The State Fair's yearslong diversification of food vendors is continuing in 2024.

The big picture: This year's slate of new purveyors includes flavors from as far away as Korea and as close to home as the kitchen of acclaimed Minneapolis-based Indigenous chef Sean Sherman.

Why it matters: Gluttonous fried food remains the dominant taste of the Great Minnesota Get-Together, but there's a growing appetite for new and less heart-attack-inducing options.

State of play: Chocolate chip cookies, cheese curds, french fries, and pronto pups each do more than $1 million in sales over the 12 days of the fair.

Yes, but: Food stands owned by diverse entrepreneurs are rising up the charts. Que Viet sold $615,000 worth of egg rolls in 2022, ranking 11th on the list of highest-grossing vendors.

• Union Hmong Kitchen, Afro Deli, and Baba's Hummus have also had big hits in recent years, placing near the top of critics' new food lists.

What's new: There are 33 new foods and six new vendors joining the fair in August.

• Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine will serve the popular Koshari dish consisting of rice, pasta, chickpeas, lentils, tomato sauce, and garlicky vinegar.
• El Burrito Mercado, the beloved St. Paul restaurant, will be selling deep-fried Quesabirria Taquitos.
• Chan's Eatery will offer a Korean twist on the State Fair staple corn dog. It's a hot dog with mozzarella cheese battered in panko. They can be coated in fried potatoes or hot Cheetos with spicy mayo.

• Midtown Global Market's Indigenous Food Lab will have wild rice bowls with nixtamal topped with either bison meatballs or sweet potato dumplings. You can even add crickets.
• There's also the new Paella Depot and Loon Lake Iced Tea.

The bottom line: Everybody has their favorite longtime fair vendor, but you're missing out by skipping over the new stuff.

Go deeper: Check out Audrey's coverage of the new foods on the Axios Twin Cities Instagram.

Minnesota's gas taxes make up a declining share of the state's total government revenue, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Why it matters: The taxes are used exclusively to pay for roads and bridges, but collections have been declining in recent years due in part to the rise in electric vehicles and more fuel-efficient hybrids on state roads.

By the numbers: The state collected $873 million in gas taxes in 2023, down from $937 million in 2019.

Reality check: Simultaneously, overall state government revenue has been steadily climbing.

State of play: Minnesota's gas tax of 28.5 cents per gallon ranks in the middle of the pack for U.S. states.

Yes, but: In 2023, Minnesota Democrats passed a transportation bill that ties the tax to the state's construction cost index.

• On Aug. 1, the Department of Revenue will announce the size of the first increase since the law passed. The new rate will begin on Jan. 1. Annual hikes will be capped at 3%.
• At the time the bill passed, state officials estimated it would increase revenue by $109 million in the first full fiscal year after implementation.

The other side: Republicans slammed Democrats for raising the gas tax at a time when the state had a $17.5 billion surplus.

A Minnesota state trooper has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide and manslaughter in the death of a teenager near Rochester's Apache Mall. (KARE 11)

• Prosecutors allege trooper Shane Elroy Roper was traveling 83 mph and didn't have his lights on while pursuing a vehicle that had committed a petty traffic offense.
• His squad car struck a Ford Focus, killing 18-year-old Olivia Flores.

🏈 A Netflix docuseries that follows six NFL receivers, including Justin Jefferson of the Vikings, debuts today. (Netflix)

🏗 The Lino Lakes City Council placed a moratorium on development that will halt a Muslim-oriented subdivision from moving forward. One backer called the moratorium Islamophobic. (MPR News)

🛒 The downtown St. Paul Lunds & Byerlys store is cutting its hours and making its deli self-serve. (Pioneer Press)

Former Minneapolis chef Remy Pettus, whose Bardo restaurant received heavy praise before closing during the pandemic, died at age 41 from cardiac arrest. (Star Tribune)

"Outside a few outliers I think everybody's supporting the president."

The big picture: The progressive Democrat is one of dozens of House members and senators rallying around the president as he and his backers seek to quell pressure to step aside following the debate, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.

Between the lines: Omar's support is especially notable in light of her criticism of the administration's handling of the war in Gaza.

Zoom in: The congresswoman's primary opponent Don Samuels also issued a statement backing Biden.

The other side: U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, running in a suburban swing seat, is one of the Democrats publicly calling on Biden to step aside.

What we're watching: A second election forecaster moved Minnesota from "likely D" to "lean D" yesterday.

Go deeper: Biden rebels in Congress see their revolt crumbling

Torey spotted this piece of art at one of her favorite Twin Cities restaurants recently.

• Reply to this email if you know where she was. We'll send one reader who gets it right an Axios tote.

Flashback: Some climate activists did indeed throw those foods at priceless pieces of art as part of a protest movement in 2022.