Star Tribune
Researchers launch new Minnesota state flag and University of Minnesota flag into space
Two months after Minnesota’s new state flag went up poles across the state, it went up into outer space.
A group of students and instructors at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Mechanical Engineering sent American, Minnesotan and school flags above the atmosphere earlier this week, as part of a research mission.
The photos, posted to several social media sites, show the three flags high above a cloud-spotted Earth. It inspired pride among commenters and thousands of likes, comments and reposts.
“Well that’s friggin sweet,” Gov. Tim Walz posted on X.
The flags stowed away with a “research payload” from the Laboratory for Nano Optics and Mechanics at the university.
About a half-dozen students led by Profs. Ognjen Ilic and James Flaten launched Wednesday morning from Montgomery. The payload hung from a balloon above the state for several hours before returning to Earth.
Ilic said the group is researching nanocomposite materials — strong but lightweight materials that could be used in “next generation” spacecraft and satellites — and how they react in the colder, radiation-heavy environment of space.
Similar projects have been carried out before by the university, but the state’s recent decision to adopt a new flag inspired the team to include it this time.
“We have a new state flag and we were excited to represent the U and of course it kind of felt like it would look awesome,” Ilic said. “Then we thought it would be nice to share with everyone else.”
Some Minnesotans admitted they are still warming up to the new flag. Seeing it high in the cosmos has helped.
“I’ve had a hard time accepting the new flag … but gotta say that in space it looks cool,” one Reddit commenter wrote, adding a thumbs-up emoji.
“I don’t even know why, this just really gave me a warm fuzzy feeling to see!” another wrote.
Of course, others would have preferred to see the famous “Laser Loon” design that ultimately was not chosen as the state’s new flag. Ilic agrees it would have been “awesome,” but he said he was thrilled to see the photos inspire such enthusiasm.
“We share that very much,” he said.
More people than ever rode Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) buses from the southern suburbs to the State Fair this year, and the agency set six daily ridership records.
MVTA provided 127,220 rides to and from the Great Minnesota Get-Together during its 12-day run, which beat the previous record of 110,718 set last year, according to figures the agency released this week.
Meanwhile, Metro Transit saw State Fair ridership of nearly 331,000, which marked a 14% increase over last year, the agency said Wednesday.
The MVTA started out by providing a record 8,526 rides on the fair’s opening day on Aug. 22. That was followed the next day when more than 11,200 people rode MVTA buses to the fair. But by the midpoint of the fair, overall ridership was lagging behind last year’s numbers, said spokesman Richard Crawford.
A strong Labor Day weekend rewrote the history books. On Friday, MVTA provided 16,752 rides, which was a record. But that mark fell two days later on Sunday when ridership hit 18,528 .
“It was a very interesting year with ebbs and flows based on the weather,” said MVTA Chief Executive Officer Luther Wynder. “The extreme heat on the first Monday and threats of storms during the week kept attendance down. People were ready to go on the days with pleasant forecasts.”
Metro Transit expanded its park and ride offerings by adding lots in Maplewood and Maple Grove, and that helped push overall ridership on express and regular-route buses to nearly 331,000, said Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras.
Metro Transit had about 100 extra buses in service each day during the fair to meet demand, Kandaras said.
“It is super inconvenient, and it also kind of destroys the shopping experience,” said Kate D. Gallagher, 30, of St. Paul, adding shopping at her nearby Midway Target can be a hassle with so many items under lock and key. “It feels like Target is treating its clients like criminals, and we’re not. We’re just customers.”
According to the National Retail Federation’s 2023 retail security survey, the average shrink rate for fiscal year 2022 was 1.6%, representing $112.1 billion in losses, an increase from the year prior but in line with 2020 and 2019. Shrink is made up of three main elements, per the survey: external theft, including organized retail crime; employee theft; and process, control failures, errors and other known and unknown problems.
To cut those losses, Target recently lowered its product value threshold for shoplifting intervention from $100 to $50. Many store employees avoid confronting thieves when there could be potential safety risks or large disturbances, but asset protection workers have specific training and protocol to help them make stops.
Fiddelke said smaller shrink was “one of the tailwinds” to Target’s recent profits, which shot up more than 40% in the past few months as compared to the same time last year.
Mueller lamented in an online review of his local Target how it “converted half the store into a museum of deodorant, toothpaste, laundry detergent, shampoos and vitamins.”
He — like Gallagher, who enjoys being able to freely compare products, look at ingredients and smell or feel items — will also venture to the suburbs for necessities. But not all shoppers will go out of their way after they are inconvenienced, said Brand Elverston, a risk mitigation consultant who used to work as an asset protection director at Walmart.
Star Tribune
As Gov. Walz campaigns across the country, how much time is he spending governing Minnesota?
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has been campaigning almost nonstop since Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris selected him to be her running mate, leaving little time for him to spend at home governing.
The daily schedule published by the governor’s office has become repetitive since Walz was elevated to the presidential ticket on Aug. 6: “Governor Tim Walz has no public events scheduled,” the schedule has stated every day but two. On Aug. 12 and Aug. 26, Walz interviewed candidates for judicial vacancies.
Walz was back in Minnesota on Sunday for a brief visit to the State Fair. He told reporters he’s leaned on his team to help manage his schedule and balance his governor duties while on the campaign trail.
“We appointed three great judges last week in Ramsey County,” Walz said at the fair. He added that his team updates him throughout the day, and he goes over memos and speaks with commissioners every night.
The governor’s chief of staff, Chris Schmitter, and communications director, Teddy Tschann, have also joined the Harris-Walz campaign. Schmitter continues to work limited hours with the state, “ensuring the Governor always has the latest information from our office and cabinet,” said Claire Lancaster, the governor’s spokeswoman.
Lancaster said in a statement that “our office is still running as it always has — core functions haven’t changed.”
“The Governor is still meeting with staff, interviewing judges, and making decisions,” Lancaster said. “Our Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Carlbom has taken over day-to-day management of the office and Anne O’Connor continues to lead the cabinet.”
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Walz’s second-in-command, would become governor if he is elected to the White House in November. She said in an interview last week that she’s in frequent contact with Walz while he’s on the campaign trail. Even when he isn’t in Minnesota, Flanagan said Walz is making major decisions and steering the state.
