First North Carolina, now Mississippi. The Star Tribune’s Paul Walsh writes, “Gov. Mark Dayton, in response to Mississippi making it legal for people there to be denied service based on sexual orientation, instructed Minnesota state employees to refrain from any nonessential travel to that Southern state as long as its law remains in force. … Dayton’s move Wednesday follows the same order he issued Saturday aimed at North Carolina over that state’s efforts to limit gay rights.”

Turns out CSI is not a documentary. MPR’s Cathy Wurzer and Riham Feshir report, “Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman relied on DNA evidence when he declined to charge two Minneapolis police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark. At one point, he described the DNA findings as ‘truth serum.’ … Experts, however, say DNA results are not as certain as they may appear to be and that the DNA evidence in the Clark shooting would have likely been challenged in court.”

Minneapolis wasn’t always all craft breweries and lumbersexuals. At City Pages, Erica Rivera writes, “Minneapolis was once home to a massive skid row in the Gateway District. Seasonal workers, pensioners, criminals, and alcoholics, dubbed ‘gandy dancers,’ stumbled from bar to bar, bloodied each other in fights, pissed in alleyways, and passed out in cubicle-sized rooms in cage hotels. Church mission workers preached in storefronts in an attempt to save their souls while undercover sociology grad students tried to understand them. … Through 25 interviews with Bacich before his death in 2012, Star Tribune columnist James Eli Shiffer compiled the stories and images of this bygone era for his new book, ‘The King of Skid Row: John Bacich and the Twilight Years of Old Minneapolis.’ He spoke with City Pages in advance of the book’s launch on Thursday night at the Mill City Museum.”

Maybe there just isn’t that much demand for sour grapes. Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine’s Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl gave chef Russell Klein the opportunity to vent in the wake of the closing of his Foreign Legion wine bar (and Brasserie Zentral, which closed in January) in Minneapolis: “So, a full retreat to the friendlier streets of St. Paul? Indeed, Klein has retained the Foreign Legion name and branding and may at sometime or other bring it back to life—in St. Paul. He has not felt much love from the mean streets of Minneapolis. ‘It’s incredibly tough to make a go of it in the Minneapolis downtown core,’ says Klein. ‘Minneapolis has the highest food and beverage sales taxes in the country, I guess to pay for all those stadiums; I hope Zygi (Wilf, Vikings owner) is enjoying himself. But the political and governmental regulatory environment is difficult,’ he says. ‘When news of Zentral closing broke, I got a nice text from Chris Coleman (mayor of St. Paul) expressing condolences. I didn’t hear from Betsy Hodges, (mayor of Minneapolis), not from my councilperson, not from the councilperson who represents the district starting across the street, nothing. My only contact from the city of Minneapolis was an email from a license inspector saying: If you’re going to shrink premises you need to file a new permit application and pay a fee. Nothing about the 42 people who were laid off, nothing about the loss of tax base, just nothing. That’s the difference between Minneapolis and St. Paul now. In St. Paul, top to bottom, the government acts like they want you to be there. In Minneapolis, top to bottom, it’s very clear nobody gives a shit. It’s not a coincidence that Revival is opening their second location in St. Paul.’”

In other news…

Well, we’re certainly familiar with four seasons around here: “Developers say they’re working with Four Seasons on tower at end of Nicollet Mall” [Star Tribune]

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Uh, well, yes: “Big banks ‘easy punching bag’: Gov. Pawlenty” [CNBC]

Five grand to go from St. Louis to St. Paul: “New French America Line to set sail on U.S. rivers in August” [LA Times]

Or else no juice boxes: “Minnesota Vikings, Wells Fargo ordered to settlement conference about alleged photo-bombing signs” [Star Tribune]

Wonder if those “mom and pop” liquor stores will carry this: “LTD Brewing makes beer to protest Sunday liquor sale ban” [The Growler]

And who will pay the bill? “A Plan to Change a Beloved Stamp Is Ruffling Feathers” [New York Times]

Slightly different lineup from Rock the Garden: “Bluestem summer concert lineup to include Bret Michaels, Weird Al, Brandi Carlile” [Inforum]