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HavenWorks.com/minnesota Minnesota News |
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Minnesota capital: St Paul, Minnesota US
Capitals
Minnesota State Postal Code: MN: Minnesota State Abbreviation: Minn State
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Detail: Minnesota Flag 
Minnesota Flag inset. Minnesota state is bordered by the states of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. 
Minnesota state also borders Lake Superior. 
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Minnesota state is also bordered by the country of Canada and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. 
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 Minnesota
MINNESOTA News:
 Norm
Coleman -  John
Cornyn -  Tim
Pawlenty -  Political
- 2008
Election -  Federal
-  Legal
-  History
- Minnesota
-  Texas
"Cornyn: GOP [Republicans] Prepared To Fight ‘World War III’ To Keep Franken Out Of The Senate For ‘Years’." ... "Last week, the ongoing legal battle between [2008 Election Minnesota Senatorial Candidates] Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman officially became the “the longest recount in Minnesota history.” Though Franken leads Coleman in the current vote tally, according to the Minnesota Supreme Court, he can’t be certified until after election challenges have been decided in the state courts." ... "If Coleman loses in the state courts, he and his Republican backers are indicating that they may seek to bring it to the federal level, which could keep the Senate seat vacant for much longer. National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman [and Texas Republican Senator] John Cornyn told Politico recently that the party is willing to keep the seat empty for “years“:" "Texas [Republican Senator] Sen. John Cornyn is threatening “World War III” if Democrats try to seat Al Franken in the Senate before Norm Coleman can pursue his case through the federal courts.""The threat of an empty Senate seat for years — which would hold the Democratic advantage in the Senate at 58-41 — does not appear to be a welcome concept to the people of Minnesota. The Star Tribune reported last week that “the prospect of a protracted battle irks some regardless of their political leanings.”" ... "Additionally, Minnesota [Republican Governor] Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R [Republican]) believes that only having one senator is hurting Minnesota. In February, Pawlenty told C-Span that “it has put Minnesota at a disadvantage when there’s only 100 senators total and you are missing one.”" " -By Matt Corley -ThinkProgress.org
 Barack
Obama -  Michael
Steele -  Pete
Hoekstra -  Don
Young -  Lindsey
Graham -  Ken
Calvert - Emergency
-  Economics
- Politics
-  Families
-  Jobs
-  Housing
-  Construction
-  Education
- Government
- US_Debt
-  Missouri
- MN
-  SC
-  FL
-  CA
-  MI
-  NJ
-  AK
"Kit Bond Touts Effects Of Stimulus Bill He Voted Against." ... "[Missouri Republican Senator Kit Bond voted against the stimulus bill asserting:} “Unfortunately, this bill stimulates the debt, it stimulates the growth of government, but it doesn’t stimulate jobs,” Bond insisted." ... "However, today Bond is touring Missouri to tout the very stimulus plan he railed against. In a press release, Bond boasted about an amendment he included in the bill to provide more funding for affordable housing — and that will create jobs:" "Last week, Bond led a bipartisan group of Senators in introducing an amendment to help provide needy families affordable housing. Bond’s amendment provides $2 billion to fund low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) projects that have been stalled by the financial credit crisis. As part of the Democrats’ spending bill now signed into law, the Senate unanimously accepted Bond’s provision. […]""“This is the type of emergency stimulus spending we should be supporting — programs that will create jobs now and help families,” Bond said." ... "Bond’s “I was against it before I was for it” maneuver at least has local media fooled. Just 24 hours after noting his opposition to the stimulus bill, local news this morning reported that Bond would be touring the state “pushing his plan to create 3,000 jobs in the state and build more than 700 affordable housing units.” Watch the local CBS channel try to keep up with Bond’s flip-flops:" "Bond is not alone in trying to reap the political benefits both from voting against the bill and from bringing much needed funding to his district:" "– [Minnesota Republican Governor] Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), who complained that the “federal government is spending money they don’t have,” told Rachel Maddow he would nevertheless accept funds for Minnesota: “Our view is, if you buy the pizza, it’s OK if you have a slice.”""No wonder RNC [Republican National Committee] Chairman Michael Steele declared recently, “You have absolutely no reason — none — to trust our word or our actions at this point.”" "Update [Missouri Republican Representative] Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) boasted about the educational benefits of the recovery act, while [California Republican Representative] Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) said his office "will do what we can to direct as much money as we can." Neither voted for the bill." "Update [Michgan Republican Representative] Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) joins in, praising the stimulus' "generous" incentives for home buyers on his Twitter feed:" "petehoekstra If you know of someone thinking of buying first home, now may be the time.Stimulus incentive is very generous!Up to 8k!Check it out.""UpdateBlueJersey notes adds [New Jersey Republican Representative] Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) to the growing list. After insisting last Friday that the recovery bill "would have exploded our national debt without providing meaningful job growth," Lance toured construction sites in his district yesterday, touting funds that would come from the stimulus bill. "This is a classic example of a "shovel-ready' project," Lance said after the tour." -By Ali Frick -ThinkProgress.org 
Children's
-  Vaccines
-  Psychological
-  Medical
-  Science
- Minnesota
"Vaccines don't cause autism, special court says." ... "The special masters who decided the case expressed sympathy for the families, some of whom have made emotional pleas describing their children's conditions, but the rulings were blunt: There's little if any evidence to support claims of a vaccine-autism link." ... "The evidence "is weak, contradictory and unpersuasive," concluded Special Master Denise Vowell. "Sadly, the petitioners in this litigation have been the victims of bad science conducted to support litigation rather than to advance medical and scientific understanding" of autism." ... "Science years ago reached the conclusion that there's no connection, but Thursday's rulings in a trio of cases still have far-reaching implications — offering reassurance to parents scared about vaccinating their babies because of a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement. Some vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles, are on the rise, and last fall a Minnesota baby who hadn't been vaccinated against meningitis died of that disease." -By Kevin Freking and Lauran Neergaard -AP via -Yahoo
 Media
- Politics
-  Radio
- Market
-Florida
- San
Diego - Sacramento
- California
-  Ohio
- Minnesota
-  Wisconsin
- Portland
-  Oregon
"Another Right-Wing Conspiracy in Washington?" ... "The commercial use of public airwaves is supposed to reflect the diversity of the local community, but that's not how it works in Washington [DC, America's capital]. On the AM dial, WMAL (630) features wall-to-wall conservative talk. So do stations WTNT (570) and WHFS (1580). For the past two years, OBAMA 1260 -- even with a weak signal that cannot be heard in downtown Washington -- was the exception. No longer. Starting tomorrow, our nation's capital, where Democrats control the House, the Senate and the White House, and where Democrats outnumber Republicans 10 to one, will have no progressive voices on the air." ... "Or maybe one." ... "To mollify critics, Red Zebra has said it will add Ed Schultz to its conservative lineup on 570 AM. This means Shultz will be outgunned in this market by at least 15 conservative talkers: Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Chris Plante, Michael Smerconish, Michael Savage, Andy Parks, Fred Grandy, Bill Bennett, Monica Crowley, Bill O'Reilly, Dennis Miller and Lars Larsen. No matter how good Schultz is, that's not a fair contest -- nor a fair use of the public airwaves." ... "Unfortunately, what's happening in Washington reflects what has happened in one city after another across the country. In Miami [Florida], Clear Channel recently dumped progressive talk for sports: Clear Channel stations made the same move in San Diego [California] and Cincinnati [Ohio]. Sacramento [California] abandoned progressive talk for gospel music. In fact, according to a study released by the Center for American Progress and Free Press, there are nine hours of conservative talk for every one hour of progressive talk." ... "Why? Station owners complain they can't get good ratings or make any money with progressive talk, but that's nonsense. In Minnesota, independent owner Janet Robert has operated KTNF (950 AM) profitably for five years. In Madison, Wis. [Wisconsin], WXXM, 92.1 FM, just scored its highest ratings ever. And KPOJ in Portland, Ore. [Oregon], soared with progressive talk from No. 23 in market ratings to No. 1. Nationwide, progressive talkers Randi Rhodes, Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller have proven that, given a level playing field, they can more than hold their own in ratings -- and make money for their stations." ... "In fact, the only reason there's not more competition on American airwaves is that the handful of companies that own most radio stations do everything they can to block it." ... "There is no free market in talk radio today, only an exclusive, tightly held, conservative media conspiracy." -By Bill Press -WashingtonPost
 John
Boehner
- Government
- Economic
- Legislation
- Politics
- History
- Poor
- Family
-  Women's
- Medical
- Abortion
-  AL.
- FL
-  MS
- SC
- CA
-  LA
- MN
-  RI
- MO
- Ohio
- Wisconsin
"Republicans Irate Over Expansion of Republican-Approved Program." ... "[T]he family-planning program that [California Democratic Representative and House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi supports expanding in the stimulus bill was created in 1972 under the leadership of Republican president Richard Nixon." ... "What's being proposed is an expansion in the number of states that can use Medicaid money, with a federal match, to help low-income women prevent unwanted pregnancies. Of the 26 states that already have Medicaid waivers for family planning, eight are led by Republican governors (AL [Alabama], FL [Florida], MS [Mississippi], SC [South Carolina], CA [California], LA [Louisiana], MN [Minnesota] and RI [Rhode Island] -- a ninth, MO [Missouri], had a GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] governor until this past November). If this policy is truly a taxpayer gift to "the abortion industry," as [Ohio Republican Representative] John Boehner and House Republicans claim, where are the GOP governors promising to end the program in their states?" ... "Additionally, the process of obtaining a waiver for Medicaid family-planning coverage is extremely cumbersome. A letter written by Wisconsin health regulators in 2007 noted that some states have had to wait for as long as two years before their request was approved. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that eliminating the waiver requirement would save states $400 million over 10 years." -By Elana Schor -TPMDC .TalkingPointsMemo 
Corporate
- Government
- Regulations
- Workers
-  Safety
- Medical
- Science
-  Environment
- History
-  Earth
-  Oil
-  Auto
- St.
