Welcome to the Election Haven edition of The Glean. No election news, for the next 475 words or so.
4-H and the University of Minnesota Extension teamed up last winter to help more than 650 students grow Atlantic Giant pumpkins as part of a contest called “Grow a Monster: Supersize My Pumpkin.” The heaviest pumpkins topped 200 lbs, and awards were given out in categories like strangest shape and orangest pumpkin. To all those kids, I say: gourd job, gourd effort. (For the record, I definitely did not think 4-Hers was a website selling prescription drugs for women.)
A man in White Bear Lake drew a gun at a gas station and then led police on an 18-mile chase in a stolen car. He was apprehended when pursuers executed a PIT maneuver. What’s a PIT maneuver, you might ask, because I definitely did. The acronym stands for Precision Immobilization Technique (bit of an ATM machine situation calling it a PIT maneuver) and it’s executed by pulling alongside the vehicle being pursued and nosing the pursuit vehicle into the area behind the rear tire of the other vehicle. Since the rear of a car is lighter than the front (unless the suspect is driving a Porsche 911), it’s easier to force the vehicle to lose traction and spin to a stop.
Around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, the gift shop at the Two Harbors Lighthouse caught fire. The cause remains unclear, but the Lake County Historical Society, which runs the lighthouse and gift shop, said the damage is extensive.
You can’t show me a kid who wouldn’t dream of a backyard fort of their very own, and that’s the vision that Adam Rasmussen is bringing to life with his company Fortz. Like many parents, he desperately needed to get his kid outside during the pandemic, but unlike many parents, he leveraged his experience building geodesic domes and tiny homes to make his son a wooden fort. Now he’s booked for months, and every project is completely custom.
Also, you can’t show me a nerd who wouldn’t dream of a bookstore of their very own, and Danielle Weber is making a permanent home for her bookstore-on-wheels Rolling Chapters in Cottage Grove. The new space will have a large patio, a fireplace and a waterfall feature, things that more bookstores should aspire to.
And finally in your Minnesota news roundup: Joe Jonas (you know, the cute one) is apparently a gourmand and fan of Diane’s Place in Northeast Minneapolis. Jonas and his band ate there before his show at Grand Casino Theater, just about a year after his first time at the Hmong restaurant. If you’d like to follow in his footsteps, make your reservation now because it will probably be next fall before you get in, but hey, maybe you’ll bump into him then.
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