Free Republic

Sen Al Franken (D-MN) was using such a circuitous "serpentine" walking pattern in an effort to avoid TRN's Jason Mattera's tough question that he inadvertently body checked one of his own staffers in the process. The absurd weaving to avoid the tough inquiry even brought the senator to laughter at one point as the beleaguered staffer tried to run interference for Franken by claiming that he doesn't talk to national press.

Minnesota U.S. Sen. Al Franken leads all potential GOP opponents by comfortable double-digit margins, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released Tuesday. Among those tested by the Democratic polling firm was U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, who he leads 55-38, a 17 point margin. Franken leads conservative talk show host Jason Lewis by the same 17 point margin (54-37), as well as state Sen. Julianne Ortman (52-35). Narrowing the gap slightly against the first-term senator were businessman Mike McFadden and Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, who came within 15 points apiece (both at 51-36). Sen. Julie Rosen trailed by 16...

A tax bill that would raise revenue $2.1 billion by boosting taxes on high-wage earners, smokers and corporations is headed for debate by the Senate. The bill, which also helps support a development plan pushed by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester officials say could bring thousands of jobs to Minnesota, is expected to be on the agenda once state Senators return to chambers at 11 a.m. The bill passed the state House by a 69-65 vote early Monday morning, May 20. It is one of the last major tax and spending bills the Legislature is taking up as it finalizes...

From a concert pianist in Korea to a woman suffering from depression in Germany to schoolchildren in Japan, Zach Sobiech touched millions of people around the world with "Clouds," his song of farewell to family and friends. Sobiech was an "extraordinary young man who had the profound ability to make everyone feel better about themselves," said Dan Seeman, vice president and market manager for KS95/Hubbard Radio in St. Paul, who initiated Sobiech's recording of the song. "He embraced his life and challenged each of us to do the same." Sobiech died early Monday at his home in Lakeland, 3-1/2 years...

Looks like yet another left-winger missed the meme on the New Civility. Attorney and "Ring of Fire" radio show co-host Mike Papantonio, guest-hosting on Ed Schultz's radio program yesterday, revealed two things -- he hates old people and wants tea party retirees to hurry up and die. Don't take my word for it, listen to Papantonio's remarks after a caller said he saw "one of these baggers" push a woman during dueling protests over the weekend in Madison, Wisc.

Live coverage: http://www.ksn.com/weather/live-radar-and-storm-coverage/ Large tornado confirmed on the ground. Weather service has issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation warning.

FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota is promoting its business climate at Minnesota's expense, and some politicians east of the Red River are not happy about it. The Greater North Dakota Chamber has started a campaign that mocks proposals in the Minnesota Legislature, including bills that would raise certain taxes. A chamber release said Minnesota politicians are "making a strong case for business to come across the border to North Dakota." The first billboard went up Thursday along Interstate 94 in Moorhead, Minn., which borders Fargo. It reads "North Dakota" on the top line and "Open for Business" on the bottom....

Minneapolis Police (as well as many other departments) use automated license plate readers to log millions of times, dates, and locations of cars every month. They know where you were, and they keep this data as long as they want. A proposed law, House File 474 (and Senate companion SF385), would force police departments to immediately delete data on non-suspect cars (like yours). This bill is scheduled for a vote Friday (today)in the House. If you think that the police shouldn't track the every move of innocent citizens, ask your state senator representative to support HF474/SF385.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar has asked the U.S. Department of Energy to investigate the steep increase in Minnesota gas prices over the past few weeks. Gasoline industry officials say regional gas prices have jumped 80 cents in the past month and 30 cents in the past week because of both unexpected and planned shutdowns at gasoline refineries. But Klobuchar said the impact of temporary closures shouldn't have so much impact on the price consumers have to pay. In a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the Democratic senator called on the Department of Energy to thoroughly examine the closures and timing...

As the "Great Ammunition Shortage" continues, police departments across the country are struggling to supply their arsenals. One police chief turned to the community for help, and citizens stepped up. In Proctor, Minnesota, police chief Walter Wobig says that his suppliers have told him he'll have to wait "months" for the 1,000 rounds he's requested. When Wobig turned to the residents of Proctor by putting out a call for help meeting his department's ammo needs, citizens contacted his office, eager to help. "The citizens were like, 'If you need something, we got plenty here,'" said Wobig. One resident and a...