Paul - Minnesota
-  Wyoming
-  Utah
- Obama
- US
-  Netherlands
-  World
"Bush Pushes ‘Midnight Rules’ to Support Companies as Term Ends." ... "[Republican President] George W. Bush is using the waning days of his presidency to implement a raft of pro-business regulations, triggering vows by the incoming [Democratic President Elect] Obama administration and congressional Democrats to gut the measures." ... "Bush is proposing changes to federal rules that critics say make it more difficult to protect U.S. [United States] workers from exposure to toxic chemicals, reduce the use of employee medical leave and open more land to oil and gas exploration. The effort is supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and trade groups representing companies including [Netherlands-based] Royal Dutch Shell Plc [Public limited company] and Dow Chemical Co. [Company.]" ... "The Interior Department today is publishing a rule that would lift a 79-year-old executive order prohibiting oil shale development in Wyoming and Utah. Yesterday, the Bush administration postponed regulations requiring cars and light trucks to be more fuel efficient by 2011." ... "Bush’s regulation on toxins, which isn’t final yet, would change the way workplace exposure to poisonous substances is measured, and is supported by associations representing companies such as Dow, the biggest U.S. chemical company, Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest oil company, and 3M Co., the St. Paul [Minnesota's capital], Minnesota-based maker of 55,000 products." ... "The change is opposed by the United Mineworkers and other unions. They argue it would delay new health protections for workers by requiring a lengthy regulatory process before new standards could be issued. " -By Holly Rosenkrantz and Mark Drajem -Bloomberg
 Larry
Craig - Politician
-  Idaho
- Minnesota
-  Police
"Ex-Senator Craig accepts sex sting guilty plea." ... "Former [Idaho Republican Senator] Sen. Larry Craig has ended his effort to void the guilty plea he made following his 2007 arrest in a men's toilet sex-sting operation, his lawyer said on Thursday." ... "Craig was arrested at [Minnesota's] Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on June 11, 2007, by an undercover police officer who said the lawmaker peeked at him repeatedly through a crack in a stall door, sat down in the stall next to him and used hand and foot signals to indicate he was soliciting sex." -By Andrew Stern with contributions by Michael Conlon -Reuters 
 Water
- Technology
- Company
- Environment
- Minnesota
- Texas
"Nation's First 'Underwater Wind Turbine' Installed in Old Man River." ... "The nation's first commercial hydrokinetic turbine, which harnesses the power from moving water without the construction of a dam, has splashed into the waters of the Mississippi River near Hastings, Minnesota." ... "The 35-kilowatt turbine is positioned downstream from an existing hydroelectric-plant dam and — together with another turbine to be installed soon — will increase the capacity of the plant by more than 5 percent. The numbers aren't big, but the rig's installation could be the start of an important trend in green energy." ... "And that could mean more of these "wind turbines for the water" will be generating clean energy soon." ... ""We don't require that massive dam construction, we're just using the natural flow of the stream," said Mark Stover, a vice president at Hydro Green Energy, the Houston[ Texas]-based company leading the project. "It's underwater windpower if you will, but we have 840 or 850 times the energy density of wind."" ... "Hydrokinetic turbines like those produced by Hydro Green and Verdant capture the mechanical energy of the water's flow and turn it into energy, without need for a dam." ... "Hydro Green's Stover hopes that his company's new unit will help shorten that regulatory process by generating environmental impact data that could ease concerns the turbines will disrupt river ecosystems and habitats." -By Alexis Madrigal -Wired
Larry
Craig - Idaho
- Politician
- Saint
Paul - Minnesota
- Police
"Court denies Sen. Craig's effort to withdraw sex-sting plea." ... "The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected U.S. [United States, Idaho Republican Senator] Sen. Larry Craig's effort to withdraw his guilty plea to a misdemeanor offense of disorderly conduct in connection with a sex-sting operation." ... "The Idaho Republican was arrested in the Minneapolis-St. Paul [Saint Paul, Minnesota's capital] airport in June 2007 after an undercover police officer accused him of soliciting sex by using hand signals and tapping his foot in a bathroom stall. Two months after his arrest, and without consulting a lawyer, Craig pleaded guilty to the charge without appearing in court." ... "After the incident became public, he attempted to withdraw his plea, contending that his "wide stance" had been misinterpreted by the arresting officer and that he had pleaded guilty simply to get the matter over with." -CNN
 Sarah
Palin -  Jeff
Larson -  Karl
Rove -  John
McCain - Norm
Coleman - Money
-  Fashion
- Apartment
- Politics
- Minnesota
- 2008
Election
"Sarah Palin’s Personal Shopper." ... "The attention from Jeanne Cummings’s much-talked-about Politico story has naturally focused on the $150,000 in luxury clothing purchased for [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate] Sarah Palin at Neiman Marcus, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, and Barney’s. What hasn’t yet gotten any attention is who bought it for her. But buried in the same FEC [Federal Election Commission] disclosure form that revealed Palin’s taste for the fine life is the name of the man who appears to have been her personal shopper: Jeff Larson." ... "Under FEC regulations, the RNC must file what is called a “Schedule F form,” which lists “expenditures made by political committees or designated agents(s) on behalf of candidates for federal office.”" ... "Larson is the [Republican operative] Karl Rove protégé who’s a principal in the robocalling firm of FLS Connect (the “FLS” stands for Tony Feather, Jeff Larson, and Tom Syndhorst, all veteran Republican political operatives). Larson’s firm is the same one that launched the scurrilous robocalls against John McCain in 2000, and that McCain has now hired to make robocalls connecting Barack Obama to Bill Ayers. He’s also well known in Minnesota for leasing his basement apartment at a steeply discounted rate to embattled [Minnesota] Republican Senator Norm Coleman." -By Joshua Green -TheAtlantic.com 
Sarah
Palin - Fashion
- Politics
- McCain
- 2008
Election - Missouri
-  New
York - Minnesota
"RNC shells out $150K for Palin fashion." ... "The Republican National Committee [RNC] has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate] Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain in late August." ... "According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis [Missouri] and New York for a combined $49,425.74." ... "The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis [Minnesota], including one $75,062.63 spree in early September." ... "The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August." ... "September payments were also made to Barney’s New York ($789.72) and Bloomingdale’s New York ($5,102.71)." ... "Macy’s in Minneapolis, another store fortunate enough to be situated in the Twin Cities that hosted last summer’s Republican National Convention, received three separate payments totaling $9,447.71." ... "An additional $4,902.45 was spent in early September at Atelier, a high-class shopping destination for men." -By Jeanne Cummings -Politico.com 
John
McCain - Nathan
Sproul - Money
- Politics
-Investigation
- Law
- California
-  Nevada
- Oregon
- Minnesota
-  Pennsylvania
-  West
Virginia -  Vermont
-  Massachusetts
- Michigan
-  Libraries
- 2004
Election - 2008
Election
"McCain Employing GOP [Republican] Operative Accused Of Voter Registration Fraud." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's campaign has directed $175,000 to the firm of a Republican operative accused of massive voter registration fraud in several states." ... "According to campaign finance records, a joint committee of the McCain-Palin campaign, the RNC [Republican National Committee] and the the California Republican Party, made a $175,000 payment to the group Lincoln Strategy in June for purposes of "registering voters." The managing partner of that firm is Nathan Sproul, a renowned GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] operative who has been investigated on multiple occasions for suppressing Democratic voter turnout, throwing away registration forms and even spearheading efforts to get Ralph Nader on ballots to hinder the Democratic ticket." ... "During the 2004 election, Sproul & Associates (the former name of Lincoln Strategy) was accused of attempting to destroy forms collected by Democratic voters in Nevada. That same year in Oregon, Sproul & Associates allegedly instructed canvassers to only accept Republican registration forms in addition to destroying those turned in by Democrats." ... "In Minnesota, meanwhile, Sproul's firm was accused of actually firing workers who brought back Democratic registration forms, while other canvassers were allegedly paid "$13 an hour, with the $3 bonus for every [Republican President] Bush, undecided or Ralph Nader voter registration." Similar problems related to Sproul & Associates popped up in Pennsylvania and West Virginia." ... "All of this was executed, it seems, through an elaborate web of deception. As Salon.com wrote back in 2004:" "Canvassers were told to act as if they were nonpartisan, to hide that they were working for the RNC, especially if approached by the media... In letters the firm sent to the libraries, Sproul misrepresented itself as America Votes -- a left-leaning national voter registration group not affiliated with Sproul -- but said that it was interested in registering "all those who wish to register to vote." Shortly after Sproul canvassers began working the libraries, though, patrons began complaining that the canvassers were being especially inquisitive about their political leanings, and some were pushing people to register as Republicans.""Sens. [Vermont Democratic Senator] Patrick Leahy and [Massachusetts Democratic Senator] Ted Kennedy sent a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2004 asking that the Justice Department "launch an immediate investigation into the activities of Mr. Sproul and his firm." Three years later, members of Congress still weren't satisfied. Rep. [Michigan Democratic Representative John] Conyers complained in an Oct. 2007 letter that the Justice Department was not closely scrutinizing Sproul's efforts. "The alleged misconduct described by many witnesses," he wrote, "clearly suppress[es] votes and violate[s] the law."" -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
