http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/mn-news/ en-us Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:18:22 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051314/posts Republican presidential candidate John McCain's short list of vice presidential possibilities has been essentially narrowed to six, according to a source familiar with the search. Factions within the Arizona senator's campaign are pushing for their favored candidate, sources tell the Phoenix Business Journal, a Baltimore Business Journal sister publication. The Baltimore Business Journal, Baltimore, Md. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051314/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:18:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051211/posts Republican John McCain is tightening the presidential race against Democratic rival Barack Obama in four key states, according to polls released Thursday. Seattle times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2051211/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:03:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050933/posts John McCain has gained ground on Barack Obama in Minnesota, while Sen. Norm Coleman is widening his lead over Democratic challenger Al Franken, according to a new poll. A Quinnipiac University poll released today found that Obama leads McCain 46 percent to 44 percent among the state's likely voters, a statistical tie. That tossup result is at odds with other recent polls showing Obama with an average lead of more than 5 percentage points. A Quinnipiac poll last month found a whopping 17 percentage-point Obama lead. Star Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050933/posts#comment Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:47:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050713/posts If John McCain and his loyalists were hoping for something to brighten their day amid the blizzard of coverage of Barack Obama's foreign tour, they've gotten it with new poll results from four key states -- Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The survey by the Connecticut-based Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, conducted between July 14 and Tuesday, contains especially good news for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in Colorado and Minnesota. In Colorado, the one state among the four that President Bush carried in 2004, the poll showed McCain ahead by 2 percentage points. That lead is within the poll's margin... The Los Angeles Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050713/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:31:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050555/posts Republican John McCain has quickly closed the gap between himself and Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama in several key battleground states even as the Arizona senator struggles to break through the wall-to-wall coverage of Obama's trip to Europe and the Middle East this week. McCain and Obama are in a statistical dead heat in Colorado, Michigan and Minnesota while the Illinois senator has a more comfortable double-digit edge in Wisconsin, according to polling conducted by Quinnipiac University for washingtonpost.com and the Wall Street Journal during the past week. Only in Colorado, however, does McCain hold a greater percentage of the... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050555/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:11:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050505/posts Florida: Obama + 2 Minnesota: Obama + 13 Colorado: Obama +3 This is beginning to worry me. Rasmussen Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050505/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:41:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050604/posts We have been bracing for the list of closings, and it was finally revealed: 27 Starbucks outlets will be shuttered in Minnesota, leaving only 45,234. Hasta barista, baby. The effect on the Twin Cities will be light -- the average citizen will still be within six minutes of a $4 cup of coffee at all times. Productivity will not suffer as people slump over at their desks from lack of jitter-juice. The people you have to pity -- aside from the employees, who probably can't fill a bathtub now without thinking "room for cream?" and won't soon find another job... Minneapolis Star Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050604/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:09:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050288/posts The suspect, who led police on a multi-state chase, was identified as 27-year-old Grayson Lee Clevenger. Burnsville police said Clevenger answered his cell phone at one point during the chase, telling a detective he couldn't talk because he was being chase by the police.(edit)Detectives followed the vehicle until marked patrol cars could meet up and attempt a stop. In an attempt to end the pursuit peacefully, detectives called the suspect on his cell phone. Clevenger answered the phone, saying, "Dude, I can't talk, I'm being chased by the police" and hung up. (edit)Clevenger eluded police and remains at-large Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050288/posts#comment Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:36:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050091/posts The lenders who financed Avista Capital Partners’ 2007 acquisition of the Star Tribune now want out of the deal, and are seeking a buyer for their debt package, originally worth more than $400 million. Credit Suisse and Royal Bank of Scotland have hired Lazard Ltd., a Wall Street financial adviser, to put the debt package on the market. Two local executives, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, said local business leaders have been approached with offers to purchase the debt. Neither the banks nor their representatives would confirm that there is an effort to sell the debt. But... Finance and Commerce http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050091/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:27:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050050/posts Pawlenty's Promise And A Romney Float... 