Popular fast-casual salad chain Sweetgreen is planning a Twin Cities expansion.

Driving the news: The Southern California-based chain registered to do business in Minnesota last month and is searching for a site here, according to Axios sources.

• Sweetgreen declined to comment.

Why it matters: Sweetgreen has a cult following on the coasts and in Chicago, and it's expected to generate big excitement here.

• It'll also create a local salad battle, as Sweetgreen is entering the home turf of Green + The Grain and Crisp & Green.

State of play: Sweetgreen, which had 120 restaurants as of the summer, is in expansion mode as it prepares to go public.

• Meanwhile, Crisp & Green has begun its own expansion beyond the Twin Cities.

The intrigue: Where Sweetgreen chooses to open will be telling. Is it willing to bet on the downtowns, which still haven’t recovered from the pandemic, or will it target suburban and urban neighborhoods?

Election officials across Minnesota are facing threats and vitriol from voters questioning the 2020 results, leading some local administrators to consider early retirement, Secretary of State Steve Simon tells Axios.

• "There is real anxiety out there among people who run elections," Simon told Torey in an interview. "And it's deeply disturbing."

The big picture: False claims that the 2020 election was "stolen"— popularized by former President Trump and other Republicans, including some in Minnesota — are fueling backlash and intimidation campaigns across the country.

• A Reuters investigation published in September documented more than 100 threats of violence or death targeting election officials and workers since last year's race. The reporting uncovered only four arrests — and zero convictions.

Zoom in: Some threats in Minnesota have been serious and specific enough to be reported to law enforcement. In January, following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Simon said he and his wife considered temporarily moving their family into a hotel.

What's changed: Simon's office has seen shifts in both the tenor and the target of complaints from the public. Instead of raising concerns about the actions of specific candidates or campaigns, angry members of the public are "alleging that people running elections are involved in the wrongdoing."

• One July tweet targeting Simon and other top DFL lawmakers suggested "treason punished by death" was "the only way to deal with them, so it never happens again."

What he's saying: Simon condemned the rhetoric from Trump and others, saying it "eats away at the fabric of democracy and it eats away at the well-deserved confidence people have in elections."

What to watch: The Justice Department launched a task force to investigate and prosecute threats against election officials.

• Meanwhile, some members of Congress, including U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, are pushing for stronger protections for election workers.

Read and share the full interview.

"I thought, why not? I'm having a really hard time getting staff. It's not a bad idea getting extra staff."

Go deeper via The Star Tribune.

Homicides and violent crime increased in Minnesota in 2020, though the state's rates remain lower than across the U.S. as a whole, new estimates from the FBI show.

Behind the trend: Social and economic changes set off by the coronavirus pandemic likely contributed to the spike in violent crime nationwide, legal experts told Axios' Russell Contreras.

😷 A fight broke out at an Eastern Carver County School Board meeting over a mask mandate. (WCCO)

⚖️ A 6-year-old boy drowned in the Mississippi River while on a trip with Don and Sondra Samuels last year. Sondra settled with the family for $301,000. (Sahan Journal)

❓ Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey won't say whether MPD Chief Medaria Arradondo has committed to staying in his post beyond 2022. (Fox9)

💉 Nearly 200 Minnesota health workers signed onto a federal lawsuit against the upcoming vaccine mandate. (MPR News)

🍽 The Guthrie Theater is opening a search for restaurant operators of the Sea Change space on the first floor. Sea Change has been closed since the pandemic, but its owners say they'll make a proposal to stay. (Star Tribune)

🏗 The Highland Bridge development in St. Paul will include a medical office building, developer Ryan Cos. announced. (Pioneer Press)

💼 Land O' Lakes CEO Beth Ford was elected to the board of directors of BlackRock, the massive investment management corporation. (Release)

Looking to celebrate National Coffee Day? Audrey recommends Cafe Astoria in St. Paul, known for its secret menu of specialty drinks.

• This rainbow beauty is the Sunday Candy latte, with espresso, white chocolate milk, raspberry and candy.

St. Paul candy maker Pearson's is joining the pumpkin spice craze, debuting a seasonal Pumpkin Spice Nut Roll this fall.

• It's also adding an Apple Spice Nut Roll.

You tell us: Do these seem worth trying?