Norm
Coleman - Money
- Fashion
- Politics
- Minnesota
-  Video
- 2008
Election
"A Simple Question, Yes or No?" ... "Did Nasser Kazeminy pay for [Minnesota Republican Norm] Colemans suits or not?"  -Video
via
MinnesotaDFL
via YouTube
Homes
- Nevada
- Florida
- Phoenix
-  Arizona
- Los
Angeles - San
Diego - San
Francisco - California
- Florida
- Michigan
- Minnesota
-  Illinois
-Ohio
-  Georgia
- New
York - Seattle
-  Washington
- Massachusetts
- Portland
- Oregon
-  Colorado
- Texas
-  North
Carolina
"Home prices down 15.8% in past year, S&P says: Seven of 20 cities tally monthly price gains in May, Case-Shiller data show." ... "Prices in 10 cities fell 16.9% in the past year." ... "Prices thus are at the same levels as they were in the summer of 2004, which means four years of appreciation have been effectively wiped out. Prices are down 18.4% from peak levels seen two years ago." ... "Here's a list of the 20 cities in the Case-Shiller index with the annual decline through May: Las Vegas [Nevada], down 28.4%; Miami [Florida], down 28.3%; Phoenix [Arizona], down 26.5%; Los Angeles [California], down 24.5%; San Diego [California], down 23.2%; San Francisco [California], down 22.9%; Tampa [Florida], down 20.2%; Detroit [Michigan], down 17.4%; Washington [DC], down 15.4%; Minneapolis [Minnesota], down 14.8%; Chicago [Illinois], down 9.4%; Cleveland [Ohio], down 8%; Atlanta [Georgia], and New York [City, New York], both down 7.9%; Seattle [Washington], down 6.3%; Boston [Massachusetts], down 6.2%; Portland [Oregon], down 5.2%; Denver [Colorado], down 4.8%; Dallas [Texas], down 3.1%; and Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina], down 0.2%." -By Rex Nutting -MarketWatch
Norm
Coleman - Jeff
Larson - Money
- Politics
- Investigators
- House
- Minnesota
- 2008
Election
"Ethics group files charge against Coleman over living arrangement." ... "[Minnesota Republican Senator Norm] Coleman, a Minnesota Republican, has been living in the basement of a Capitol Hill town house owned by campaign consultant Jeff Larson for the past year. He missed a couple of rent payments until the magazine National Journal brought them to his attention. Coleman also paid one month's rent by selling furniture to Larson." ... "Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wants the Senate Ethics Committee to determine, among other things, whether the $600 monthly rent Coleman pays is fair market value and whether Coleman would have paid the missing rent checks had the magazine not flagged them." ... ""Few Americans have landlords who sometimes fail to cash their rent checks, ignore unpaid rent, or accept furniture in lieu of rent," said CREW's executive director, Melanie Sloan." ... ""That Sen. Coleman has just such a landlord, who also happens to financially benefit from his relationship with the senator, creates exactly the sort of appearance of impropriety that undermines the public's faith in government."" ... "Coleman faces a tough re-election challenge from [2008 Election Minnesota Senatorial Candidate] Democrat Al Franken." -AP via -USATODAY 
Norm
Coleman - Jeff
Larson - Karl
Rove -  Cheney
- Money
- Politicians
- Saint
Paul - Minnesota
- 2008
Election - Lawmaker
- Apartment
-  Tele
- Marketing
"Friendly Dealings." ... "Along the road to the top of the political heap in Minnesota, [Republican Senator Norm] Coleman had plenty of help. But in the last dozen years, few if any supporters have played a more important role than a little-known Republican operative named Jeff Larson. Larson works in St. Paul [Minnesota's capital] but has gold-plated GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] connections in Washington and across the country. Or, as Coleman puts it: "He's the most connected person in D.C. that nobody in Minnesota knows."" ... "Their relationship--the ambitious, energetic, can-do lawmaker and the low-key, behind-the-scenes strategist--has proved to be mutually beneficial. Larson's political telemarketing business appears to have profited handsomely from the relationship, and Coleman has turned to his close friend in times of need, including in his tough battle to win a second Senate term in November [2008 Election]." ... "Most curiously, Larson provides Coleman with a place to live in Washington. In July 2007, Coleman began paying Larson $600 a month in rent for a portion of a one-bedroom basement apartment in a Capitol Hill town house that Larson owns. The way Coleman explained the arrangement, the apartment serves as a crash pad." ... "Earlier this month, after National Journal questioned Coleman and Larson about the living arrangement, the senator said he discovered that his rent for last November and January had not been paid. In mid-June, Coleman covered the back rent with a personal check for $1,200 made out to Larson and signed by the senator's wife. Last year, Coleman sold furniture to Larson to cover one month's rent, according to Larson. And Larson held on to yet another month's rent check for three months, cashing it a few days after NJ's inquiries." ... "Larson's St. Paul-based company, FLS Connect [partners: Feather, Larson, and Synhorst], is a critical component of Coleman's political operation. The firm, which has raised money and hustled up voters for Coleman, has been paid about $1.6 million since mid-2001 by Coleman's Northstar Leadership political action committee and two Senate campaigns, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Larson serves as the PAC's treasurer and provides it with office space in St. Paul; Coleman's Senate campaign stopped renting space from Larson last year." ... "Coleman has yet another Larson connection. He has employed Larson's wife, Dorene, for more than two years as a "casework supervisor" in the senator's St. Paul office. She is listed on his Senate payroll under her maiden name [Dorene Kainz]. After NJ questioned Coleman about the arrangement, his staff said that she would be leaving her constituent-services job on July 10." ... "Larson and his longtime partner, Tony Feather, are close to the [Republican President] Bush White House. Republican operatives said that Feather is especially close to Karl Rove, the former senior White House adviser who masterminded both of George W. Bush's presidential campaigns. In the 2003-04 presidential election cycle, the Bush-Cheney campaign paid FLS Connect, then known by other names, nearly $7.6 million, FEC records show." ... "But that's virtually chump change compared with what the Republican National Committee has doled out to FLS Connect since 2003--some $29.5 million, according to an analysis of federal campaign reports by the Center for Responsive Politics. And those numbers don't include money funneled to FLS Connect by at least 20 state GOP parties and House and Senate candidates." ... "In the end, Coleman's ties to Larson could prove politically damaging. Democrats, trying to unseat Coleman in his bid for a second term, have already publicly attacked him for his association with Larson's FLS Connect and another firm, DCI Group, a powerhouse Washington lobbying outfit." -By Edward T. Pound -NationalJournal
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Minnesota News Sources: Albert Lea, MN Alexandria, MN Annandale, MN Anoka, MN Austin, MN Bemidji, MN Benson, MN Blaine, MN Bloomington, MN Brainerd, MN Cannon Falls, MN Cambridge, MN Chanhassen, MN Chaska, MN Cloquet, MN Coon Rapids, MN Cottage Grove, MN Crookston, MN Duluth, MN Eden Prairie, MN Elk River, MN Ely, MN Fairmont, MN Fairbault, MN Fergus Falls, MN Forest Lake, MN Frazee, MN Fulda, MN Glencoe, MN Glenwood, MN Grand Rapids, MN Granite Falls, MN Hastings, MN Hibbing, MN Howard Lake, MN Jackson, MN Kasson, MN La Crescent, MN Little Falls, MN Luverne Rock, MN Mankato, MN Melrose, MN Milaca, MN Minneapolis, MN / St. Paul, MN Montevideo, MN Moose Lake, MN Mora, MN Morris, MN Mountain Lake, MN New Prague, MN New York Mills, MN NOT necessarily Recommended Minn Newspapers! |
Search Minnesota news News Search <Minnesota> in: <Google's U.S. "Uncle Sam," .gov and .mil> Search: <Minnesota News> in: / Minnesota Television Stations: Alexandria, MN Austin, MN Duluth, MN Mankato, MN Minneapolis, MN Rochester, MN St Paul, MN
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Food
- Agriculture
- History
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- "Wheat
Falls as Increased Global Planting May Boost Inventories."
... "Wheat futures for March delivery dropped 41 cents, or 3.9 percent,
to $10.07 a bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade [Chicago, Illinois]. The
contract reached a record $11.53 yesterday before closing down 45 cents,
the first decline this month. Wheat fell 7.9 percent in the past two days,
the biggest decline since Nov. 19, 2003." ... "On the Minneapolis Grain
Exchange [Minneapolis, Minnesota], wheat for May delivery fell the exchange
limit of 60 cents, or 4 percent, to $14.245 a bushel. The price rose 33
percent in January and almost tripled in the past year, partly because
of a shortage of high-protein spring wheat." -By Tony
C. Dreibus -Bloomberg
Mike
Huckabee - John
McCain
- 
Ron
Paul
- 
Kansas
- Minnesota
- Texas
- 2008
Election - "With
Huckabees victory in Kansas, voters send McCain a message."
... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mike Huckabee’s
win Saturday in Kansas’ Republican presidential caucuses was complete,
dominant and never in doubt." ... "In swamping presumptive GOP [GOP=Grand
Old Party=Republican 2008 Election Presidential] nominee John McCain 11,627
to 4,587 votes, or 60 percent to 24 percent, Huckabee swept 104 of the
state’s 105 counties. In that final county, Trego in western Kansas, Huckabee
and McCain tied at 15 votes each." ... "The win gave Huckabee all 36 delegates
that were on the line for the GOP National Convention in Minneapolis [Minnesota]
this summer." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and
Texas Republican Representative] Rep. Ron Paul of Texas wound up with 2,182
votes, or 11 percent." (1, 2)
-By Steve Kraske and Jim Sullinger
-KansasCity.com
Food
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Kansas- US
- 
Australia
- "Limit
on wheat prices raised." ... "With wheat prices touching
all-time highs, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission [CFTC] on Friday
took steps to allow the daily limit on price moves to double, to 60 cents
a bushel from 30 cents." ... "Additionally, the limit will rise to 90 cents
a bushel on the next day after a 60-cent limit is reached." ... "The CFTC,
which regulates trading on the Chicago Board of Trade [Chicago, Illinois]
and two other exchanges, made the move as wheat prices rose the limit for
the fifth straight day on the CBOT, to a record $10.93 a bushel for the
March contract, in after-hours electronic trading in Sydney [Australia]."