The price of a gallon of gasoline hit a shocking level overnight. In the Twin Cities, several chain gas stations -- mostly in the outer ring -- raised their prices to between $4.09 and $4.19 a gallon. That's about 20 cents more overnight, 60 cents in the last two weeks, and $1.20 since January. At many stations, prices rose into the $4 range yesterday afternoon, then fell overnight into the $3.90 area. What's going on here?

Scandal: Senate Democrats, including supporters of the Disclose Act, provided the names of groups they wanted targeted in a taxpayer-funded witch hunt overseen by an IRS employee and Obama campaign donor. Using the Citizens United case as a pretext, retiring Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., on July 27, 2012, wrote IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman to investigate 12 conservative groups he accused of violating their tax-exempt status and engaging in coordinated political activity. The groups Levin asked to be targeted for special scrutiny were Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, Priorities U.S.A., Americans Elect, American Action Network, Americans for Prosperity, American Future Fund, Americans...

IT'S A SCENE that could be from a '70s horror movie: A wave of ice crystals relentlessly marching towards homes in Minnesota in the United States. The massive ice floes have also destroyed 12 homes and damaged another 15 in Canada, which boarders Minnesota. According to emergency officials, a total of seven homes in Ochre Breach were "literally crushed" by the ice that rose up within minutes pushed by strong winds, Winnepeg Free Press reports. A resident caught footage of a wave of ice that creeped off another lake in Minnesota - as foam froze and was pushed ashore by...

When momentous events happen like the election of a new president, White Bear Lake resident Laurie Wenker makes sure to get two copies of that day's newspaper to tuck away in memory boxes for her teenage daughters. She did just that -- and more Tuesday. Wenker and daughters Eleanor, 16, and Lillian, 13, joined a crowd of an estimated 6,000 people who gathered at the state Capitol to witness Gov. Mark Dayton sign a bill legalizing same-sex marriages in Minnesota. "I wanted my kids to experience history, to take in and breathe in the equality in the air," Wenker said.

Two men were sent to prison Monday for their key roles in what prosecutors said was a terrorist “pipeline” to send young men to fight in the Somali civil war. Muhamud Said Omar, 46, a janitor at a Minneapolis mosque, who was convicted in 2012 of aiding foreign terrorism, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors had asked for 50 years. Kamal Said Hassan, 28, also of Minneapolis, who pleaded guilty in 2009 to aiding terrorism and lying to the FBI, was sentenced to 10 years. He could have received up to 38 years, but prosecutors cited his extensive...

Minnesota is poised to become the 12th state to legalize same-sex marriage as the state Senate approved legislation Monday, flooding the Capitol building with cheers from supporters. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton announced that he would sign the bill Tuesday afternoon. Once he does, Minnesota will be the first Midwestern state to legalize the practice by legislative vote. (Iowa's Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2009.)

The Minnesota Senate is expected to give final approval on Monday to a bill that would make the state the 12th in the United States to allow same-sex couples to marry and only the second in the Midwest. Leaders in the Senate, where Democrats hold a 39-28 majority, have said they believe they have the support to approve a bill legalizing gay marriage. They set a vote for Monday on the measure that members of the state House approved last week. Democratic Governor Mark Dayton has said he would sign the bill, which would make Minnesota the third state this...

The Internal Revenue Service under the Obama administration – described by Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., as the “most feared government agency” – admitted Friday it targeted conservative and tea-party groups during last year’s election because of their politics. Bachmann, a former tax attorney, told WND in an interview the IRS admission means the credibility of the 2012 election is in doubt. Americans, she said, should be wondering whether Obamacare, which is to be enforced by the IRS, will target conservative voices opposed to President Obama with delays or denials of medical care. But why would an administration ever confess to...

A nationwide ammunition shortage has police departments across the country counting their bullets. It's no different in Proctor, where the Chief says he was told he'd have to wait months, even a year to get more ammo. . . . . With the Proctor Police Department in need of ammunition, the Chief sent out a call asking for help.

Yesterday my friend and fellow law professor, Dale Carpenter, published an op-ed that claimed religious liberty will be unharmed if we embrace same-sex marriage ("The rites and rights of marriage," May 9). The House of Representatives has now passed a new definition of marriage, and we will see how people of faith fare. Carpenter acknowledges that religious liberty is the first freedom mentioned in our Bill of Rights, but then suggests that our free-exercise rights are limited to a "right to worship." Instead, our federal and state constitutions guarantee the more robust free-exercise right -- the right of each American...

