☀️ Hello, hello, hello! Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" — an unofficial anthem of Gen X — turns 35 today.

• Sunny with a high of 80, per NWS.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Laurel Riedel!

🍁 Autumnal awareness: The Department of Natural Resources plans to update its just-launched Fall Color Finder map for the first time today. Bookmark it

Today's newsletter is 1,091 words, a 4-minute read.

Four Minneapolis City Council members are moving to pump the brakes on Waymo's plans to launch driverless robotaxis on local roads.

Why it matters: A proposed ordinance set for its first public hearing this month is the latest twist in a political fight over explicitly authorizing autonomous vehicles in Minnesota.

• Competing proposals to regulate or ban the technology statewide stalled at the narrowly divided Legislature last spring.

Driving the news: The city measure, introduced by Council Members Jason Chavez, Aurin Chowdhury, Robin Wonsley, and Jamal Osman, would require that autonomous vehicles have a paid human "safety monitor" in the driver's seat.

• The measure, first reported by the Star Tribune, would also require autonomous vehicle companies to get a city license to operate starting next fall.

What they're saying: Wonsley says authors are focused on "public safety and protecting immigrant workers from losing their jobs to automation."

• "Without it, Minneapolis workers and residents are vulnerable to all the negative impacts of robotaxis without any regulations or accountability mechanisms in place," she said in a statement.

The other side: Waymo, which started testing its fleet in the Twin Cities last November, called the proposed regulation "a de facto ban on autonomous vehicles."

• "We remain committed to working with officials on a path forward that offers Minnesotans the option to choose fully autonomous transportation," Adam Lane, Waymo's state and local public policy manager, said in a statement to Axios.

Reality check: It's unclear whether the ordinance backers have the votes to pass the proposal, let alone secure a veto-proof majority.

• Mayor Jacob Frey's "current focus is on licensing and managing our right of way," spokesperson Jennifer Lor tells Axios.
• "He will continue to have conversations with the Council while looking to the state for regulating the technology and safety of Waymo."

Between the lines: The Waymo debate is a proxy battle in a bigger fight over how AI and automation are reshaping the workforce.

What we're watching: The council's push could set the stage for a repeat of the recent policy fight over rideshare driver pay.

• In that case, the passage of city-level rules motivated state legislators to strike a deal on a statewide law.

Legislators involved in the negotiations at the State Capitol have told Axios they, too, plan to revive the issue next year.

Go deeper on the debate

We love a good State Fair controversy at Axios Twin Cities, and Bring Me the News broke down a greasy one at the Fresh French Fries booth.

Catch up quick: Social media users, in the early days of this year's fair, complained the spuds didn't taste the same. And it turns out, they were right.

What they're saying: Dan Wozniak, owner of the booth, told BMTN that he bought out-of-state potatoes instead of Minnesota ones because he had been having issues with the taters being too small, resulting in stubby fries.

• Upon hearing complaints, he quickly shifted back to the Minnesota spuds, but they didn't last the entire fair, so people noticed California produce boxes at the end.

The silver lining: Wozniak donated 8,800 pounds of the California potatoes to Second Harvest Heartland, told BMTN.

What we're watching: Wozniak promised a return to normal in 2027.

📈 Gas prices jumped across Minnesota this week following another escalation in the conflict with Iran. (Star Tribune)

• The average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded was $4.22 yesterday, per AAA, with prices at some Twin Cities stations reaching $4.39.

🔎 The nonpartisan Office of Congressional Conduct has cleared U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of wrongdoing in connection with financial disclosures that she later said drastically overstated her personal wealth. (Wall Street Journal)

🚔 St. Paul police say the city's drone program helped them find and rescue a young child from a pond. (Fox9)

• The St. Paul Council scrapped a planned vote to expand the program yesterday, following public pushback over surveillance concerns and the city's drone supplier. (Star Tribune)

⚖️ Two women charged with the brutal torture and killing of a transgender man from Minnesota in upstate New York were sentenced to life in prison. (MPR News)

🧗‍♀️ The founders of Vertical Endeavors are retiring after 34 years and have sold their rock climbing business to a local couple with a passion for the sport. (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal)

Twin Cities drivers apparently give the green light to colorful cars.

Driving the news: Just over 21% of personal vehicles in the metro are a shade other than black, white, gray or silver, per an analysis from automotive research platform iSeeCars.com.

• That ranks us third in the nation for bright wheels.

Case in (the parking lot): Torey, who drives a boring black Honda CR-V, spotted this cheery yellow Jeep at the gym just last week.

Nothing has improved my work and life more than my new operating philosophy: Simplify, writes Axios co-founder Mike Allen.

• I've seen such a dramatic improvement at Axios, and in my personal life, that I co-wrote a new book explaining step by step how it works. It's called "Simplify: Do 50% More with 50% Less."

💡 The big idea: Simplify is a method and a mindset — a set of power tools to help you kill complexity in your life and work so you can be happier and more productive.

What to expect: You'll learn the three-step Simplify operating system we've personally stress-tested: Confront what you do, Delete what you shouldn't do, and Amplify what brings you joy and achievement.

The bottom line: "Smart Brevity," our first book, was about simplifying how you communicate. Simplify extends that superpower to how you lead, manage, work and live.

Preorder "Simplify" from wherever you get your books.

😭 Torey's dropping her son off at kindergarten. Pass the Kleenex!

🥹 Nick's second child starts kindergarten this morning. He's wondering why MPS serves honey chipotle fish on the first day.

🚙 Audrey tried to buy her dream powder blue Subaru last winter, but both sold by the time she arrived at the dealership. The demand is real!

✌️Kyle is off.

Today's newsletter was edited by Delano Massey.