By Rich Larson, News Director
A Dakota County court yesterday granted Attorney General Keith Ellison’s request for a temporary injunction against Alibi Drinkery in Lakeville,
mandating that the establishment must stop all in-person, on premises dining and service.
The Alibi Drinkery, owned by Lisa Monet Zarza who also owns the Alibi at Froggy Bottoms in Northfield, opened to full service, in-person dining on December 15th in violation of the state’s shut-down order. Zarza has been outspoken in her opposition to public health restrictions.
The decision against Alibi Drinkery read, in part, “The actions of the Defendant in this time of unprecedented disease transmission, illness and death are both against the law and harmful. Their blatant and intentional defiance of the law is directly promoting the spread of Covid-19, exposing their customers and employees to disease.”
“The Alibi’s arguments,” wrote the court, “are without merit and devoid of factual or legal support.”
Ellison filed suit on behalf of the State of Minnesota against Alibi Drinkery on December 17th and was granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting the Alibi from remaining open. However, the establishment has continued to operate indoor, on-premises dining intermittently since then. The court’s decision converts the restraining order to an injunction that will remain in place for the duration of the State’s lawsuit. Failure to comply with the injunction could result in being found in civil contempt of court and a revocation of Alibi’s liquor license by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
David Rush sets records with a purpose
Frequent listeners to the KYMN Morning show will recognize the name David Rush. Rush is the Idaho man who has spent the better part of 2020 pursuing his hobby of breaking Guinness World Records. Rush has broken more than 175 World Records in the last few years. His goal for 2020 was to break 52 records, thereby averaging one record a week, and when he spoke to Jeff Johnson yesterday on the KYMN morning show, he stood at 51.
“Last night [I set the record] for the Longest Duration of Balancing a Pool Cue on the Forehead. It’s one I held previously, but it had been broken so I had to take it back. The first time I broke it, I got an hour. It was at two hours and fifteen minutes, so last night I stood in my house for two hours and sixteen minutes, until I just about collapsed and fell over from being so dizzy.
Rush’s world record endeavors have a purpose behind them. As a Senior Project Manager with Cradlepoint Technology and a graduate of MIT, he has seen a decline in the interest of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, education. Feeling the need to promote STEM education, if for no other reason than to be able to hire young people for his company, he developed a plan to both grab the attention of young people and promote the pathways of math and science, by setting a world record. His decision came from a personal philosophy.
“It’s so hard to get those STEM degrees. A lot of people struggle with math or fail a science test and say ‘I could never become an engineer.’ I’ve been trying to change that perception. I went through the public education system in Idaho and I did just fine when I got to MIT. After a while I started to think ‘How do I make this message stick better?’ and I read a book by Carol Dweck called Growth Mindset. The idea is that if you have a growth mindset you can get better at literally anything. And if you believe you can get better at things you actually get better at them faster. So, I decided that I was going to break a Guiness World Record to show that if you set your mind to a goal, believe in yourself and pursue it with passion, you can accomplish anything.”
Rush has taken his message public by working with young people and as a public speaker. He said the students respond to the records he holds and the determination he has shown to claim them.
“The students always react well to the Guiness World Records titles, because it’s a fascinating thing and it captures people’s imaginations. And then I tie it into science and technology. If you’re struggling at math or failing at science, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It just means you need to work hard. And failure is not what defines you. What defines you is the way you respond to failure. And so if you fail at math and say ‘I can’t be any good at math,’ you’re not going to be good. But if you say ‘Hey, I want to break this Guinness World Record title and become the world’s fastest juggler… I can tell you, I tried and I failed and I wasn’t going to become the world’s fastest juggler. The record stood at 422 catches in one minute. And then I developed this growth mindset and said, ‘No, I’m going to do this. I’m not going to try, I am going to do this,’ and I wouldn’t give up until I did it. I went from not being able to get 422 catches in a minute to now having over 586 catches in one minute.”
Rush said that young people who have an interest in STEM need to engage more. They should find a mentor or join an organization that will foster their interests and help them learn.
Rush has written a book entitled Breaking Records about his exploits. For more information, visit davidrush4stem.com
Big Woods State Park closed this weekend
And the Nerstrand Big Woods State Park will be closed once again
to the public this weekend for a special deer hunt.
The park is shut down Saturday and Sunday so the DNR can facilitate the hunt as part of a program to combat Chronic Wasting Disease.
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is within the C-W-D management zone known as deer permit area 605. That makes the park an important partner during this hunt, according to Ed Quinn of the D-N-R’s division of Parks and Trails.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease for deer. Hunters can learn more about CWS and find testing sites at mndnr.gov/cwd