might be waning. Theft via the U.S. Postal Service has surged in recent years. This form of payment has trended out of fashion among younger people, and perhaps for good reason: criminals have upped their game, using better technology to produce counterfeit checks. Robberies of mail carriers have grown, too. Our reporter Mike Hughlett has a story about a Minnesota small business owner who had a check stolen and then successfully cashed for 10 times what he'd intended. [Read more about his ordeal here](. The days of sending large sums of money through the mail might be over. Richard Tsong-Taatariii/The Minnesota Star Tribune MORE FROM THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE - [‘Chief cook and bottle washer’ hands off her beloved Minnesota mom-and-pop resort]( - [Did the Gophers grow enough at Michigan to upset No. 11 Southern California? Randy Johnson’s prediction]( - [Giddy-up! Cafesjian’s Carousel’s original horses at Como Park are still galloping after 110 years.]( CURIOUS MINNESOTA Provided/MnDOT Ever wondered why Minnesota’s rest areas are so nice? The rest stops, which may be the only place some travelers visit in Minnesota, are the subject of this week's edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune's reader-powered reporting project. The 60-plus areas with toilets and the 160 other places to pull off the road are placed strategically to alleviate drowsy or distracted driving, according to MnDOT. [Read more here]( about how Minnesota was ahead of the curve in adding rest stops to highways.     IN OTHER NEWS - [How biochar — the ‘Swiss Army Knife of climate tools’ — is growing in Minnesota]( - MPR News - [Minnesota installing sound wall to fight off invasive flying carp]( - WCCO THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE dberthia via Reddit It is finally feeling like fall out there, and I am so happy. This is some of the best time to spend outdoors we get all year, whether that's on city streets prepping for the big race or up north on a gorgeous river like the Temperance, captured here by a user on Reddit. Have a good weekend, everyone! Thanks for reading Zoe Jackson, reporter David Taintor, 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.