23 Jul 2008 01:10 pm The political world is buzzing today about Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who spent hours yesterday at John McCain's Arlington, VA campaign headquarters and who, according to a source of CNN's Dana Bash, was mentioned by McCain quite favorably and without bidding during a meeting. Someone else in the meeting confirmed that McCain indeed mentioned Pawlenty but did not find McCain's tone unusual. (McCain also praised Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani.) McCain's campaign awaits his decision. A full-time staff has already been appointed to service the political and scheduling needs of... The Atlantic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050050/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:00:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050045/posts A mother of young children. A retired corporate executive. A victim of violent crime. Number of right-to-carry permits issued from 4/28/2003 to 12/31/2007 County Number Rate per 1,000 Dodge 166 8.5 Fillmore 160 7.6 Goodhue 387 8.4 Houston 246 12.6 Mower 233 6.1 Olmsted 1,140 8.2 Wabasha 287 12.8 Winona 487 9.8 Total valid permits in Minnesota: 51,347 Source: Minn. Bureau of Criminal Apprenhension These are just some of the people seeking permits to carry handguns whom Sue Bierly has trained at the Minnesota Southern Sportman's Club in Rochester. "They come from all walks of life and professions," said Bierly,... Postbulletin.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050045/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:50:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050034/posts Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul have ramped up plans for a local counterweight to the GOP's national convention in September. Not content with a planned rally at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena on Sept. 2, the Paul forces now plan a three-day "Rally for the Republic" that will climax in a 10-hour extravaganza at Target Center in Minneapolis. "It's getting exciting," said Marianne Stebbins, a longtime GOP activist who ran the Texas congressman's campaign in Minnesota. "We realized [Williams Arena] wasn't big enough for everything we wanted to do." Although Paul was a long-shot candidate who came... Minneapolis StarTribune (aka The Red Star) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2050034/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:31:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049771/posts Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul have ramped up plans for a local counterweight to the GOP's national convention in September. Not content with a planned rally at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena on Sept. 2, the Paul forces now plan a three-day "Rally for the Republic" that will climax in a 10-hour extravaganza at Target Center in Minneapolis. "It's getting exciting," said Marianne Stebbins, a longtime GOP activist who ran the Texas congressman's campaign in Minnesota. "We realized [Williams Arena] wasn't big enough for everything we wanted to do." Although Paul was a long-shot candidate who came... StarTribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049771/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:54:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049739/posts The Twin Cities and Denver will face a common challenge for the next five weeks. As host cities for the Republican and Democratic national conventions, both are girding for battle with "sleeping dragons" and other tools of mass disorder. There's one significant difference. Denver's City Council is considering an ordinance to defang the dragons. Minneapolis and St. Paul are biding their time. Denver City Council's public safety committee will vote today on an ordinance that would bar protesters from carrying items such as weighted PVC pipes, carabiners and quick-drying concrete. These are the raw materials of the sleeping dragon --... StarTribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049739/posts#comment Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:02:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049535/posts When it comes to the workplace, they're facing the same troubles afflicting men. Across the country, women in their prime earning years, struggling with an unfriendly economy, are retreating from the workforce, either permanently or for long stretches. They had piled into jobs in growing numbers since the 1960s. But that stopped happening this decade, and as the nearly seven-year-old recovery gives way to hard times, the retreat is likely to accelerate. For the first time since the women's movement came to life, an economic recovery has come and gone, and the percentage of women at work has fallen, not... Star Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2049535/posts#comment Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:49:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047959/posts Click on the link for a great video report on the attempt by Democrat Rep. James Oberstar and unions to shut down the 1926 passenger steamboat Delta Queen, which sails America's inland rivers. Fox News Channel http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047959/posts#comment Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:44:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047461/posts In one of Senate candidate Al Franken’s literary efforts titled “Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot,” he reveals his personal feelings about a topic important to many Minnesotans. In Chapter 12 of his book, I learned that candidate Franken is against private ownership of guns due to his belief that firearms in the home are “too dangerous.” I believe these views are more consistent with California or New York, where Mr. Franken still maintains corporate interests. His problem is Minnesota has always been a pro-gun state. Remember, a bipartisan majority passed “conceal and carry.” I called the National Rifle... Albert Lea Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2047461/posts#comment Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:23:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046370/posts A federal judge in Minneapolis