Bob CollinsImages from the Southeast storms, the seven sisters of Loyola, sun of Art Crawl, the walleye matchmaker, and the best baseball fan.
1) TORNADO VIDEO
Minnesota had a record number of tornadoes last summer. From the way the season is starting in the U.S., we may again find ourselves in tornado alley. With the prevalence of video cameras in phones, there are more tornado videos than ever; they’ve become boring in their similarity.
But not last night.
Untitled from Crimson Tide Productions on Vimeo.
I couldn’t tell which way the tornado was moving. Could you? Could the videographer?
Tornadoes struck all over Alabama and the southeast last evening. I don’t know if we’ve ever seen a warning map anything like this:
I’m no expert on tornadoes, but shouldn’t you put your brakes on here?
Some of the images are breathtaking…
Over 170 people are dead. It’s the biggest death toll from tornadoes since the 1940s.
2) WHEN PEOPLE DO GOOD (Cont’d)
Meet “the seven sisters of Loyola,” who have donated kidneys to either complete strangers or casual acquaintances in the last year. It apparently sets some sort of world record, although there’s no indication that was the idea behind it all.
3) SUN OF ART CRAWL
If the rain ever ends — and maybe even if it doesn’t — the St. Paul Sound Crawl will step off Friday evening as part of the St. Paul Art Crawl. Parades and such usually ignore the weather, but Laptopia probably can’t. The marching band bills itself as the world’s only solar-powered laptop band.
Sound Crawl begins at McNally Smith College of Music (19 Exchange St. E), marches to Mears Park and around St. Paul’s Lowertown.
4) THE JOBS WE DO: THE WALLEYE MATCHMAKER
A couple of DNR workers spent yesterday “milking” a female of her eggs and then “prepping” a male walleye, the Bemidji Pioneer noted in this picture. We’re pretty sure those are nice terms for a family newspaper.
5) THE BEST BASEBALL FAN? IT’S THIS GUY
My Twitter followers know I’m a big fan of the Cleveland Indians but even if I weren’t, this is a record worth considering. John Adams attended his 3,000th Indians game last night. He started bringing his friend in 1973.
A tradition like this would never be allowed to take root in Minnesota. It almost didn’t start in Cleveland. “It was Date Night, and 16 people came and sat right in front of me,” he told the New York Times. “A guy sitting in front of me said, ‘You’re not going to hit that thing, are you?’ ”
To honor the fan, the team is invited everyone attending Sunday’s game to bring a drum.
More sports: In an op-ed in today’s in the Star Tribune, a Republican lawmaker says if/when the Vikings move from Minnesota, we’ll live.
Why should elected officials influence those decisions? Why is it inherently more virtuous to spend money at a sports bar in downtown Minneapolis than at a local eatery five minutes from home?
Obviously, it isn’t. But the local bar owner in St. Cloud doesn’t have the political clout to get help from the government.
TODAY’S QUESTION
There is speculation that the wedding of Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton could draw an even bigger worldwide audience than that of William’s parents in 1981. Do the lives of the royals interest you?
WHAT WE’RE DOING
Midmorning (9-11 a.m.) – First hour: Nature Conservancy lead scientist M. Sanjayan.
Second hour: Janis Ian performs in the Maud Moon Weyerhauser studio
Midday (11 a.m. – 1 p.m.) – First hour: Steven VanEvera on cabinet/ambassador reshuffle.
Second hour: Bright Ideas: Nick LaRusso of Mayo Clinic.
Talk of the Nation (1-3 p.m.) – First hour: Recovering from a life of prostitution.
Second hour: Color-blind parenting and trans-racial adoption.
All Things Considered (3-6:30 p.m.) – The number of homeless Minnesotans has jumped over the past few years. Some people end up in shelters where they get three meals a day. It’s a break from the daily struggle to get enough food, and allows time to get the rest of their lives in order. But the nutrition at shelters and meal programs really varies. In Ramsey County, a group of meal providers is looking for ways to improve nutrition for the homeless. MPR’s Julie Siple will have the story.
