Brainerd, Bemidji and beyond:
news from your neck of the woods
Good morning, Lakes Country. I need to quiz readers and offer door prizes more often because it sure was a delight hearing from you on yesterday's quiz about the smallest town in Minnesota. Several of you emailed the correct answer, but Terry Crooker from Cass Lake was the first to say Funkley. It's impossible to mention Funkley without this song playing in my head. A reader in Duluth guessed Waskish, on the shores of Upper Red Lake, but it has about 90 more people than Funkley's dozen residents. If the coolness of a town's name determined its size, Funkley would be the metropolitan capital of Minnesota.
On again, off again: When a national news story hits, the Minnesota Star Tribune is quick to assemble a team of reporters to find the local impacts and translate what it means to Minnesotans. Everyone pitches in. Such was the case in recent days when the federal funding freeze caused whiplash for Minnesota agencies, service providers and community members spiraling over potential cuts. Two days after the Trump administration announced plans to freeze trillions of dollars in federal funding the president Wednesday rescinded the memo. My greater Minnesota colleague Jana Hollingsworth in Duluth and I contributed reactions from tribal governments in our areas. The story includes impacts from Medicaid and Center for Victims of Torture to Section 8 housing assistance to help for people to pay energy bills.
Golden eggs: Our greater Minnesota columnist Karen Tolkkinen writes about the high cost of eggs. She says you can find them for $3 or $4 a dozen if you’re lucky enough to know someone with laying hens. Or you can spend $10 or more at gas stations. Grade A large eggs are going for around $7.50 a dozen at grocery stores. "Once a reliable source of cheap protein, eggs are shockingly expensive, especially for those on a tight budget," Tolkkinen writes.
Stars of the Future: TheStars of the Future fundraising gala at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Minneapolis showcased the talents of 14 Minnesota high school culinary teams, all part of the ProStart program run by Hospitality Minnesota. Dozens of chefs were buzzing around their stations inside a ballroom, putting finishing touches on their dishes. The story features teen chefs from NRHEG, Sauk Rapids-Rice, North Branch and Duluth.
