😍 They like us!

Happy Friday!

• It's going to feel like July this weekend. Sunny with a high of 86 today and we could hit 88 tomorrow, according to NWS.

🎧 Sounds like: "Jumbo Jet" by the Shout Out Louds.

💉 Situational awareness: You can once again order four free COVID-19 tests for delivery to your home via the U.S. Mail. The federal program relaunched last week.

This newsletter is 905 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Whether the Minnesota Wild's biggest star sticks with the franchise may very well come down to how well the team does this season.

Why it matters: The Wild's master plan for winning a Stanley Cup revolves around Kirill Kaprizov, the most prolific scorer to ever play for the team.

• The Russian phenom's contract expires in two years, and he's so talented that the hockey world is already making guesses about his next move.

Driving the news: In June, The Athletic's Mark Lazerus reported widespread "speculation" in NHL circles that the division rival Chicago Blackhawks "have their eye on" Kaprizov.

• This week, Lazerus expanded on the original rumor, saying Kaprizov was "intrigued" by Chicago's interest.

Reality check: It's all gossip, so take it with a grain of salt.

• "Kaprizov is not asking out, nothing like that," Lazerus posted on social media, noting that much can change in a year and a half.

Yes, but: There's a chance Kaprizov doesn't re-sign with Minnesota, and the Wild front office knows it.

• "We need to show [Kaprizov] that we're committed to winning," general manager Bill Guerin said at a press conference in April.

The big picture: By all accounts, "Kirill The Thrill" enjoys playing in Minnesota, but he has yet to see the second round of the playoffs since joining the Wild.

• Last season, the team missed the postseason for the first time since 2019.

Threat level: It won't be long before Kaprizov ages out of his competitive prime.

• He'll be 29 when his next contract begins and likely would not want to sign long term with a team without a chance at the Cup.

Between the lines: While he's under contract through 2025-26, the team's performance this season will set the tone for negotiations next summer.

• If it becomes clear Kaprizov won't re-sign here, the Wild might need to explore a trade to avoid losing the star without getting anything in return.

What they're saying: When asked about his future last April, Kaprizov told reporters he's focusing on the present.

• "We have a lot of good players on the team," he said. "We always have a chance to win games and go [to the] playoffs."

The bottom line: Guerin believes the Wild are still a playoff team. If he hopes to re-sign Kaprizov without fuss, they had better be.

Share with a fan

Wells Fargo has applied for national historic designation for its South Minneapolis home mortgage campus, which is being mothballed as the bank consolidates its Twin Cities corporate office footprint.

Why it matters: If approved, the designation would make the property more attractive to developers because it would qualify for significant state and federal tax credits.

How it works: The state matches a 20% federal tax credit on projects that preserve and renovate old buildings.

The big picture: High interest rates and construction costs have severely slowed construction of multifamily housing, so a subsidy of that size could speed along a transformation of a landmark along Interstate 35W in the Phillips neighborhood.

Catch up quick: Previously the headquarters for Honeywell, portions of the campus date back to 1912, according to property records.

Full story

Speaking of Minneapolis history, the English Gothic mansion known as the Pillsbury House is now on the market for $2.8 million.

Why we love it: The 20,652-square-foot estate was built built in 1913 for flour industrialist Charles S. Pillsbury. It's a city-designated landmark in a neighborhood near Minneapolis Institute of Art known for its historic mansions.

Historic features: A hand-carved oak staircase from an English castle, a library fireplace that survived the great fire of London in 1666, leaded windows with painted glass medallions from 17th century castles and churches.

More photos...

Enhanced rider verification, better navigation tools, and more rider accountability are just a few of the Uber Driver app's latest features.

The idea: These changes are aimed at making the things drivers and couriers do every day safer, fairer and easier.

Check out all the new features.

🤝 Join in on the fun around Twin Cities.

MinnPost Festival at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Sept 28: MinnPost Festival in downtown Minneapolis on Sept. 28: A day of insightful conversations with thought leaders including Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Attorney General Keith Ellison, CNN's Laura Coates and more. Axios readers get 40% off tickets with code AXIOS.

Oktoberfest at Eco Experience on Oct 4: Every year they are proud to offer an entirely local event. This includes all beer, food, music, merchandise and other entertainment. They are beyond happy to have a few returning beer/cider sponsors. $10-$100.

Want your event here? Email local-events@axios.com.

🚌 The late U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone's son has begun repair and restoration work on his father's iconic green campaign bus. He's already booked a parade date for it next summer. (Star Tribune)

🚔 St. Paul Police confirmed they shot and killed a man in Belle Plaine they suspected of randomly gunning down an artist working on a mural in Lowertown St. Paul. (FOX 9)

💸 Democrats are significantly outspending Republicans in most of the competitive state legislative districts that will decide which party controls the House next year. (MinnPost)

The 100+ Axios Local journalists who came to town this week for a company retreat raved about the Twin Cities to their combined audience of 2 million subscribers in 29 other cities.

Why it matters: Minnesotans are obsessed with what people think of our state, and we now have feedback from some naturally observational people.

The big picture: They like us. They really like us.

• Visitors — especially from Sun Belt cities — loved our light rail. Those same people also basked in our mild weather, which was 20 to 30 degrees cooler than back home.
• Our bike lanes, parks, scooters, airport and Target Field were all hits.

A sampling of their reactions…

☕️ Seattle's Melissa Santos gave high marks to Owamni, Reverie and Hai Hai, and Milkjam.

🌵 Jeremy Duda, who covers the Arizona Legislature in Phoenix, was impressed by our state capitol.

🐶 Axios Cleveland, thanks to a tip from Nick, wrote about Browns Backers bar Mackenzie Pub in downtown Minneapolis.

• Yes, but: Reporter Sam Allard called us Minny. Tsk tsk.

🤠 Dallas reporter Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi liked it so much she's already planning a return visit.

The other side?

Uber is stepping up its measures to keep drivers and couriers safe.

Here's how: The ability to see if a rider has gone through additional verification steps and use hands-free voice prompts are just a few of the app's latest features, designed to improve the driver experience.

Get all the deets.

🍕 Kyle is excited to try his friends' fancy pizza oven tonight.

‍👶 Torey's mom told her about this video needling generational differences in parenting and... well, touché mom.

🎤 Nick is interviewing Mayor Jacob Frey about downtown Minneapolis at MinnPost Festival tomorrow.

🤩 Editor Emma is telling everyone she knows how awesome Minneapolis was! The weather is like that all year, right?

This newsletter was edited by Emma Hurt.