Play is serious business for Tom Evers, as serious as a million dollars. His idea to make play more meaningful is one of 30 semifinalists in the St. Paul Forever Challenge contest to use $1 million to make St. Paul a better city. "We teach how to lead games and diffuse conflict," said Evers, who hopes to enhance play for children and adults. On Thursday, May 9, the St. Paul Foundation announced the semifinalists. The foundation's idea competition has been operating for years, but interest exploded when the prize was jacked up to $1 million this year. More than 900...

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The Minnesota State Patrol had to put down two horses after they got away from their Faribault farm early Monday morning. They’d been trying to get the horses back onto their property when they say the situation just became too unsafe. But, as can be imagined, the horses’ owner is very upset — and has to foot the bill. Suzette Clemens didn’t even realize her quarter horses, Roper and Frenchie, had escaped when a tree fell on her electric fence, until a Rice County deputy showed up at her door in the middle of the night. He...

After three hours of noticeably civil debate and personal, sometimes emotional speeches, the Minnesota House passed a bill Thursday, May 9, that would make it legal for same-sex couples to marry. The bill is scheduled for a vote Monday in the Senate, where leaders have said they have the votes to approve it. Gov. Mark Dayton has said he will sign it. If approved, the law would make Minnesota the 12th state in the nation to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. It would take effect Aug. 1. The House vote was 75-59. All but two of the 73...

Minnesota might be poised to become the 12th state in the nation to legalize gay marriage, as House leaders prepare for a floor vote Thursday, May 9. House Speaker Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said he believes the 73-member DFL majority has the 68 votes needed to pass the bill allowing same-sex couples to wed, even without a single Republican vote. As of late Tuesday, no GOP House members have said publicly they would vote "yes." Meanwhile, Senate Democratic leaders say they also have the votes to pass a same-sex marriage bill, and DFL Gov. Mark Dayton says he'll sign it.

What the young learners have in store for them in the future is anybody's guess. Legislators wish to create something called a "school climate center," which sounds meteorological, but would be, instead, a command center to fight bullying. Fight bullying? It sounds like no fighting in the war room, from "Dr. Strangelove." Bullying is a bad thing, and I imagine teachers and administrators and even the kids know it when they see it. But that isn't enough. It is apparently painful to DFLers -- all of whom passed the new anti-bullying measure in the House -- that Minnesota's anti-bullying law...

The Democratic-led state Legislature in Minnesota is expected to begin a final push on Thursday toward making it the 12th U.S. state to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples and the third this month after Delaware and Rhode Island.

“Yeah, I don’t feel good about it,” said Dayton when asked about the Minnesota Vikings decision to release outspoken punter Chris Kluwe. “I’m not in a position to evaluate the relative punting abilities, but it seems to me the general manager said, right after the draft, they were going to have competition,” Dayton recalled. “Well, they bring the one guy in, he kicks for a weekend and that’s competition? “I just think sports officials ought to be honest about what the heck is going on, same way I think public officials should be honest about what’s going on, so that...

A woman and her 25-year-old daughter were assaulted by a group of teens in a St. Paul gas station parking lot Tuesday, May 7, police said. A male dragged the 45-year-old woman across the lot and a female punched her in the face, said Sgt. Paul Paulos, police spokesman. Paramedics checked out the woman and her daughter at the scene, and they were not taken to the hospital, he said. The mother had scrapes on her elbows and knees, consistent with being dragged, and the daughter had a bruise on her head from being punched, Paulos said. Police were called...

Historian John Diers, author of the new book "St. Paul Union Depot," will be among the train enthusiasts who will welcome visitors to the Union Depot on Saturday, May 11. The newly refurbished Lowertown depot, which is expected to provide Amtrak passenger service by the end of the year, is celebrating Amtrak's "National Train Day" with free family activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Diers, who will deliver a presentation, will have copies of his book for sale. The Radio Disney road crew, a vintage bluegrass railroad band led by Cannonball Paul, storeowner Choo Choo Bob and the St....