... "In Minneapolis [at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, Minneapolis, Minnesota],
where spring wheat also is traded, the March contract also rose the 30-cent
limit, gaining 2 percent, to $15.53 a bushel." ... "Wheat for March delivery
jumped the 30-cent limit to add 2.7 percent, to $11.4025 a bushel, on the
Kansas City Board of Trade [Kansas City, Kansas], also in after-hours trading
in Sydney [Australia]." -ChicagoTribune
Food
- Agriculture
- Markets
- History
- Consumer
- Minnesota- 
South
Dakota - 
North
Dakota - US
- Worldwide
- "Record
wheat price ignites food inflation fears: It's $15
a bushel at Minneapolis Grain Exchange [Minneapolis, Minnesota] and expected
to keep climbing." ... "The highest wheat price in U.S. [United States]
history - more than $15 a bushel - was reached Thursday in Minneapolis
as a trading frenzy inflames the grain markets, fans fears of spiking food
costs and revives worries about food shortages." ... "With wheat stockpiles
dwindling, a worldwide scramble is under way for bushels of high-protein
spring wheat, the variety grown in Minnesota and the Dakotas [South Dakota
and North Dakota] and traded at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange [Minneapolis,
Minnesota]. Already, spring wheat prices have tripled in the past year
and are poised to move even higher." ... "Thursday's closing price of $15.23
a bushel may be jubilant news for wheat farmers and the rural Midwest,
as the historic rally pushes corn and soybean prices near records, too.
But it could mean new price shocks for consumers, and it already alarms
food companies that need wheat for such consumer staples as bread, cereal,
crackers and pasta." ... "In 2007, the rate of U.S. food inflation more
than doubled to a 17-year high of 4.8 percent. Some expect that pace to
nearly double again this year." ... "The [Minneapolis Grain Exchange] exchange
was founded more than a century ago in an era when Minneapolis was the
flour milling capital of the world, and it nourished local companies like
General Mills, Pillsbury and Cargill. It remains the U.S. marketplace for
spring wheat, a tough, high-protein variety that makes bread rise and bagels
possible." ... "On Thursday, the local grain elevator in Halstad, Minn.
[Minneapolis], was paying $16.13 per bushel for spring wheat. " -By
Tom Webb -TwinCities.com
US
Immigration - Federal
- Law
- Enforcement
- Politics
- Arizona
- Minnesota
- Georgia
- Colorado
- "Immigration
officials detaining, deporting American citizens."
... "Thomas Warziniack was born in Minnesota and grew up in Georgia, but
immigration authorities pronounced him an illegal immigrant from Russia."
... "Immigration and Customs Enforcement has held Warziniack for weeks
in an Arizona detention facility with the aim of deporting him to a country
he's never seen. His jailers shrugged off Warziniack's claims that he was
an American citizen, even though they could have retrieved his Minnesota
birth certificate in minutes and even though a Colorado court had concluded
that he was a U.S. [United States] citizen a year before it shipped him
to Arizona." ... "On Thursday, Warziniack was told he would be released.
Immigration authorities were finally able to verify his citizenship." ...
""The immigration agents told me they never make mistakes," Warziniack
said in a phone interview from jail. "All I know is that somebody dropped
the ball."" ... "The story of how immigration officials decided that a
small-town drifter with a Southern accent was an illegal Russian immigrant
illustrates how the federal government mistakenly detains and sometimes
deports American citizens." ... "U.S. citizens who are mistakenly jailed
by immigration authorities can get caught up in a nightmarish bureaucratic
tangle in which they're simply not believed." ... "Unlike suspects charged
in criminal courts, detainees accused of immigration violations don't have
a right to an attorney, and three-quarters of them represent themselves.
Less affluent or resourceful U.S. citizens who are detained must try to
maneuver on their own through a complicated system."
-By
Marisa Taylor with contributions
by Tish Wells-McClatchyDC.com
Alberto
Gonzales
- 
Pete
Domenici - 
Heather
Wilson - Criminal
- US
Attorneys - Politics
- Hatch
Act - Federal
- Law
- Civil
Rights - 2006
Election - 2008
Election - 
New
Mexico - Minnesota
- "Attorneys
probe deepens." ... "The federal investigation into
the firing of nine U.S. attorneys could jolt the political landscape ahead
of the November [2008] elections, according to several people close to
the inquiry." ... "Washington’s attention has been diverted from the scandal
since the August resignation of Alberto Gonzales as attorney general, and
has focused instead on Democrats’ efforts to hold White House officials
in contempt for ignoring congressional subpoenas to testify on Capitol
Hill about the firings." ... "But recent behind-the-scenes activity in
several investigations suggests that the issue that roiled Congress in
2007 could re-emerge in the heat of the [2008] election year. Two inquiries
by the House and Senate ethics committees are examining whether several
congressional Republicans, including one running for the Senate this year,
improperly interfered with investigations." ... "As potent as the congressional
probes might be, they appear to be far narrower than a sprawling inquiry
launched by the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG)
and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR)." ... "Investigators
from these offices have been questioning whether senior officials lied
to Congress, violated the criminal provisions in the Hatch Act, tampered
with witnesses preparing to testify to Congress, obstructed justice, took
improper political considerations into account during the hiring and firing
of U.S. attorneys and created widespread problems in the department’s Civil
Rights Division, according to several people familiar with the investigation."
... "The internal Justice Department probe cannot bring charges but can
refer findings to a U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia or a special
prosecutor, who could then pursue a criminal investigation." ... "[Former
New Mexico U.S. Attorney David] Iglesias’s case is in the crosshairs of
all three investigations. Testifying before Congress, he alleged last year
that Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) pressured
him to accelerate an investigation of a Democratic politician in New Mexico
ahead of Wilson’s tight [2006] reelection bid. Iglesias said he did not
plan to bring charges before the November elections, and was fired in December
2006." ... "In a sign that the investigation has widened beyond the nine
fired attorneys, Justice last summer interviewed Thomas Heffelfinger, U.S.
attorney in Minnesota, who resigned before it was revealed that he was
targeted for dismissal." -By Manu Raju
-TheHill.com
Secret
- Larry
Craig- Gay
- Idaho
- Colorado
- Minnesota
- 
Airport
- Police
- Law
- 2008
Election - Money
- "More
gay men describe sexual encounters with U.S. Sen. Craig:
Allegations made since news of the Minneapolis case broke lend weight to
rumors about [Idaho Republican Senator Larry] Craig." ... "David Phillips.
Mike Jones. Greg Ruth. Tom Russell." ... "Four gay men, willing to put
their names in print and whose allegations can't be disproved, have come
forward since news of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's guilty plea. They say they
had sex with Craig or that he made a sexual advance or that he paid them
unusual attention." ... "They are telling their stories now because they
are offended by Craig's denials, including his famous statement, "I am
not gay, I never have been gay." Those words, spoken on live national TV
on Aug. 28, are now memorialized on a just-released-for-Christmas Talking
Senator Larry Craig Action Figure." ... "A fifth gay man, who is from Boise
[Idaho's capital] but who declined to be named for fear of retaliation,
offered a recent and telling account: He was in a men's restroom at [Colorado's]
Denver International Airport in September 2006 when the man in the next
stall moved his hand slowly, palm up, under the divider. Alarmed, the man
said he waited outside the restroom and then identified the man in the
adjoining stall as Craig, whom he had met in Idaho." ... "Craig, 62, says
he was a victim of "profiling" when he was arrested June 11 at [Minnesota's]
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for soliciting sex from an undercover
police officer in an adjoining stall in a men's restroom. Craig pleaded
guilty to disorderly conduct in August. He is appealing his conviction,
financed by his 2008 re-election fund." ... "Craig has said he hoped to
keep his guilty plea secret." -By Dan Popkey
-IdahoStatesman.com
Larry
Craig
- 
Ted
Haggard - Gay
- Idaho
- Minnesota- Airport
- Police
- "'Sen.
Craig visited me' says escort who claimed relationship with Haggard."
... "The gay escort whose allegations forced the resignation of nationally
renowned evangelist Ted Haggard now says he was also visited by Idaho [Republican
Senator] Sen. Larry Craig." ... "Craig is the Republican senator who pleaded
guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges earlier this year after
his arrest in a Minneapolis [Minnesota] airport bathroom for propositioning
an undercover police officer." -By Nicole Vap with
contributions by Paula Woodward and Jeffrey Wolf
-9News.com
Larry
E Craig
- Gay
- Politics
- Minnesota
- Airport
- Police
- Idaho
- Newspaper
- "Craig
Asks Court to Let Him Withdraw His Plea of Guilty."
