The taps have run dry at Pimento on the Lake, the Jamaican restaurant that was an immediate hit when it opened on Bde Maka Ska in 2023 but is now facing mounting financial and operational challenges.

State of play: The restaurant is still open, but it's no longer serving alcohol as it has been delinquent on taxes since August, according to a Minnesota Department of Revenue posting. Distributors are not allowed to sell to businesses on the delinquency list.

• Meanwhile, lawsuits are piling up against owner Derek "Tomme" Beevas from banks and his former business partners.

Why it matters: The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board spent $6.5 million to rebuild the lakeside pavilion. When Pimento opened, Superintendent Al Bangoura said the building would become a "favorite gathering space and a Minneapolis icon."

• It looked that way at first, but problems surfaced last year and have carried over into this summer.
• Despite the issues, a Park Board spokesperson said: "There is no current plan to seek a new vendor."

Catch up quick: In Pimento's first full year — 2024 — the restaurant reported over $1 million in revenue, a number Park Board staff called promising.

• Last year, that number fell to $750,000 and it remains a far cry from the $1.4 million that Tin Fish brought in at the location in its last year there, in 2017.
• In the Park Board's annual performance review of the restaurant, filed last fall, staff called Pimento's declining revenue "concerning" and noted that it has received frequent complaints about cleanliness, trash management, and customer service.

Beevas' former business partner, Louis King, sued Beevas in November, alleging that Beevas had defaulted on a $325,000 loan he had given Beevas to buy King out of another company, Lola on the Plaza.

• The Metropolitan Economic Development Association filed a lawsuit this past February seeking nearly $1 million in loans, according to the Star Tribune.
• And less than two weeks ago, Sunrise Banks filed a suit seeking $95,000 for default on a 2018 loan.

Beevas still operates his Nicollet Avenue Pimento restaurant, but closed his St. Paul location earlier this year.

• Neither he nor his attorneys responded to requests for comment, though in court filings, he has denied many of the allegations in each lawsuit.

What we're watching: Pimento's lease runs through 2028, and the Park Board said Beevas is current on the twice-monthly payments owed to the board.

• He's also been compliant with lease requirements related to the facility and operations, and has been responsive to complaints, according to the annual review.
• But the ongoing liquor license issues and lawsuits raise questions about Pimento's long-term future.

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Starting today, social media platforms will have to display a mental health warning to Minnesota users each time they access the sites.

What we're watching: A tech industry group filed a lawsuit to stop the law, MPR News reports. That lawsuit is still in the courts.

Go deeper: See MPR's full list of new laws starting today.

• There's another batch of new laws that begin on Aug. 1.

🚊 The Green Line will be closed and replaced by buses between Target Field and the West Bank starting today and lasting until July 26. (Metro Transit)

• The entire Blue Line remains closed until Aug. 19. Again, buses are replacing trains.

Former state Rep. Karen Clark, the first openly lesbian member of the Minnesota Legislature, died yesterday. She was 80. (MPR News)

Armando Ortiz Canseco, a 21-year-old U.S. Marine from Richfield, was lost at sea off the coast of Southern California last week. Despite objections from his family, the Marine Corps has called off the search and declared Canseco dead. (Star Tribune)

⚖️ The DOJ has charged 25 alleged members of two drug trafficking gangs that prosecutors say have been distributing large amounts of meth, cocaine and fentanyl in South Minneapolis. (CBS Minnesota)

👮‍♂️ Former Metro Transit Police Chief Ernest Morales III was accused by three employees of profane language, sexual harassment and abuse, according to an outside law firm's report obtained via a public records request. (Pioneer Press)

If England wins its FIFA World Cup match tonight, the post-game celebration could sound a lot like St. Paul.

"Wonderwall" has become England's viral victory anthem this year.

• In-stadium supporters have twice serenaded misty-eyed players with the Oasis hit. It's a new tradition, per BBC Sport.

The other side (of the pond): "Wonderwall" has been a Minnesota United FC tradition for more than a decade.

• It dates back to MNUFC's pre-Major League Soccer days, when players sang it to fans after an emotional 2011 playoff win.

Between the lines: England is likely borrowing, not from MNUFC, but from Premier League club Manchester City.

• Oasis' Noel and Liam Gallagher are fans, and Man City has used the song to celebrate big wins.

What we're watching: England takes on the Democratic Republic of the Congo at 11am.

🇺🇸 The U.S. plays Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight at 7pm.

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"I'm a Vikings fan, unfortunately"

Context: If you've managed to avoid the Dianna Russini saga, here's the short version.

• Photos of Russini published by the New York Post in April show her holding hands and in a pool with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. The photos eventually led to her resignation from The Athletic.
• A recent New York Times story on the controversy detailed a time when she was pulled over and talked her way out of a ticket for texting while driving by showing the officer her communications with an unnamed NFL head coach.

The latest: It turns out that the coach was the Vikings' Kevin O'Connell. TMZ obtained body cam video showing the interaction, in which Russini holds up text messages from KOC.

• "Your quarterback sucks, though," Russini can be heard saying to the officer. This was just after J.J. McCarthy's first season as a starter ended.
• "He's going to fix it," the officer replied before letting her off with a warning. "Keep me updated with the Vikings, OK?"

A couple of months later, the Vikings signed Kyler Murray. We're not sure if Russini gave the officer the news early.