2026.05.11

[lsanderson]

Less than half of kindergartners in the north-central Minnesota city of Menahga are vaccinated for measles, reports the Minnesota Star Tribune. Statewide the measles vaccination rate for kindergartners is 86%, compared to 92% nationally. In Menahga it’s 49%. Via MinnPost
https://www.startribune.com/in-one-small-minnesota-city-less-than-half-of-kindergartners-are-vaccinated-for-measles/601601089

No going topless at the beach in Blaine, reports Bring Me The News. Despite a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling declaring breasts don’t constitute indecent exposure, the Blaine City Council decided to pass an ordinance disagreeing with that and updating its own nudity law. Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/blaine-updates-nudity-law-following-minnesota-supreme-court-decision

1 dead after Minneapolis crash involving Metro Transit bus
MPR News Staff and Estelle Timar-Wilcox
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/11/bus-crash-in-minneapolis-truck-driver-killed-after-crashing-into-metro-transit-bus

Ever wonder who controls Minneapolis traffic lights? Here’s a look inside.
Feven Gerezgiher
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/05/11/minneapolis-traffic-management-center-doors-open-event

Evacuated US and French MV Hondius passengers test positive for hantavirus
French woman taken to Paris in serious condition while American flown to Nebraska is asymptomatic, say officials
Angelique Chrisafis in Paris and Sam Jones in Madrid
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/11/evacuated-us-and-french-mv-hondius-cruise-ship-passengers-test-positive-for-hantavirus

Advocates decry Trump’s plan to open 24m acres of federal lands to cattle grazing
Opponents say administration’s plan prioritizes big agriculture at expense of wildlife and protected species
Tom Perkins
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/11/trump-plans-24m-acres-federal-lands-cattle-grazing

Hegseth says Pentagon will review Mark Kelly’s US weapons stockpile remarks
Defense secretary accuses senator of disclosing classified info but Kelly says ‘that’s not classified, it’s a quote from you’
Joseph Gedeon in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/11/pentagon-hegseth-mark-kelly-investigation

Portrait looted by Nazis found in home of Dutch SS leader’s family
Toon Kelder artwork from famed Goudstikker collection resurfaces with descendants of Hendrik Seyffardt
Agence France-Presse in The Hague
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/may/11/portrait-looted-nazis-home-dutch-ss-leader-family-toon-kelder-goudstikker-hendrik-seyffardt

You can read the FCC complaints about 'gay humping' at Bad Bunny's halftime show
The agency received more than 2,000 salty messages after the Super Bowl broadcast, many taking issue with the fact that the Puerto Rican rapper performed exclusively in Spanish.
Samantha Allen
https://www.out.com/gay-music/bad-bunny-super-bowl-fcc

Michael Pennington, Shakespeare and Star Wars actor, dies aged 82
‘Brilliant, wise’ co-founder of English Shakespeare Company celebrated for roles including Macbeth and Mercutio
Kevin Rawlinson
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/may/11/michael-pennington-actor-dies-shakespeare-star-wars

Fade to black: inside grand abandoned cinemas in the US and Canada
The grand music halls and theatres of the 1920s gave way to the era of the moving image, prompting the acquisition and conversion of lavish cinemas across the US – many of which became enduring cultural landmarks. From the rise of television in the 1950s to today’s streaming platforms and smartphone screens, media consumption has become individualised. As a result, many of these once-grand movie theatres have been abandoned, repurposed or left suspended as hybrid ruins. Photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre have documented these early 20th-century relics and the haunting beauty of their decline
Exhibited at Kyotogrophie 2026 in Japan until 17 May
Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/may/11/fade-to-black-inside-us-abandoned-cinemas-movie-theaters