... "Lawyers for [Idaho Republican] Senator Larry E. Craig filed court
papers yesterday asking that he be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea
to disorderly conduct in a Minnesota airport sex sting." ... "In an affidavit,
Mr. Craig said that he was “deeply panicked” in the aftermath of his arrest
June 11 on suspicion of soliciting a plainclothes officer in a men’s room
at [Minnesota's] Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and that, with
an Idaho newspaper already investigating his sexuality, he signed a guilty
plea on Aug. 1 to try to keep the arrest from being disclosed." ... "The
[police] officer said Mr. Craig had peeped into his stall, entered the
adjacent stall, touched the officer’s foot with his own and made hand signals
known to be silent code for soliciting sex in the restroom." -By
Duff Wilson -NYTimes
Larry
Craig
- Gay
- Idaho
- Minnesota
- Police
- Law
- "Craig
may not be resigning after all." ... "In a surprise
twist, [Idaho Republican Senator] Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) has left
open, albeit slightly, the possibility that he will not resign from the
Senate if he succeeds in his fight to clear his name of allegations that
he solicited sex in a Minnesota airport restroom in June." ... ""Sen. Craig
still intends to resign," his spokesman, Dan Whiting, said in an interview
Tuesday night. "That being said, Sen. Craig wants it clear he's fighting
these charges, both in Minneapolis and in the Senate Ethics Committee,
and if the wheels of justice are able to turn quick enough, meaning before
Sept. 30, he may -- and I emphasize may -- not resign." ... ""At this point,
it's a very small door that he's left open," Whiting added." ... "Craig
pleaded guilty last month to disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. He was
arrested in June by an undercover police officer investigating complaints
of lewd conduct in a men's restroom at [Minnesota's] Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airport." -By Richard Simon-LAtimes
Larry
Craig
- Homosexual
- Law
- Politics
- History
- Idaho
- Minnesota
- 2008
Election - "Men's
room arrest reopens questions about Sen. Larry Craig:
Idaho senator pleads guilty to disorderly conduct after incident at Minnesota
airport that echoes previous allegation of homosexual conduct." ... "[Idaho
Republican Senator] Sen. Larry Craig, who in May told the Idaho Statesman
he had never engaged in homosexual acts, was arrested less than a month
later by an undercover police officer who said Craig made a sexual advance
toward him in an airport men's room." ... "The arrest at a Minnesota airport
prompted Craig to plead guilty to disorderly conduct earlier this month.
His June 11 encounter with the officer was similar to an incident in a
men's room in a Washington, D.C., rail station described by a Washington-area
man to the Idaho Statesman. In that case, the man said he and Craig had
sexual contact." ... "The Minnesota arrest was first reported Monday by
Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper." ... "In an interview on May 14, Craig
told the Idaho Statesman he'd never engaged in sex with a man or solicited
sex with a man. The Craig interview was the culmination of a Statesman
investigation that began after a blogger accused Craig of homosexual sex
in October. Over five months, the Statesman examined rumors about Craig
dating to his college days and his 1982 pre-emptive denial that he had
sex with underage congressional pages." ... "The most serious finding by
the Statesman was the report by a professional man with close ties to Republican
officials. The 40-year-old man reported having oral sex with Craig at Washington's
Union Station, probably in 2004. The Statesman also spoke with a man who
said Craig made a sexual advance toward him at the University of Idaho
in 1967 and a man who said Craig "cruised" him for sex in 1994 at the REI
store in Boise [Idaho's capital]. The Statesman also explored dozens of
allegations that proved untrue, unclear or unverifiable." ... "Craig, 62,
was elected to Congress in 1980. Should he win re-election in 2008 and
complete his term, he would be the longest-serving Idahoan ever in Congress.
His record includes a series of votes against gay rights and his support
of a 2006 amendment to the Idaho Constitution that bars gay marriage and
civil unions." ... "On Aug. 9, the day after his guilty plea in Minnesota,
Craig told the Statesman he had yet to decide whether he would seek re-election
in 2008." ... "Former Democratic [Representative] Rep. Larry LaRocco announced
in April that he will run for the Senate." -By Dan
Popkey -IdahoStatesman.com
Larry
Craig
- 
Mitt
Romney
- Gay
- Idaho
- Minnesota
- Airport
- 
Privacy
- Law
- Politics
- 2008
Election - "Idaho
senator arrested in airport." ... "[Idaho Republican
Senator] Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho pleaded guilty this month to misdemeanor
disorderly conduct after being arrested at the Minneapolis airport." ...
"A Hennepin County court docket showed Craig pleading guilty to the disorderly
conduct charge Aug. 8, with the court dismissing a charge of gross misdemeanor
interference to privacy." ... "He is up for re-election next year [2008
election]." ... "He has been one of [2008 election] Republican presidential
candidate Mitt Romney's top Senate supporters, serving as a Senate liaison
for the campaign since February." ... "Roll Call quoted the Aug. 8 police
report as saying that Craig had handed the arresting officer a business
card that identified him as a member of the Senate." ... ""What do you
think about that?" Craig is alleged to have said, according to the report."
-By Steve Karnowski with contributions by Matthew
Daly, Fred Frommer, and John Miller -AP
via -Yahoo
Larry
Craig
- Gay
- Idaho
- Minnesota
- Airport
- Law
- Politics
- "Republican
senator arrested, reportedly for lewd conduct." ...
"[Idaho Republican Senator] Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, was fined earlier
this month for a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge stemming from his
arrest in June at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according
to Minnesota criminal records." ... "While the criminal records did not
provide details of why Craig was arrested, Roll Call newspaper reported
Monday that he was apprehended by a plainclothes police officer investigating
complaints of lewd behavior in an airport men's room." ... "Last fall,
Craig's office publicly denied assertions by an Internet blogger Mike Rogers
that the senator was gay, dismissing speculation about his sexuality as
"completely ridiculous."" ... "He has supported a federal constitutional
amendment banning same-sex marriage, telling his colleagues that it was
"important for us to stand up now and protect traditional marriage, which
is under attack by a few unelected judges and litigious activists."" ...
"In 1996, Craig also voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which
denies federal recognition to same-sex marriages and prevents states from
being forced to recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples legally
performed in other states." ... "Craig has also opposed expanding the federal
hate crimes law to cover offenses motivated by anti-gay bias and, in 1996,
voted against a bill that would have outlawed employment discrimination
based on sexual orientation, which failed by a single vote in the Senate."
-Contributed to by Dana Bash
-CNN
Larry
Craig
- Idaho
- Minnesota
- Airport
- Law
- Politics
- "Craig
Arrested, Pleads Guilty Following Incident in Airport Restroom."
... "[Idaho Republican Senator] Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested
in June at a Minnesota airport by a plainclothes police officer investigating
lewd conduct complaints in a men’s public restroom, according to an arrest
report obtained by Roll Call Monday afternoon." ... "Craig’s arrest occurred
just after noon on June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
On Aug. 8, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in the Hennepin
County District Court. He paid more than $500 in fines and fees, and a
10-day jail sentence was stayed. He also was given one year of probation
with the court that began on Aug. 8." ... "A spokesman for Craig described
the incident as a “he said/he said misunderstanding,” and said the office
would release a fuller statement later Monday afternoon." ... "After he
was arrested, Craig, who is married, was taken to the Airport Police Operations
Center to be interviewed about the lewd conduct incident, according to
the police report. At one point during the interview, Craig handed the
plainclothes sergeant who arrested him a business card that identified
him as a U.S. Senator and said, “What do you think about that?” the report
states." -By John McArdle with contributions by Steven
T. Dennis -RollCall.com
Consumer
- Housing
- History
- California
- Illinois
- Minnesota- Texas
- "Drop
Foreseen in Median Price of U.S. Homes." ... "The
median price of American homes is expected to fall this year for the first
time since federal housing agencies began keeping statistics in 1950."
... "Economists say the decline, which could be foreshadowed in a widely
followed government price index to be released this week, will probably
be modest — from 1 percent to 2 percent — but could continue in 2008 and
2009. Rather than being limited to the once-booming Northeast and California,
price declines are also occurring in cities like Chicago [Illinois], Minneapolis
[Minnesota] and Houston [Texas], where the increases of the last decade
were modest by comparison." ... "The reversal is particularly striking
because many government officials and housing-industry executives had said
that a nationwide decline would never happen, even though prices had fallen
in some coastal areas as recently as the early 1990s." ... "While the housing
slump has already rattled financial markets, it has so far had only a modest
effect on consumer spending and economic growth. But forecasters now believe
that its impact will lead to a slowdown over the next year or two." ...
"Unless the real estate downturn is much worse than economists are expecting,
the declines will not come close to erasing the increases of the last decade."
(1, 2)
-By David Leonhardt and Vikas Bajaj
-NYTimes
Idaho
- Minnesota
- Lawmaker
- Religious
- History- 2008
Election - "Idaho
lawmaker apologizes to Muslim congressman." ... "Idaho
[Republican Representative] Rep. Bill Sali has apologized to the nation's
first Muslim congressman, whose election Sali deemed in an interview as
"not what was envisioned by the Founding Fathers.’’" ... "The Idaho Republican
has exchanged conciliatory e-mails with U.S. [Minnesota Democratic Representative]
Rep. Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat who became the first Muslim in
Congress last year. Both Sali and Ellison were elected in 2006." ... "Ellison
took a ceremonial oath of office using a Koran once owned by Thomas Jefferson.
In interviews at the time, he said he chose the Koran from the Library
of Congress because “it showed that a visionary like Jefferson believed
that wisdom could be gleaned from many sources.”" ... "Both the Idaho Democratic
Party and Sali’s 2008 [election] Democratic opponent, Bill Grant, have
capitalized on the hubbub in the blogosphere." ... "“We here in Idaho do
cherish religious freedom, both yours and ours,’’ Grant wrote [Ellison].
"And, we do applaud anyone who stands up for both peace and freedom, as
I know you do.’’" -By
Erika
Bolstad -McClatchyDC.com
Minnesota
- I-35W
Bridge Collapse - Disaster
- History
- Transportation
- Construction
- Science
- Politics
- "I-35W
inspectors flagged serious cracks, rusting." ...
