Star Tribune
With Spike Lee actor, Penumbra’s ‘Basquiat’ channels painter whose piece fetched $110 million
Are these just coincidences or do they have deeper spiritual resonances? Smith’s juxtapositions give his thoughts away. For “Basquiat” is personal and loving, and filled with emotion, even as the performer delivers on a mostly bare stage with a lit crown painted by artist Seitu Jones.
Some have likened Basquiat’s prodigious output to jazz if the music erupted like paint onto canvas from the tough subway grilles of his native New York.
“Basquiat” nods to that soundscape. Smith teams with longtime collaborator Mark Anthony Thompson, whose sound design efficiently evokes the dancefloor where Smith and Basquiat first meet with an excerpt of Africa “Planet Rock.” Thompson also uses plinks and underscoring as well. These aural treatments, augmented by lighting designer Wen Chen Khoo’s aurora borealis color palette, help to propel Smith’s story.
In life, Basquiat the artist drew on encyclopedic influences, from music to literature, graffiti to Da Vinci. Through whispers and vocal tics, Smith draws us into the artist’s spirit. We listen hard, as if to hear the secrets of a figure who remains ineffable, perhaps not fully knowable, even as we take in the startling lyricism of his channeled genius.
When: 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 4 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 27.
Where: Penumbra Theatre, 270 N. Kent St., St. Paul.
An administrative law judge on Friday dismissed a complaint against Rep. Josh Heintzeman who was accused of violating the Fair Campaign Practices Act by allegedly pressuring the Pequot Lakes Police Chief into supporting him.
Chief Mike Davis said he felt intimidated by Heintzeman, a Republican lawmaker from neighboring Nisswa who is seeking a fifth term. Heintzeman made a series of phone calls to the chief, mayor and law enforcement agencies after the incumbent learned that Davis signed the successful petition for Troy Scheffler to enter the House District 6B race as a third-party candidate.
In mid-September, Scheffler filed the complaint against Heintzeman with the Office of Administrative Hearings, arguing that he violated laws by indirectly threatening loss of employment to compel Davis into ending his support of Scheffler.
On Tuesday, administrative law judge Megan McKenzie heard arguments and testimony to determine if there are sufficient facts to believe such violation occurred. McKenzie issued an order for dismissal three days later.
She wrote that evidence does not establish a clear nexus between Heintzeman’s phone calls and compelling Davis to cast his ballot in a particular way. She did write that the “number and nature of calls made by [Heintzeman] was perhaps more than was prudent for an elected official.”
Davis testified that none of his superiors pressured him into not supporting Scheffler or to vote for Heintzeman. Mayor Tyler Gardner testified that he did not feel Heintzeman was threatening him or the city’s funding during their phone call. Gardner said Heintzeman never demanded that he fire Davis for supporting Scheffler.
Heintzeman said his calls were mostly out of concern with the city’s civil service policy as Davis was attempting to serve civil paperwork to Heintzeman outside the jurisdiction of Pequot Lakes. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Matthew Zinda, who ran against Heintzeman in the August primary.
Scheffler has also sued Heintzeman for defamation and filed other campaign complaints against him. Heintzeman previously told the Minnesota Star Tribune that Scheffler is running a “campaign by lawsuit.”
Maplewood’s move last month follows similar action in White Bear Lake in 2022 opposing the project, which was initially planned to reach Hinckley. White Bear Lake’s vote spurred Purple Line transit planners to rethink the route, even though municipalities along proposed BRT lines in the Twin Cities aren’t required to support such projects.
Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt, a longtime Purple Line supporter who serves on the Corridor Management Committee, said in an interview this week that there’s “some misinformation out there, we are really trying to work with the community, there are a lot of players and some strong support” for the project.
That includes state and local lawmakers in the area, Century College, healthcare practices and nonprofits.
“We still have so much to learn,” Reinhardt said. “The bottom line is we need transit in the east metro if was are going to grow and improve our quality of life.”
A happy ending for a puppy who got a rough start. Long before the P!nk Summer Carnival Tour came to town, Graham Cracker, his mother and litter mates were abandoned in the Arkansas woods. Until a little girl named Autumn came along and started feeding the hungry mama as she nursed her babies under a rural deer stand. Eventually, Autumn’s mother realized what was happening and they called a local rescue, Jak’s, who called The Bond Between.
That’s the magic of animal rescue, Mairose said. It’s never just one person saving a puppy like Graham Cracker. It takes rescuers, fosters, volunteers and finally, someone to step up and adopt. But this story, she said, “started with Autumn.”
Graham Cracker the puppy has come a long way since a little girl named Autumn found him, his mother, and his litter mates abandoned in the Arkansas woods. Now the pup is going on tour with Pink.
The Bond Between took in mama dog, renamed Autumn in honor of their original rescuer, and all the puppies. Graham Cracker and one brother were the only ones left. So if you missed your chance to road trip with Graham Cracker, there’s always S’More.
S’More appears to have very fuzzy ears and a snoot made for bopping. And he’s just one of the pets waiting for a forever home, or a foster family, or a volunteer to swing by your local rescue or shelter or animal control to play with them.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of this place,” said Mairose, who also needs fosters to take in pets temporarily while their owners deal with their own hard times, including homeless veterans and people escaping abusive relationships.
To quote Pink: “If you guys ever could foster doggies, it’s a really lovely thing to do.”
