Bill Lindeke

A chilly morning in downtown #Minneapolis, so the Capella Tower space heater has been turned on

i genuinely cannot process how debased our ruling class is. these guys will walk around all day in shoes that don't fit rather than tell their boss he's wrong. this whole thing where they pretend a stupid evil guy with brain damage is qualified to run every aspect of everyone's life is unacceptable

Pioneer Press: 4 pedestrians killed by drivers *so far this year* in St. Paul. 2025: 8 pedestrians or bike riders, 2024: 5, 2023: 2.

The US Is Counting Traffic Deaths Wrong By emphasizing the number of people killed per mile rather than deaths per capita, traffic safety groups risk normalizing the factors that make American roads so deadly.

Another banger article by @davidzipper.bsky.social about how measuring roadway fatalities by mile rather than per capita normalizes what makes US roads dangerous.

Countries that use per capita are focused on safety results. We are focused on excuses.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

How Trump and His Advisers Miscalculated Iran’s Response to War

“The administration announced on Tuesday a new refinery in Texas that officials said could help increase oil supply, ensuring that Iran does not cause any long-term damage to oil markets.” (LOL) www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/u...

you draw up that ad for amtrak?
sure did boss, diarrhea money shot just like you asked

Headed to L.A.* soon to see this for myself.

* Venice Beach bsky.app/profile/futu...

RIP

Time for the mustache and glasses

Housing affordability is slipping in Minnesota — state policy can help • Minnesota Reformer The cause is clear — Minnesota hasn’t built enough homes to keep up with demand.

"The situation is straightforward: There are too few homes, with heavy competition for each of them." minnesotareformer.com/2026/03/09/h...

Billionaires’ % share of federal election spending in:

2008: 0.3%

2024: 19%

@nytimes.com #GildedAge
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...

Read this. Let it break you.

Doesn't even make sense as an insult.

Ideal candidate for pedestrianization. (But, then again, it's been ideal for that since the 1980s.)

I peeked in just last week and it looked gutted.

New bar to open this spring in former Pracna on Main space Two Minneapolis entrepreneurs are behind Lonely's Bar.

Minneapolis' oldest bar returning... too bad they gutted all the nice woodwork. bringmethenews.com/minnesota-li...

Move to St. Paul.

Pete Hegseth Blew Billions on Fruit Basket Stands, Chairs, and Crab The Defense Department went on a $93 billion spending spree in 2025.

"In the last 5 days of September, the department blew through $50.1B on just grants & contracts. For context, only 9 countries spend that much on the entirety of their defense budget per year, more than the total military budgets of Canada & Mexico combined." newrepublic.com/post/207555/...

How Much are North Loop’s 4th Street Onramps Costing Minneapolis? Like most freeways, I long took the 4th Street viaducts for granted. They just loomed there at the edge of downtown taking up space, hoisted 30’ in the air like a helium whale. A grey meaningless c…

I did this same estimate a few years ago and had a smaller number,... streets.mn/2021/03/31/h...

North Loop Viaduct – Sensible Urbanism and Finances When discussing the benefits of better urban planning, the financial benefits to the area must also be taken into account.

Another napkin analysis of the lost tax revenue of the (very marginal) North Loop I-94 onramps: $18 million a year. streets.mn/2026/03/09/n...

Remember Sam Deduno

Eagan pedestrian killed in hit-and-run is identified; driver with drunken driving record is jailed The driver was arrested and awaits charges.

Leslie Anne Youngberg of Richfield "was a devoted single parent to her 16-year-old son..." www.startribune.com/pedestrian-k...

Bond villain space mirrors "sold to cities to illuminate streets"... reminds me of Fuller's NYC dome to save money on snow removal.

Microplastics and nanoplastics in urban air originate mainly from tire abrasion, research reveals Although plastic particles in the air are increasingly coming into focus, knowledge about their distribution and effects is still limited. Chemical analyses from Leipzig now provide details from Germa...

Around 4% of particulate matter consists of plastic, TWO-THIRDS comes from tire abrasion.

"...people in a city like Leipzig inhale approximately 2.1 micrograms of plastic per day through the air, which increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 9% and from lung cancer by 13%."

Blaine could ban backyard tiny homes after plans for homeless family stirred conflict A homeowner’s proposal to build a backyard dwelling for a family in need set off a neighborhood dispute and a legal fight.

The idea of having more than one home on a large suburban lot should not be revolutionary, and yet... www.startribune.com/blaine-vote-...

That's a good question that I'll answer someday in a 1,200-word column.

Metro Transit celebrates progress in light-rail operator staffing - MinnPost Metro Transit’s labor crunch isn’t just for the front-of-the-house staff. There’s a separate staffing problem involving mechanics.

I feel like it was 2024 also. They are funded for 10-minute headways (and longer spans into the evening?) but there is an ongoing, interminable operator shortage that nobody seems able to solve. www.minnpost.com/cityscape/20...

There sure is! Hopefully it's better than last year's dud. Hope to see you there.

It was not an option. Would be interesting downtown though!

Every chance I get to talk to anyone in charge at the agency, I bring up the need for (funded, planned) 10-minute headways and better signal priority. Nothing meaningful has changed since they went from 15- to 12-minute headways about 2 years back...