Happy Friday! I’m spending this weekend catching up with friends and heading to the home of my co-host, Shadi Bushra, for a dinner with our families to celebrate The Local’s kickoff. I’ve got some tips below for things to do around town.
But first, I’m talking with William Kent Krueger, a best-selling local author with a new novel set in the Boundary Waters. We also have an early heads-up about an episode of “The Daily” recorded in Minneapolis. Here are a few of today’s top headlines:
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Google went on what MPR News called a “charm offensive” in two Minnesota towns where it planned to build massive data centers, trying desperately to overcome local anger at the projects. Dan Kraker and Molly Castle Work were on the ground.
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Do prosecutors’ efforts to ban people accused of having gang ties from gathering at the State Fair violate their constitutional rights? Mohamed Ibrahim of Sahan Journal digs into the topic.
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Ownership of the Timberwolves and Lynx teams is reportedly changing again. Follow The Minnesota Star Tribune for updates as this story develops.
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Into the woods
When Cork O’Connor sees granola bar wrappers and cigar butts left behind at a Boundary Waters campsite, he senses trouble. Someone who doesn’t know to pack it in, pack it out can’t be trusted. (Spoiler: He’s right.)
O’Connor is the hero of 22 of William Kent Krueger’s novels. His latest, titled “God’s Country,” was published on Tuesday. The story is set largely within the Boundary Waters, where O’Connor, a former cop, fights to stop a pair of dangerous thieves who don’t know the lay of the land.
“You might think of it as ‘Speed’ on canoes,” he told me during a video call.
There is a moment in the novel akin to that movie’s ramp-jump stunt, but the book’s tension has more to do with the laws of morality than the laws of physics.
Back in 2022, Krueger told my colleagueElisabeth Egan that over decades of writing about O’Connor, the character has come to feel like an old friend.
O’Connor is of Ojibwe and Irish descent. Krueger, who does not have Native ancestry, noted that he created the character back in the 1990s, before there was so much focus on issues of cultural appropriation. He said that he’d had friends who were Ojibwe read his draft manuscripts “to make sure that I’m writing a story that does not trespass in an offensive way.”
Krueger lives in St. Paul and often sets his stories up north because, he told me, “you’d be hard-pressed to find a more dramatic setting than northeastern Minnesota.” His novels are popular across the country and make regular appearances on the New York Times best-seller list.
Last year, while visiting an Arizona museum, a stranger recognized him and asked if he was William Kent Krueger.
The author paused to laugh. “Turned out to be a Minnesotan.”
Keep reading: The Times asked 291 experts to vote on the best thrillers of the 21st century.
A watershed moment
After a summer of devastating wildfires, the Boundary Waters area is at the center of a political battle over mining.
Citing environmental risks, Gov. Tim Walz issued a temporary order this week blocking the authorization of mining projects in the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed, which feeds the Boundary Waters. Native American tribes and environmentalists have long fought to block mining there.
That area includes rich deposits of copper and nickel, which a subsidiary of a Chilean company is eager to tap. This spring, a Republican-led measure undid a Biden-era moratorium on mining in the area.
Given that opening a new mine would take years, wildfires will continue to present a more immediate risk. The issue of climate change feeds into the debate over Boundary Waters protection, which The Minnesota Star Tribune notes will loom large in this year’s campaign for governor.
Go deeper: Take an immersive trip through the Boundary Waters in a New York Times Travel feature.
Sports
My co-host, Shadi Bushra, has today’s dispatch:
This month, I had the chance to grab dinner with Alex Barron, who works on the “Daily” podcast. We grabbed some chicken wings on the Bricksworth Beer Co. patio a few blocks from Target Field before his assignment: an episode entirely on the Savannah Bananas.
Yes, we all love rhyming names (more teams should consider it), but that’s not what makes the Bananas noteworthy. Their athleticism is coupled with on-field antics aimed to entertain — and clip perfectly for social media. Think Harlem Globetrotters, but baseball.