"[Minnesota] State bridge inspectors warned for nearly a decade before
its collapse that the Interstate 35W bridge had "severe" and "extensive"
corrosion of its beams and trusses, "widespread cracking" in spans and
missing or broken bolts." ... "Not only was the superstructure in poor
condition, but certain components were "beyond tolerable limits," and one
of the bridge's piers had "tilted to the north," they reported." ... "By
2000, the inspectors wrote that "eventual replacement of the entire structure
would be preferable" to redecking the bridge. They added: "If bridge replacement
is significantly delayed, the bridge should be re-decked."" ... "That recommendation
was repeated in every report afterward, but it never happened." ... "[Minnesota
Republican Governor Tim] Pawlenty defended the decisions made about the
bridge." ... "However, in every report since 2000, inspectors urged the
state to replace bolts in a specific area of the bridge, a job listed each
year under "Immediate Maintenance Recommendations."" ... "And since 2004
the reports repeatedly cited fatigue cracking in two girders as another
problem requiring immediate maintenance, possibly including measures to
relieve stress." ... "More than 11,000 comparable bridges in the nation
have deficiency ratings similar to those of the I-35W bridge." -By
Pat Doyle, Mike Kaszuba, Dan Browning and Laurie Blake
-StarTribune
Minnesota
- I-35W
Bridge Collapse - Disaster
- River
- 
Navy
- 
Robotic
- Technology
- Space
Shuttle Columbia - USS-Monitor
- Historic
- Police
- "Navy
Divers Join Minn. Bridge Search." ... "An elite team
of Navy divers joined the search for victims of the [Minneapolis, Minnesota
I-35W] interstate bridge collapse Tuesday, bringing to the job lessons
learned from such disasters as TWA Flight 800 and the loss of the space
shuttle Columbia." ... "The team of 16 divers and a five-member command
crew arrived a day earlier. Once their gear arrived before dawn Tuesday,
several divers immediately entered the Mississippi River even though local
officials encouraged them to wait until daybreak." ... "``Two in the morning,
they dove into the water,'' Minneapolis Police Capt. Mike Martin said,
calling them ``the best divers in the world.''" ... "Navy Senior Chief
David Nagle said the divers wanted to get a feel for the area and were
in the water for about two hours. Divers were back in the river by late
morning, removing concrete rebar and other debris." ... "Joining the Navy
team was an FBI dive crew, doing forensic work for the investigation. Their
tools included a small unmanned submarine equipped with a robotic arm.
``It's basically crime-lab-underwater kind of work,'' Martin said." ...
"The Navy and FBI team bring experience and technology far beyond what's
been available to local search crews, who complained they have been hampered
by dangerously unstable wreckage and a rapid current." ... "The Navy divers
will be tethered to above-ground oxygen tanks, so they can stay in the
water much longer than local divers, who had been using scuba tanks. Heavy-duty
equipment will allow divers to cut through steel wreckage. The Navy also
has sophisticated sonar to scan for bodies." ... "Navy divers assisted
in the reclamation of historic sunken ships including the ironclad Civil
War ship the Monitor." -By Patrick Condon with contributions
by Steve Karnowski and Mark Scolforo -AP
via -Guardian.co.uk
Minnesota
- Political
- Transportation
- Construction
- Gas
- Legislation
- I-35W
Bridge Collapse - Disaster
- Don
Young - Alaska
- Government
- "Bridge
Collapse Revives Issue of Road Spending." ... "In
the past two years, [Minnesota Republican Governor] Gov. Tim Pawlenty of
Minnesota twice vetoed legislation to raise the state’s gas tax to pay
for transportation needs." ... "Now, with at least five people dead in
the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge here, Mr. Pawlenty, a Republican,
appears to have had a change of heart." ... "Even as the cause of the bridge
disaster here remains under investigation, the collapse is changing a lot
of minds about spending priorities. It has focused national attention on
the crumbling condition of America’s roadways and bridges — and on the
financial and political neglect they have received in Washington and many
state capitals." ... "Despite historic highs in transportation spending,
the political muscle of lawmakers, rather than dire need, has typically
driven where much of the money goes. That has often meant construction
of new, politically popular roads and transit projects rather than the
mundane work of maintaining the worn-out ones." ... "The $286 billion federal
transportation legislation passed by Congress in 2005 included more than
6,000 earmarks, which amounted to blatant gifts to chosen districts, including
the [Alaska Republican Representative Don Young's] so-called Bridge to
Nowhere in rural Alaska (that earmark was later removed after a political
uproar)." ... "A study released in May by the Urban Land Institute and
Ernst & Young found that 83 percent of the nation’s transportation
infrastructure was not capable of meeting the country’s needs over the
next 10 years. The American Society of Civil Engineers, in its latest national
report card, gave transportation infrastructure a D." (1, 2)
-By Susan Saulny and Jennifer Steinhauer
-NYTimes
Minnesota
- I-35W
Bridge Collapse - Disaster
- Water
- Sheriff
- 
Fire
Department - "Divers
work in a dark, dangerous world." ... "Divers searching
in the murky Mississippi River for victims of the [Minneapolis, Minnesota
I-35W] bridge collapse work in a hazardous world where a mistake can cost
them their lives." ... "Underwater debris swirls the river's already powerful
currents into whirlpools of fast-moving water that can endanger divers,
authorities said." ... "And the water is a potentially lethal stew of fuel,
broken glass, jagged car parts, and concrete and rebar from the fallen
bridge." ... ""Conditions on the river are even more treacherous than yesterday,"
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek said Friday. "The divers will be taking
extreme caution. We will be slow and methodical during our search operations
today." ... "Visibility in parts of the river is less than a foot, said
one diver, Capt. Shanna Hanson of the Minneapolis Fire Department.""
-CNN
Minnesota
- I-35W
Bridge Collapse - Car
- Transportation
- Water
- "Driver
makes dramatic underwater escape after bridge collapses."
... "Alicia Babatz was on her way to pick up her 2-year-old daughter Wednesday
when she felt the [Minneapolis, Minnesota I-35W] bridge give way beneath
her." ... "She said she thought she was going to die as her car crashed
into the concrete and plunged into the water. Buckled in behind the wheel,
she watched the water rise above her." ... "Fighting what she called "excruciating
pain," Babatz, 22, escaped through a window and swam to the rubble of the
collapsed bridge." ... ""I was crying for help, but there were cries for
help all around me," she said." ... "It took Babatz about 30 minutes to
get out of the water. She said she looked back, and her car was gone."
-CNN
US
- Canada
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Lake
- History
- 
Climate
- Business
- "Lake
Superior changes puzzle scientists." ... "Deep enough
to hold the combined water in all the other Great Lakes and with a surface
area as large as South Carolina, Lake Superior's size has lent it an aura
of invulnerability." ... "But the mighty Superior [bordered by Ontario,
Canada and the US states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin] is losing
water and getting warmer, worrying those who live near its shores, scientists
and companies that rely on the lake for business." ... "The changes to
the lake could be signs of climate change, although scientists aren't sure."
... "Superior's level is at its lowest point in eight decades and will
set a record this fall if, as expected, it dips three more inches. Meanwhile,
the average water temperature has surged 4.5 degrees since 1979, significantly
above the 2.7-degree rise in the region's air temperature during the same
period." ... "That's no small deal for a freshwater sea that was created
from glacial melt as the Ice Age ended and remains chilly in all seasons."
... "A weather buoy on the western side recently recorded an "amazing"
75 degrees, "as warm a surface temperature as we've ever seen in this lake,"
said Jay Austin, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota at
Duluth's Large Lakes Observatory." -AP
via -CNN
Minnesota
- I-35W
Bridge Collapse - Disaster
- Vehicles
- Transportation
- Construction
- Technology
- Politics
- Government
- River
- "Minn.
bridge problems uncovered in 1990." ... "Minnesota
officials were warned as early as 1990 that the [Minneapolis, Minnesota
I-35W] bridge that plummeted into the Mississippi River was "structurally
deficient," yet they relied on a strategy of patchwork fixes and stepped-up
inspections." ... "In 1990, the federal government gave the I-35W bridge
a rating of "structurally deficient," citing significant corrosion in its
bearings. The bridge is one of 77,000 bridges in that category nationwide,
1,160 in Minnesota alone." ... "[Bridge engineer Dan] Dorgan said the bearings
could not have been repaired without jacking up the entire deck of the
bridge. Because the bearings were not sliding, inspectors concluded the
corrosion was not a major issue." ... "During the 1990s, later inspections
found fatigue cracks and corrosion in the steel around the bridge's joints.
Those problems were repaired. Starting in 1993, the state said, the bridge
was inspected annually instead of every other year." ... "A 2005 federal
inspection also rated the bridge structurally deficient, giving it a 50
on scale of 100 for structural stability." ... "The eight-lane Interstate
35W bridge was Minnesota's busiest bridge, carrying 141,000 vehicles a
day. It was in the midst of mostly repaving repairs when it buckled during
the evening rush hour. Dozens of cars plummeted more than 60 feet into
the Mississippi River, some falling on top one of another. A school bus
sat on the angled concrete." -By Sharon Cohen and
Brian Bakst with contributions by Seth Borenstein, Martiga Lohn, Ryan Foley
and Jon Krawczynski -AP
via -Yahoo
Minnesota
- Transportation
- Disaster
- Lawmakers
- Construction
- Money
- Politics
- "Bridge
collapse renews focus on transportation funding debate."
... "Two key Minnesota lawmakers are angry that it has taken a tragedy
to free up money for such an essential piece of the state's transportation
infrastructure." ... "A former Minnesota transportation official says the
total cost including demolition and new construction, could be $400 million."
... "However, two key Minnesota lawmakers are angry it's taken a disaster
to get people's attention." ... "State [Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Party Representative] Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul [Minnesota], and
chair of the House bonding committee, has many of the same questions as
others about why the bridge collapsed." ... ""Did we do due diligence in
our inspections, and our response to those inspections?" she asked." ...
