Politics-light Friday reads from the Minnesota Star Tribune

Plus: Lake Superior sinks an awful lot of ships ☠️ [Plus: Lake Superior sinks an awful lot of ships ☠️] View this email as a [web page]( [The Minnesota Star Tribune](   [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! Big week in the U.S. of A. Let's check in on the non-politics side of things as we head into deer-hunting season 🦌 On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - [Purple Heart vet lost his legs after IED explosion in Afghanistan. But not his spirit.]( - [Minnesota homeowners say they were hit with huge hidden fees when going solar]( - [Clawcades: The new Japanese-style arcade sweeping the Twin Cities]( - [Wolves make a rapid, resounding fourth-quarter rally past the Bulls]( - [Where Minnesota’s politics have shifted over 20 years and 6 presidential elections](   Bugs and Daffy can quit their bickering: It's officially deer-hunting season Brian Peterson/The Minnesota Star Tribune Where's the best place in Minnesota to go deer hunting? What's the weather look like for the season opener? And just how many antlerless permits is the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issuing this year? Buddy, we've got you covered. As the firearms deer season begins, the Minnesota Star Tribune's Outdoors desk has put together a guide of everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask about it. Last year's mild winter may have meant a lack of the typical outdoor recreation we're used to in the North Star State, but DNR Big Game program leader Barb Keller says the weather likely encouraged fawn production in the spring. However, in some regions, many of those young were felled by heavy rain and coyote predation. Read up on the season opener at the links below. Related coverage - [Minnesota’s best deer hunting regions and four other things to know about the 2024 opener]( - [Fewer antlerless permits issued to hunters, but weather, harvest outlook upbeat for deer opener]( - [Send us your Minnesota deer hunting photos]( [Read More](     A quick note on politics Editor Laura McCallum and her reporters, Josie Albertson-Grove, Briana Bierschbach, Ryan Faircloth, Chris Magan and Rochelle Olson have worked their tails off for the last year to cover both a historic presidential election and a wild legislative session in St. Paul. You can [sign up for the daily]([Hot Dish newsletter]( to keep up with their work. They're the fact-gatherers who fuel the impactful photography, insightful graphics and inspired newspaper layouts the rest of the newsroom produces. Let's give them a hand 👏🏽 GOING OUT - [The 5 best things our food writers ate in the Twin Cities area this week]( - [Review: Little Big Town and Sugarland bring harmony in divisive times]( - [Scene Makers Q&A: How Christopher Seebeck went from karaoke to a Garth Brooks tribute band]( 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: 😮 This weekend, my friends and I are catching the Minnesota Roller Derby's first bout of the season at the Roy in St. Paul. It's a blast and the people-watching can't be beat. - Lisa Legge, Greater Minnesota Desk team leader 🍳 Getting brunch at Uptown Diner! - Deena Winter, Minneapolis city reporter 😴 I am catching up on sleep after working overnight on Tuesday. (I know the scientists and doctors will say there's no such thing as catching up on sleep but LALALALALALA, I don't hear them.) - Nancy Yang, senior editor for audience engagement 🎭 My daughter, Paige, and her Apple Valley High School theater cohorts are putting on the final three performances of their fall production: "[Sister Act, A Divine Musical Comedy](." This is a family full-circle moment of sorts. I am a proud theater vet, and had the pleasure of playing the role of Sister Mary Patrick in a school production of "Sister Act" many, many years ago. - Brian Stensaas, multiplatform editing team leader 🎉 As for me, I'll be in my hometown of McMinnville, Ore., celebrating my mom's 66th birthday! - Eder Campuzano, Essential Minnesota lead author   [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.   Will the Gophers extend their winning streak to five this weekend? As an alumnus of a freshly inducted Big Ten school, this Duck has been watching the Gopher football program with particular interest this year. How will Minnesota fare at Rutgers this weekend as the season begins to wind down? Randy Johnson [has the run-down here](. Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune MORE FROM THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE - [Minnesota History Center’s ‘Girlhood’ exhibit examines roles, restrictions and rebellions]( - [Itasca County voters re-elect dead commissioner]( - [Late gun safety activist’s message lives on in billboard]( CURIOUS MINNESOTA Anthony Soufflé/The Minnesota Star Tribune You know about the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald and the "gales of November." What about Atlanta? Adella Shores? The barquentine Nucleus? Lake Superior has claimed at least 550 ships over the years, and those vessels are the focus of this week's edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune's reader-powered reporting project. Reporter Christa Lawler is the talent behind Curious Minnesota this go-around. Read up on more of the ships that have sunk in the largest lake in the Western Hemisphere [at the link here](. IN OTHER NEWS - [Funny Asian Women Kollective plans ‘night of healing’ with Dulcé Sloan at the Fitz]( - Sahan Journal - [Why do so many new-construction homes look so abysmal?]( - Racket - [POST Board adopts model policy for school resource officers]( - KSTP     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE @midwestern_ope via X They say you are what you eat. And it would come as no surprise to me that Minnesotans are composed of equal parts ranch dressing and cheese curds. Me? There's probably a decent amount of Caribou coffee and enchilada sauce in my molecular makeup. Anyway, this X post from @midwestern_ope made me giggle, and I hope it does the same for you. Thanks for reading Eder Campuzano, 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.