🧧 Where to celebrate Lunar New Year

Ringing in the Year of the Fire Horse

If the solar calendar hasn’t been working out for you, the lunisolar one can give you a fresh start. Lunar New Year is the time to wish loved ones good fortune and welcome in spring (although we’re a little early for that here in Minnesota). I’ve rounded up ways to celebrate LNY in the Twin Cities. You can also celebrate with a feast at home and by handing out red envelopes with cash. Just remember not to do any cleaning today, or you’ll chase away your good luck! [City Cast Twin Cities]

• Free Family Meal: Eat Street’s Rainbow Chinese is providing free meals to anyone who wants one. Donations are welcome to help Minnesotans struggling to pay rent. Delicious food for a good cause.
• Black History Month x Lunar New Year: Organized by Golden Mandarin, this event both celebrates the spring festival and honors a month of Black culture and history. It serves as a call to action to support Minneapolis families affected by Operation Metro Surge.
• Coming up: Ramadan begins at sundown tonight, which kicks off a holy month of fasting, spiritual connection, and time spent with family.

“Girls Got Guns”: Sam Stroozas reports that sex workers are arming themselves in response to ICE. The Sex Workers Outreach Project hosted a gun safety workshop for its members, who are seeking more protection. Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has seen a 75% increase in gun permit applications compared to January 2025. [MPR]

Green flag energy: While watching the Minneapolis season of Love Is Blind, I found myself rooting for Amanda Burke, who got maybe 20 seconds of screentime. She has found her match offscreen with none other than celebrity chef Yia Vang. He proposed last month after a year of dating. Best wishes to this power couple! [Star Tribune]

Crumbling cases: ICE is investigating whether two agents lied about what happened when they shot a Venezuelan man in north Minneapolis. The probe comes after video evidence seems to contradict agents’ accounts. An agent shot Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg as he was fleeing into his home, about one week after Renee Good was killed. The U.S. Attorney’s Office of Minnesota has since dropped all charges against Sosa-Celis and his friend. [Associated Press]

Grab a meal: Neighborhood group Whittier Alliance is launching a campaign called “Show Up for Eat Street” to bring back business to Nicollet Avenue. Federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti along the business corridor. Several businesses supported protesters in the immediate aftermath, and now they’re asking the community to keep patronizing the restaurants and stores. [Bring Me The News]

ICE’s next stops: We’ll know if ICE is actually leaving when they actually leave. In the meantime, WIRED looked through federal records that indicate where ICE might go next, which is: everywhere. They report that the agency’s expansion means facilities in nearly every state, with many located near sensitive locations like schools and places of worship. [WIRED]

Tuesday, Feb 17

• 🎷 Fat Tuesday 🆓 | Ginny Bites Southern Bakery & Mercatile
• 💝 Galentine’s Dinner & Wine Pairing | Aki’s BreadHaus & WunderBar
• 🎺 Dance Your Br*ss Off | Turf Club
• 🍺 Nelson Devereaux Trio 🆓 | Indeed Brewing
• 🎉 Mardi Gras Celebration | Fitzgerald Theater
• 🎤 Black Belt Eagle Scout and Mato Wayuhi with Ailani | The Cedar Cultural Center

Wednesday, Feb 18

• 🧧 Lunar New Year Family Meal | Rainbow Restaurant
• 🚆 Union Depot Public Walking Tour | Union Depot
• 🎥 Harold and Maude | Parkway Theater
• 🌱 Community Seed Circle | Metro State University
• 🤣 Hump Day Comedy Hour | Gambit Brewing
• 🎶 Poliça Residency | Icehouse
• 👠 Ready or Hot | First Ave

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