"Hausman cautions it is wise to wait for the investigation to supply answers
about what caused the bridge collapse." ... "She is not willing, for example,
to assert that years of deferred state transportation maintenance spending
is a cause." ... "What makes her angry, she says, is the criticism aimed
at her and other lawmakers who, over the years, have advocated spending
more on repairing Minnesota's transportation infrastructure." ... "State
[Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Senator] Sen. Keith Langseth,
on the other hand, points directly at Gov. [Minnesota Republican Governor
Tim] Pawlenty for not paying attention to the state's infrastructure needs."
... ""I've been in it for six governors. On infrastructure this one is
the worst, without any question," said Langseth." ... "He says the governor
is responsible for ignoring transportation maintenance." ... ""He thinks
he can just keep pushing this stuff off, whether it's by bonding rather
than paying cash, or just not doing it," said Langseth. "He thinks he can
get that beyond his tenure in office and just dump it on to somebody else,
and it caught up with him."" -By Dan Olson
-MPR -PublicRadio.org
Minnesota
- Legislature
- Transportation
- Politics
- "Speedy
veto from Pawlenty strikes down higher gas tax."
... "Less than 24 hours after the Minnesota Legislature sent him a transportation
bill, [Minnesota Republican Governor Tim] Pawlenty struck it down Tuesday."
... "However, DFL [Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party] lawmakers said
they are looking toward attempting to override his veto on their bill instead,
with the potential help of a handful of House Republicans." ... "DFL House
Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher called Pawlenty's stance on roads and
transit "a bit out of step with the needs of the state in terms of transportation.""
-MPR -PublicRadio.org
Griffin
- 
Rove
- 
Schlozman
- 
US
Attorneys - Poor
- 
People
- Civil
Righs - Law
- Enforcement- Politics
- 
Ark
- Florida
- Colorado
- Wisconsin
- Minnesota
- 
Iowa
- Arkansas- Michigan
- Nevada
- New
Mexico - Georgia
- 2004
Election - 2008
Election - "New
U.S. attorneys seem to have partisan records." ...
"Under [Republican] President Bush, the Justice Department has backed laws
that narrow minority voting rights and pressed U.S. attorneys to investigate
voter fraud - policies that critics say have been intended to suppress
Democratic votes." ... "Since 2005, McClatchy Newspapers has found, Bush
has appointed at least three U.S. attorneys who had worked in the Justice
Department's civil rights division when it was rolling back longstanding
voting-rights policies aimed at protecting predominantly poor, minority
voters." ... "Another newly installed U.S. attorney, Tim Griffin in Little
Rock, Ark. [Arkansas], was accused of participating in efforts to suppress
Democratic votes in Florida during the 2004 presidential election while
he was a research director for the Republican National Committee. He's
denied any wrongdoing." ... "Taken together, critics say, the replacement
of the U.S. attorneys, the voter-fraud campaign and the changes in Justice
Department voting rights policies suggest that the Bush administration
may have been using its law enforcement powers for partisan political purposes."
... "Last April, while the Justice Department and the White House were
planning the [US Attorneys] firings, [Republican President Bush's deputy
chief of staff Karl] Rove gave a speech in Washington to the Republican
National Lawyers Association. He ticked off 11 states that he said could
be pivotal in the 2008 elections. Bush has appointed new U.S. attorneys
in nine of them since 2005: Florida, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa,
Arkansas, Michigan, Nevada and New Mexico. U.S. attorneys in the latter
four were among those fired." ... "Several former voting rights lawyers,
who asked to remain anonymous for fear of antagonizing the administration,
said the division's political appointees reversed the recommendations of
career lawyers in key cases and transferred or drove out most of the unit's
veteran attorneys." ... "Bradley Schlozman, who was the civil rights division's
deputy chief, agreed in 2005 to reverse the career staff's recommendations
to challenge a Georgia law that would have required voters to pay $20 for
photo IDs and in some cases travel as far as 30 miles to obtain the ID
card." ... "A federal judge threw out the Georgia law, calling it an unconstitutional,
Jim Crow-era poll tax." -By Greg Gordon, Margaret
Talev and Marisa Taylor with contributions by Tish Wells and Ron Hutcheson
-McClatchy via
-RealCities
Torture
- 
Terrorism
- Military
- Law
- Environmental
- Politics
- "Evangelicals
slam torture in war on terrorism." ... "A major U.S.
association of evangelical Christians has condemned torture by the U.S.
military and reaffirmed its commitment to environmental activism, positions
that highlight broader splits in a movement associated with conservative
causes." ... ""United States law and military doctrine has banned the resort
to torture or cruel and degrading treatment. Tragically, documented cases
of torture and inhumane and cruel behavior have occurred at various sites
in the war on terror," the National Association of Evangelicals said in
a statement." ... ""Current law opens procedural loopholes for more to
continue," said the statement endorsed by the association's board of directors
at its annual meeting in Eden, Minnesota, over the weekend." ... ""This
new document is a Biblical reflection on the unjustified use of torture
... It is part of the international agenda that evangelicals have adopted,"
Richard Cizik, the NAE's vice president for governmental affairs, told
Reuters." -By Ed Stoddard
-AP via -Yahoo
Religious
- 
Books
- People
- 
Virginia
- Minnesota
- Michigan
- US
Immigration - Virgil
H Goode Jr - "Va.
Lawmaker's Remarks on Muslims Criticized: Republican
Had Decried the Use of the Koran for Congressman's Oath of Office." ...
"[Virginia Republican] Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. (R-Va.) is coming under
sharp criticism for lashing out against the decision by [Minnesota Democrat]
Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who will become the first Muslim member of Congress
next month, to use the Koran during a swearing-in ceremony." ... "In a
recent letter to constituents, Goode, a five-term congressman from Rocky
Mount, wrote that he does "not subscribe to using the Koran in any way"
and added: "The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the
voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt
the Virgil Goode position on immigration, there will likely be many more
Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran."" ... "When
members of Congress are sworn in, they simply raise their right hand. In
a ceremony afterward, they may take the oath of office on a Christian Bible,
another religious book or no book at all." ... "Ellison, who was born in
Detroit [Michigan], could not be reached to comment." -By
Zachary A. Goldfarb -WashingtonPost
US
- 
Iraq
- Military
- Religious
- Election
2006 - 2004
Election - Free
Speech - Law
- Colorado
- 
Maryland
- 
Montana
- 
Tennessee
- Michigan
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- New
Jersey - Minnesota
- California
- "Conservatives
Put Faith in Church Voter Drives: Evangelicals seek
to sign up a new flock of GOP supporters in states with crucial November
races." ... "As discontent with the Republican Party threatens to dampen
the turnout of conservative voters in November, evangelical leaders are
launching a massive registration drive that could help counter the malaise
and mobilize new religious voters in battleground states." ... "The program,
coordinated by the Colorado-based group Focus on the Family and its influential
founder, James C. Dobson, would use a variety of methods — including information
inserted in church publications and booths placed outside worship services
— to recruit millions of new voters in 2006 and beyond." ... "The effort
builds on the aggressive courtship of evangelical voters in 2004 by President
Bush's reelection campaign, even as the Internal Revenue Service has announced
renewed scrutiny of nonprofit organizations, including churches, that engage
in political activities." ... "The program, announced in an e-mail to activists
last week, is seeking county and church coordinators in the targeted states
of Maryland, Montana, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey
and Minnesota." ... "Registering voters in churches is not a new tactic
for either party, but Republicans have proved far more effective in recent
years at combining religion and politics for electoral gain." ... "Critics
say the practice is potentially illegal, citing tax laws that prohibit
churches from engaging in partisan activities." ... "The IRS has launched
a program to crack down on violators, with investigations pending against
dozens of churches." ... "The IRS probe with the highest profile is that
of All Saints Church in Pasadena, one of Southern California's largest
and most liberal congregations." ... "After a priest delivered a sermon
critical of the Iraq war two days before the 2004 presidential election,
the IRS began reviewing the Episcopal church's tax-exempt status. No decision
has been announced." -By Peter Wallsten
-LAtimes
Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- 
Kentucky
- North
Carolina - Massachusetts
- "Police
groups to hold summit on rising crime." ... "Citing
increasing concerns about violent crime, law enforcement authorities are
convening a national summit here next month to deal with sudden spikes
in homicides, robberies and assaults." ... "Local police officials and
municipal authorities from more than a dozen cities, including Minneapolis
[Minnesota], Milwaukee [Wisconsin], Louisville [Kentucky], Charlotte [North
Carolina] and Boston [Massachusetts] will meet Aug. 30 in Washington, where
the mayor and police chief recently declared a "crime emergency."" ...
""What we've seen happen in the past year across this country deserves
all of our attention," said Charlotte Police Chief Darrel Stephens, referring
to the first significant jump in homicides and other major crimes in more
than a decade. "We need to get a better sense of what is going on."" -By
Kevin Johnson -USATODAY
Minnesota
- Parents
- "Polio
Outbreak Occurs Among Amish Families In Minnesota."
... "The first outbreak of polio in the United States in 26 years occurred
earlier this fall in an Amish community in central Minnesota, state and
federal health officials reported yesterday." ... "Four children have been
infected with the virus, although none has become paralyzed. The Amish
typically decline to vaccinate their children. The last large outbreak
of polio occurred in numerous Amish communities in several states in 1979."
... "The outbreak poses little threat to children outside the Amish community.
