Minnesota
Minnesota United FC loon plate likely ready in fall
For Minnesota soccer fans waiting their turn for a specialty sports plate, the time is almost here.
The Minnesota United FC loon plate will likely be ready for drivers Oct. 1, said Greg Loper, the vehicle services program director of the state’s Driver and Vehicle Services.
What’s it going to look like? Well, “there are going to be letters and there are going to be numbers,” he said.
The design isn’t finalized just yet, but it’s a good bet there will be a common loon on it. The plates will help raise money for the Minnesota Loon Restoration Project from the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
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The Major League Soccer team’s plate joins five other sports team plates, which have been available since January: the Vikings, Lynx, Timberwolves, Twins and Wild. And it joins a growing rolodex of specialty plates. Currently, there are 114 specialty plates on the market, according to DVS.
The influx of specialty plate proposals in recent years has been a sore spot for some lawmakers. In Minnesota, it takes legislation for specialty plates to get approved. That’s part of the reason the MNUFC plate was delayed.
A previous law for sports plates said plate-owners must make an annual contribution to the team’s foundation, but MNUFC doesn’t have a foundation. It took revised language in a law for the Loons to have the go-ahead.
State Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL Minneapolis, serves as the transportation committee chair and said that particular tweak wasn’t too much of a hassle, but he’s growing increasingly tired of the process tied to each specialty plate. So much so that he authored a bill creating a committee to explore an administrative process away from the Capitol. The special license plate review committee will start up in 2025.
“It grew out of my frustration with being confronted with several dozen requests — and these all come as separate bills that take time in the committee hearing process,” Dibble said. “We have much bigger issues that we have to spend time on without having all of our time seized up by all these minor issues of these specialty license plates … we need as much time as we can possibly get. Our committees usually go late. We usually have to put in extra hearings to get all the work done.”
He’s also concerned with plates becoming “politically supercharged” and divisive, he said. He brought up the example of anti-abortion advocates wanting a plate, which would direct money to anti-abortion organizations. That’s not something he wants to have to settle.
“Other states have handled this whole process more efficiently and much better, so we’re going to just take a look at what’s going on around the country and see if there’s a better idea,” he said.
As transportation chair, he’s been vocal about trying to keep specialty plates out, he said — partially because he’s concerned the increased plate variety makes it harder to identify cars.
“But last cycle, a couple of them got through,” he said. “Including the Vikings.”
Despite Dibble’s qualms, there’s no denying specialty plates have been popular on the roads. Since January, the DVS has offered five Minnesota sports teams plates, costing drivers $15.50, plus an annual donation. The Vikings plate is the bestseller, with 2,623 sold, according to the DVS.
That’s followed by Wild plates, with 1,144 sold, then plates for the Twins (1,026), Timberwolves (605) and Lynx (56). To keep the plate, those with sports plates have to make an annual $30 donation to each team’s corresponding foundation — or, rather, philanthropy account, since that law was adjusted.
“I think you’re going to see [sports team plates] becoming a part of our culture,” said Loper, with DVS. “And I smile every time I think that the Minnesota United plate is going to support the Loon Restoration Project. If there’s one thing that’s more iconic than our standard blue and white license plate in Minnesota, it’s the call of a loon.”
The Minnesota United $30 donation to the Loon Restoration Project will go toward reducing loon mortality and exposure to lead-based fishing tackle, as well as protecting nesting habitat.
Other specialty plates that hit the market earlier this year are the blackout plate and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office plate.
Minnesota
INTERVIEW: Minnesota Monthly's Fine Spirits Classic
INTERVIEW: Minnesota Monthly Fine Spirits Classic
Minnesota Monthly’s Fine Spirits Classic will take place on Friday at Omni Viking Lakes Hotel from 6-9 p.m.
General admission tickets are $60 and include unlimited spirits and food samples. Guests must be 21+ with a valid ID.
You’ll be able to sample spirits, vote in a cocktail contest, and more.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS anchor Brett Hoffland sat down with Meghan Gess, director of events and marketing for Greenspring Media, to learn more about the event.
More information is available here.
Minnesota
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Minnesota
PWHL Minnesota draft pick Britta Curl apologizes for social media behavior
Britta Curl, whose second-round selection in Monday’s PWHL draft by Minnesota ignited controversy because of views she has supported on social media, issued an apology to fans in a video released Friday.
Curl, 24, was a two-year team captain for 2023 NCAA women’s hockey champion Wisconsin before Minnesota made her the No. 9 overall pick in Monday’s draft at Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Before the draft, there had been scrutiny over some of the likes she had posted on the X social media platform. These included posts attacking inclusive language toward transgender women, along with COVID-19 conspiracy theories.
“I recognize that recent events have caused many of you to form an opinion about me, about who I am and how I live my life, and I think I owe it to you guys to come on here and directly respond to these concerns,” Curl said in her video, also released on X. “I specifically recognize that my social media activity has resulted in hurt being felt across communities, including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals, and I just want to apologize and take ownership of that.
“I have family members and extremely close friends who are part of these communities, and I love them very much. I’ve always tried to support them in their pursuits. I wish them the greatest success. I want them to be included, and I’m going to continue to do that.”
Minnesota coach Ken Klee faced questions at the draft about Curl’s selection. Only days after the PWHL removed Natalie Darwitz from her general manager position, Klee took over the draft for Minnesota at Roy Wilkins and heard boos when he selected Curl.
“We did our homework on her,” Klee said. “… We talked to coaches who said that she’s a great kid, a great competitor, great in the locker room. I talked to her teammates on USA and some other areas. They said, ‘She’s a great teammate, coach, you’d love to have her.’ “
Curl, a North Dakota native, said in her video that she is honored and grateful to have been drafted by PWHL Minnesota, which won the league’s first championship this month. She said she’s had teammates with different personalities, religious beliefs and political views, “and we’ve always been able to maintain mutual respect and love.
“However,” she added, “I hope to better demonstrate this to PWHL fans and just to the general public. I do not, and I’ve never held, hate or judgment towards any groups or individuals.
“I’ve learned so much through this and I’m seeing it as an opportunity to grow in humility and grow in love. …
To those of you who may still have reservations, I hope you can extend me the grace to prove to you who I really am.”
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