Given the team’s theatrics, it’s fitting that their pitcher, Derek Klena, was a Tony-nominated Broadway actor.
What does this mean for the future of baseball? Listen to Sunday’s “Daily” episode to hear the roars at Target Field as our host Natalie Kitroeff experiences the spectacle for herself and talks to Jonathan Abrams about how the Bananas’ “fans first” philosophy have made them one of the most popular sports franchises in the country.
WEATHER
Jay here again. This weekend will range from “can’t complain” to “pretty good,” with largely sunny skies and highs around 80 degrees. Spare a thought for those knights in armor at the Renaissance Festival.
SHANDY TIME
Did you know that shandies were originally made with beer and ginger beer or ginger ale — not lemonade? A beverage specialist for New York Times Cooking, Rebekah Peppler, pays homage to the classic British refresher, the name of which is abbreviated from shandygaff.
If any of my friends are reading this and plan to stop by my place this summer, I apologize in advance for the terrible accent with which I’ll ask, “Shall we have a wee shandygaff, then?” I do not apologize for the mix of freshly squeezed lemonade and Modist Supra Light you will subsequently be served.
OFF HOURS
Three weekend events
Here are outings to consider, whether you want food for thought or just a big turkey leg.
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Gregory Nava’s resonant 1983 border drama “El Norte,” about two teenagers fleeing Guatemala for a less-than-welcoming United States, can be seen in 4K at the Trylon from Friday through Sunday.
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The Minnesota Renaissance Festival opens for the season on Saturday, providing your annual opportunity for light to heavy cosplay and — unless you’re the designated carriage driver — the quaffing of mead (that would be medieval honey wine, for those unacquainted).
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The first-ever Midwest Black Book Fair takes place on Saturday in North Minneapolis. The festival features authors and vendors, as well as workshops on Black literary life in the region. MPR News has the back story.
YOUR TIMES
Top Times stories, selected for Minnesota readers. We have made these links free for readers of The Local.
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Data Centers: It’s not just a Minnesota debate. Gen Z activists across the country have turned their focus to a new foe: the proliferation of A.I. data centers in their communities.
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Cannabis: With Minnesota and a growing number of other states legalizing the recreational use of cannabis, more people say their use of the drug has become problematic.
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Hegseth: There has never been a Pentagon spouse quite like Jennifer Hegseth, the wife of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Here’s a fascinating look at her role, from Elisabeth Bumiller.
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Travel: Flying internationally from MSP? There’s a good chance your layover may be in Seoul, not Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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Surveillance: Americans say they hate being watched, whether by Flock cameras or prying cellphone videos. But can we look away?
JUST ONE MORE THING
The pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks won’t land until next week, but Caribou Coffee in Minnesota has already jumped into fall.
They’ve got several pumpkin drinks and, for extra-local flavor, Honeycrisp apples. Developed at the University of Minnesota, Honeycrisp was named the state’s official fruit 20 years ago. Caribou offers drinks including Honeycrisp Cold Foam and a Frozen Caramel Apple beverage.
“Honeycrisp has been phenomenal for us,” Matt Reiter, a Caribou executive, told The Minnesota Star Tribune in Allison Kaplan’s North Star Insider newsletter (sign up here).
Is there a sign of fall that you’re not sad to see? Snap a photo and send it to [email protected].
Miss our first two newsletters? Here they are: “Hope and Pickles” and “Vaccines and Lip Balm.” Thanks for taking a break with us this afternoon! See you on Monday.
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Feedback? Questions? We’d love to hear from you: [email protected]
Hosts: Shadi Bushra and Jay GablerEditor: Hanna IngberStaff Editor: Talya MinsbergIllustrations: Peter SteineckPhoto Editor: Clinton CargillStrategy: Katherine ChangEditorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren
The post The Local: Drama in the Boundary Waters appeared first on New York Times.