issued a decision today, upholding the terms of a demonstration permit issued by the St. Paul police department for an antiwar march at the Republican National Convention. U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen rejected virtually every argument made by attorneys for the protest group who had sought a march route that would have come close to encircling the Xcel Energy Center and would have continued later into the day so delegates would see the demonstrators when they arrived for an evening session on Sept. 1. Citing past court decisions, Ericksen adopted the view of the St.... Minneapolis StarTribune (aka The Red Star) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046370/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:23:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046169/posts The Twin Cities will become a battleground between security and civil liberties when the Republican National Convention begins in less than seven weeks. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned activists will press for more protections for protesters Wednesday. "There is cause to worry. That's why we're focused on making sure that the laws are in place to protect people as they plan to exercise their rights," Jude Ortiz said. Ortiz is part of the Coldsnap Legal Collective, a group of volunteers who run a hotline to help people in police custody. He explained the group wants certain protections in Minneapolis to... KSTP.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046169/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:14:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046147/posts At 6:05 p.m. on Aug. 1, silence will fall along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. And those standing along the river's banks will remember that at that moment one year ago, the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River, killing 13 people and injuring hundreds of others. A prayer service on Aug. 1 at the Basilica of St. Mary followed by an outdoor memorial service at Gold Medal Park on the Mississippi River will mark the first anniversary of the bridge collapse. "It was one of the worst days that I will ever be part of that ironically showed... StarTribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046147/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:36:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046089/posts He was kicked in head after daughter was slapped.Eight males took turns stomping and kicking the head of a father who had yelled at one of them minutes earlier for hitting his daughter's buttocks at Valleyfair, according to assault charges filed in Scott County District Court. The attack happened about midnight on July 4 after the father confronted two men who touched his 12-year-old daughter. The 41-year-old father's wife heard one of the men use his cell phone to say "he needed his boys over here," the charges said. The wife said a minute later several men arrived and assaulted... Star Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046089/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:16:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045923/posts Six men remain in the Scott County jail following what police call a brutal assault on a father trying to protect his daughter. Shakopee police say as the crowd was leaving Valleyfair Amusement Park around midnight on the 4th of July, the victim's daughter was confronted by two men. "The 12-year-old daughter was either touched or slapped in the buttocks area," Scott County Attorney Patrick Ciliberto said. "The father confronted (the men) by yelling at them for what they had done to his daughter," he added. Police say the two men called their friends, who were also in the park.... KARE11 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045923/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:53:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045673/posts Lawyers for six Muslim prayer leaders removed from a US Airways jet at Twin Cities International Airport in 2006 told a federal magistrate Monday that they want the airline to divulge 10 years' worth of discrimination complaints so they could compare the airline's behavior before and after the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Attorneys representing the airline argued they should have to turn over just three years' worth of such data. The reason, said one: 9/11 changed everything. "The bottom line is we're in a post-9/11 world," US Airways attorney Dane Jaques told U.S. Magistrate Arthur Boylan. "Procedures changed. The world... PioneerPress http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045673/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:34:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045545/posts Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura (I) announced Monday night that he would not launch a third-party bid for Senate. The former professional wrestler, who served one term as governor beginning a decade ago, said on CNN’s “Larry King Live” that he “isn’t going to run, at this moment,” and that it would take an act of God to get him to file by Tuesday’s filing deadline. He said God has never spoken to him before. “If between now and five o’clock, maybe God comes and speaks to me like he did the president, and tells me I should run like... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045545/posts#comment Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:37:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045017/posts Moments after boarding US Airways Flight 300 for Phoenix, Michael McCombie, a 3M sales rep from Santa Clara, Calif., jotted a note and handed it to flight attendant Terri Boatner: "6 suspicious Arabic men on plane, spaced out in their seats. All were together, saying '... Allah ... Allah ...' cursing U.S. involvement w/Saddaam before flight. 1 in front exit row, another in first row 1st class, another in 8D, another in 22D, two in 25 E & F." The men in question were six Muslim imams, or prayer leaders, returning home from a conference in Minneapolis. Within minutes of... PioneerPress http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2045017/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:16:17 GMT