About 98 percent of Minnesota's children are vaccinated against polio,
said Harry Hull, the state epidemiologist." -By David
Brown-WashingtonPost
- 
- Wireless
- Telecom
- "Minneapolis
envisions citywide Wi-Fi." ... "Minneapolis [Minnesota]
is about to become an unwired city, creating a universal wireless Internet
access network available to every citizen, visitor, business and municipal
facility within city limits." ... "On Wednesday, the city will unveil a
request for a proposal for a privately owned, $15 million to $20 million
citywide wireless and fiber-optic network. It is likely to use the Wi-Fi
(wireless fidelity) technology that has created several hundred Internet
access "hot spots" for laptop computer users in metro coffee shops, bookstores,
airports and hotels." ... "Consumers would be able to buy broadband access
of 1 million to 3 million bits per second for $18 to $24 a month --a bit
slower than wired cable modem service but about half the price." (1, 2)
-By Steve Alexander -StarTribune.com
- "Tribal
leader's son held in Minnesota killings: Juvenile
is suspected of helping gunman plan reservation rampage, officials say."
... "Federal authorities have arrested the son of Red Lake tribal chairman
Floyd Jourdain Jr. in connection with the shooting spree that killed 10
people on the tribe's Minnesota reservation last week, a law enforcement
source with knowledge of the investigation said Monday." ... "U.S. Attorney
Thomas Heffelfinger in Minneapolis announced an arrest Monday but declined
to provide details about the juvenile suspect or his alleged connection
to the killings, citing federal confidentiality rules governing juveniles."
-By Dan Eggen and Dana Hedgpeth -WashingtonPost
via -SFGate.com
Psychology
-"The
Devil in Red Lake: Jeff Weise lost his parents but
had close friends. So why did he shoot and kill his granddad and eight
others?" ... "The massacre at Red Lake, with 10 dead, was the worst school
shooting since 15 died at Columbine on April 20, 1999. There are clear
parallels with the Colorado incident: merciless gunfire, the black trench
coat, the life-or-death question. But Red Lake has its disturbing distinctions.
Instead of an affluent community, the setting this time was an impoverished
reservation of the proud Ojibwa Nation in Minnesota. The terrifying revelation
of Columbine was that caring parents could overlook signs of trouble in
their offspring; the trouble in Red Lake centered on a clearly confused
young man who had no parent to turn to for counsel or support, who used
box cutters to slit his wrists in abortive suicide attempts even as he
experimented with identities in the shadows of cyberspace." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-By Chris Maag with contributions by Sarah Sturmon
Dale 20050404
ed. -TIME.com
- OPINION
- Psychology
- "Why
Didn't Someone Do Something Before School Shooting?"
... "School officials took disciplinary action against Jeff, and he reportedly
received psychiatric care. So people saw a kid in crisis, but nobody suspected
his problems would lead to murder." ... "Harvard psychologist William Pollack
had some explanations that he set forth in a book called "Real Boys: Rescuing
Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood."" ... "He says little boys are told
not to cry, to buck it up, to be a man. Pollack says when boys are kept
from showing emotions: "If from childhood onward, we force [boys] to put
their vulnerable emotions behind a mask, if we tease them and shame them
and all this pent-up emotion has to come out, it will come out this way
in violent and murderous action," he says." (1, 2)
-By Carole Simpson -ABCNEWS.com
-
- "Native
Americans Criticize Bush's Silence: Response to School
Shooting Is Contrasted With President's Intervention in Schiavo Case."
... "Native Americans across the country -- including tribal leaders, academics
and rank-and-file tribe members -- voiced anger and frustration Thursday
that President Bush has responded to the second-deadliest school shooting
in U.S. history with silence." ... "Three days after 16-year-old Jeff Weise
killed nine members of his Red Lake tribe before taking his own life, grief-stricken
American Indians complained that the White House has offered little in
the way of sympathy for the tribe situated in the uppermost region of Minnesota."
-By Ceci Connolly with contributions by Dana Hedgpeth,
Peter Baker, and Lucy Shackelford -WashingtonPost
2004
ELECTION - "Kerry,
Bush in statistical dead heat among Minnesota voters."
... "Democratic Sen. John Kerry and President Bush are in a statistical
dead heat in Minnesota, according to a new statewide poll." ... "Forty-three
percent of Minnesota voters favored Kerry compared to 41 percent for Bush.
Sixteen percent were undecided, according to the poll commissioned by the
St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minnesota Public Radio."
-AP via -StarTribune.com
- 
- ELECTION
2004 - "Bush's
'04 Campaign Quietly Being Planned: Advisers
See Raising Up to $250 Million." ... "President Bush has postponed his
reelection campaign until after a war with Iraq, but White House and Republican
Party strategists have begun planning for a contest in which they envision
raising as much as $250 million to wage a battle designed to break the
political stalemate of the 1990s and make the GOP the country's majority
party." ... "Preliminarily, the Bush team sees an opportunity to
expand the president's slender electoral majority by targeting several
states that were narrowly won by Al Gore in 2000. They include Iowa, Minnesota,
New Mexico and Oregon." -By Mike Allen and Dan Balz-WashingtonPost
- "He
did it his way: [Minnesot's exiting Governor Jesse] Ventura goes out like
he came in." ... "... he expects to have no future
role in public affairs except as a voter. "I'd rather critique the media,"
he added, "because no one does that, and I think someone should. As of
Monday, you will fear me."" ... "Previous reports have said he might become
a talk show host on MSNBC." ... "According to Ventura's office, he has
chosen 60 district judges from among 1,348 applications, two associate
justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court, five judges of the state Court
of Appeals, two judges for the Tax Court and three for the Workers Compensation
Court of Appeals." ... ""I may be gone," he said, "but they will be presiding
over the state's courts for many years to come."" -By
Conrad deFiebre -StarTribune.com
Trent
Lott - "[Minnesota
Republican Governor elect Tim] Pawlenty calls on Lott to leave leadership
post." ... "Minnesota Gov.-elect Tim Pawlenty became
one of the first prominent Republicans in the nation to call on Trent Lott
to step down as Senate Republican leader." ... ""I don't think you can
be an effective spokesperson and leader for the party if you are perceived
as embracing segregationist politics," Pawlenty said Tuesday, on the eve
of a White House conference for freshman governors." ... ""He's not just
a rank-and-file member of Congress," Pawlenty said of the Mississippi senator.
"He's a leader of the Republican majority in the Senate and one of the
leading national spokespeople for the party. I don't believe he can continue
to be an effective spokesperson."" -By Kevin Diaz
-StarTribune.com
ELECTION
2002 - "Election
2002: Both parties press toward finish line:
More women governors a near certainty." ... "In tomorrow's elections voters
will choose 435 voting members of the House, 34 members of the Senate and
36 governors. Before the death of Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., the Democrats
held a one-seat edge in the Senate; Republicans hold a six-seat edge in
the House. There are 21 Democratic governors and 27 Republicans; the other
two are independents." -By Adam Nagourney
-NYTimes via -SeattlePI.NWsource
Paul
Wellstone
- "Mondale
Says He'd Run for Senate: Former Vice President
Mondale Tells Minnesota Democrats He'll Run for Senate if Nominated." ...
"With the unofficial mourning period for Paul Wellstone over, former Vice
President Walter Mondale lifted Democrats' spirits Wednesday by announcing
he is ready to run in the senator's place."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
Paul
Wellstone-
"Tone
of Wellstone memorial generates anger: Ventura
blasts 'political rally'." ... "The partisan tone of the memorial service
for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone stirred anger Wednesday in some Republicans,
political consultants and radio talk show hosts who say some of the comments
and behavior were inappropriate." ... "Some Republicans in Minnesota demanded
equal time from the local television stations that carried last night's
memorial, attended by a crowd of more than 20,000. But officials at local
television stations pointed out that they will cover President Bush's expected
trip to Minnesota this weekend, when he will campaign for Republican Norm
Coleman." ... "Democrats, who initially dismissed the criticism, later
apologized for some activity, but said the event was unscripted and reflected
the strong emotions people felt about Wellstone's death."
-CNN /AllPolitics.com
Paul
Wellstone
- "Minnesota
mourns Sen. Wellstone: 20,000 gather at sports
arena for memorial." ... "Some 20,000 friends of Paul Wellstone gathered
to bid the late senator farewell Tuesday in a ceremony filled with music
and poignant eulogies -- and nearly as much laughter as tears." -By
Patrick Howe -AP
via -Miami/Herald
Paul
Wellstone
- "Race
to replace tragic senator." ... "Democrats are in
a race against time to appoint a new candidate to replace Senator Paul
Wellstone, who died in an air crash on Friday, as crucial mid-term elections
loom." ... "Mr Wellstone was one of eight people who died, including his
wife and daughter when their plane crashed in northern Minnesota." ...
"His death comes just two weeks before mid-term elections in which he was
hoping for re-election to boost the Democrats' chances of retaining their
one-vote majority in the Senate." ... "He is survived by two sons."-BBC/News
- Paul
Wellstone
- "Sen.
Wellstone's Legacy: Mark Shields, David Brooks,
and the Washington Post's Dan Balz share personal and political reflections
on the late Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.), who died in a plane crash in
Minnesota Friday." ... "DAVID BROOKS: ... One of the things that really
impressed me, and this as a senator, he wasn't a particularly good senator
when he started; made a lot of unnecessary enemies, didn't really play
the game. But he decided pretty quickly that he didn't want to just be
a noble loser. He wanted to actually get some things done and he made some
allies; he worked with people like Jesse Helms, who he earlier said he
despised; worked with John Ashcroft, won support from veterans groups,
not automatic. So he really improved as a senator and was always a man
of conviction, always very popular with conservatives." -PBS.org
/ newshour / index
- Paul
Wellstone
I-35 Bridge Disaster
Google Search: Minnesota government Google Search: Twin Cities Google Search: Minneapolis St. Paul Google Search: Minnesota sports
ELECTION
2002State.mn.us - "North Star -- Minnesota State Government Online."
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