When we're going back to the office — You can buy Kirby Puckett's old house

Plus: Our beautiful boaters | Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Minnesotans for Clean Cars   Axios Twin Cities By Torey Van Oot and Nick Halter ·May 19, 2021 🐪 Good morning! ⛈ Today's high is 79, but watch out for isolated storms. We need the rain. 🏒 Situational awareness: The Wild lost 3-1 to the Las Vegas Knights, evening their best-of-seven playoff round at one win apiece. Today's newsletter is 747 words, a 3-minute read.     1 big thing: When office workers are coming back Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios   The trickle of office workers returning to downtown skyscrapers and suburban complexes should turn into a full-on rush soon. The three key dates to circle are the Tuesdays of June 1, July 6 and Sept. 7. Those are the Tuesdays following Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Many employers are using them as clean start dates, said Minneapolis Regional Chamber CEO Jonathan Weinhagen. Why it matters: The businesses that thrive off office workers are desperate for a return to work. Plus, downtowns become much safer when more people are out and about. The state of play: Among the big companies coming back sooner than later are Thrivent Financial, which is bringing workers to its new downtown office in June; and Sleep Number, which is coming back in July. Prime Therapeutics will begin phasing its employees back into its new Eagan headquarters in August, with 25% capacity to start and a plan to move up to 50% by the end of the year, the company said in an email to Axios. The biggest date is Sept. 7, as that's when kids will be back to school, allowing parents to leave the house. A lot of companies are announcing that date now so that it can give employees with younger kids time to arrange child care, which hasn't been easy during the pandemic, Weinhagen said. "A lot of folks who had kids in child care pulled them out because they were working from home and just economically ... it made more sense," Weinhagen said. Companies aiming for September include U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo, while Target has set a more general goal of fall. Go deeper: The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal has been tracking return-to-work dates for companies across the state.     2. Bragging rights: We own a lot of boats Data: National Marine Manufacturers Association; Table: Axios Visuals Here's something to write home about this summer: Minnesota's 8th congressional district leads the nation in boat registrations. More than 193,000 watercraft are registered in the northeastern district, which hugs the shore of Lake Superior, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association. That's more than one boat for every four residents. The big picture: It's not just constituents in the 8th hitting the water in large numbers. Western Minnesota's 7th district, the 6th, which includes some Twin Cities suburbs and St. Cloud, and the 3rd, a west metro district that covers Lake Minnetonka, all also made the top 10.     3. For sale: Kirby Puckett's former Brooklyn Park home Photo: JP Willman Realty Twin Cities   The home where Kirby Puckett lived during both Twins World Series titles is on the market for the first time in nearly 25 years. What to expect: It's a surprisingly modest home, considering who built it in 1986. Highlighting just how much baseball salaries have skyrocketed, Puckett made only $130,000 in 1985. He later moved to an Edina mansion. Listed at $485,000, the 3,500-square-foot house has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a gazebo and sits on 270 feet of pond shoreline. The sellers, who are baseball fans in their 60s, are including their collection of Puckett memorabilia, including a rare photo of the late slugger with a baseball on his head. Flashback: Former Twins pitcher Pat Neshek, who grew up in Brooklyn Park, saw the listing and tweeted, "I sold Kirby a box of 24 caramel hockey fundraiser bars ... at that house in 1989 ... walked right up off the street and [Puckett's wife] Tonya answered the door, got to go inside while she got money!" The intrigue: Listing agent Brandon Johnson of JP Willman Realty Twin Cities said it's believed Puckett had a secret compartment hidden near the basement wet bar that no one has been able to locate. If you want it: Johnson said offers will be accepted starting Friday and there's an open house on Saturday. "I don't think it's going to last until Sunday," he said. The home comes with some Kirby memorabilia the former owner had collected, including the rare photo on the right. Photo: JP Willman Realty Twin Cities     A message from Minnesotans for Clean Cars Minnesota is officially set to become the 15th clean car state     Clean car standards will improve access to electric vehicles, making it easier for Minnesota drivers to go pollution-free. Vehicle emissions are the #1 source of pollution in our state. Clean cars will help clear up our air while saving Minnesotans money and increasing consumer choice.     4. Catch up quick: Home prices continue surge Photo: Nick Halter/Axios   🏠 The median sales price of a Twin Cities home is now $337,000, up more than 10% over last year. (Twin Cities Business) 📺 Best Buy is no longer requiring masks for fully-vaccinated customers and employees. (Best Buy) A 6-year-old girl was shot in the head in North Minneapolis, the third child to be shot in the city in the past two weeks. All three are in the hospital. (Star Tribune) Minneapolis City Council members Jeremiah Ellison and Phillipe Cunningham responded to Mayor Jacob Frey's police plan and said they need a spot at the table. (KARE 11)     5. The wheels have fallen off for the Twins Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. Photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images   It's hard to remember a Minnesota sports team with loftier expectations falling as flat as the Twins have this season. The (sad) state of play: Widely predicted to make the playoffs — and seen by some as a dark horse World Series contender — the Twins are vying with the Colorado Rockies for the worst record in Major League Baseball. Despite last night's 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox, the Twins are stuck at 14-26. Before Tuesday's game, the Twins were off to the fifth-worst start in the franchise's history in Minnesota. Outlook: After Monday's 16-4 drubbing by the White Sox, Pro Baseball Reference gave the Twins less than a 1% chance to make the playoffs.     A message from Minnesotans for Clean Cars Clean cars will benefit Minnesotans in every region of our state     Reduced climate pollution, cleaner air and improved community health mean a brighter future for everyone. Minnesota is taking action by moving forward with clean car standards to protect the state's natural resources, cities and farmland from the harmful effects of climate change.   🏠 Keep reading this week for the results of our semi-conclusive but nonscientific survey on what time you all said is too early to mow a lawn.   Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon B‌lvd, Suite 1300, Arlington VA 22201   You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios. 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