We can do better than this. Minnesota needs us to do better than this. People's approaches to conflict resolution range from fighting with guns and weapons to litigation -- a more civilized but still extremely adversarial process, all the way to collaborative approaches like mediation. Minnesota lawmakers require all parties to a lawsuit to attempt to resolve their conflicts through alternative dispute resolution before being allowed to duke it out in a courtroom. The Legislature needs to take its own advice before they go to the extreme measure of redefining marriage for all Minnesotans tomorrow. The great intensity of the...

Minnesota appears poised to legalize gay marriage, as the Democratic speaker of the state House said Tuesday that a gay marriage bill endorsed by the governor and likely to pass in the state Senate also now has enough backing in his chamber. The House will vote on the measure Thursday, and if it passes, the Democratic-led Senate could vote on it as soon as Saturday. House Speaker Paul Thissen, of Minneapolis, said that the 73-member Democratic majority he leads will produce at least the 68 votes needed to pass the bill. Senate leaders are also confident of passage, and Democratic...

MONTEVIDEO, Minn. (WCCO) – Federal investigators say they stopped a terror attack when they arrested a Minnesota man for having pipe bombs and illegal guns. FBI agents arrested Buford Rogers on Friday at his home in Montevideo. They say the arrest thwarted an attack on residents of the western Minnesota town. Jeff Rogers places his American flag upside down to show what he calls the “tyranny of government.” He says his son Buford – or “Bucky” as he’s known – is part of the Black Snake Militia, and they just want freedom. “They do not have nothing to fear from...

The state would set up a "school climate center" and individual districts would face additional reporting, training and other requirements to reduce school bullying under a bill passed by the Minnesota House on Monday, May 6. The bill passed 72-57, with all the support from Democratic-Farmer-Laborers and all the opposition from Republicans. The companion bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate E-12 finance subcommittee Tuesday. Bill sponsor Jim Davnie, DFL-Minneapolis, said the measure would take Minnesota from having one of the weakest anti-bullying laws in the country to "instead being a leader in building safe and supportive school...

A recent uptick in health care costs could start ballooning some insurance premiums for Minnesota workers this summer. Medica, one of the state's three largest health insurers, is seeking an average rate increase of 13 percent for about 5,000 people covered through their small-business employers when they renew policies in July. If approved by state regulators, the proposed increase could affect future premiums for an additional 65,000 people in small-business accounts with the Minnetonka-based health insurer. Medica covers about one-fourth of the state's "small group" market -- meaning small businesses with 50 or fewer employees -- and the actual premium...

<p>The FBI has taken into custody a Minnesota man who was believed to be plotting a terrorist attack. Buford Rogers, 24, of Montevideo, was arrested Friday after authorities searched his home and found guns and explosive devices, according to an FBI news release.</p>

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The FBI believes authorities disrupted “a localized terror attack” in its planning stages when they arrested a man after converging on a western Minnesota mobile home that contained Molotov cocktails, suspected pipe bombs and firearms, the agency said Monday.

It was reported the other day on an inside page of the Pioneer Press, and without nearly enough fanfare, that more than six out of 10 women who give birth in their early 20s are unmarried. That is census data, from census demographers, from the very government that then becomes responsible for many, if not most, of those unmarried women and children. If that isn't an astonishing statistic, it should be. Why, to any logical person's way of thinking, it explains everything in terms of government at all levels bloating out of control. Supposing that even angels might fear to...

Four months ago when the legislative session began no one knew what to expect. It would be the first time in more than 20 years that the Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate as well as the Governor’s office. Now with just three weeks before the scheduled adjournment of the 2013 legislative session the intent of the DFL lawmakers actions are clear. They are doing everything imaginable in their power to drive entrepreneurs and job creators out of Minnesota. Just like a bunch of young cowboys driving a herd of cattle, the message these cowboys are sending to...

Recent events at the Capitol make clear that we ­Minnesotans are on track for one of the biggest tax increases in recent state history. But suppose you could wave a magic wand and erase our budget deficit, pay off the $801 million left from the school shift, actually have a surplus — and do it all without raising taxes. There’d be dancing in the streets, right? Well, our legislators could do precisely that right now. They would simply need to freeze spending for the next biennium at current levels — about $35 billion — and we wouldn’t need a dime...

Alternative rapper Danny Brown is used to performing for crowded clubs, like his sold-out Minneapolis show on Friday (April 26), but he’s answering to a much larger audience in the wake the allegedly X-rated performance. Music fans have taken to social media, demanding answers from the rapper and posting personal accounts of the concert, where the rapper reportedly engaged in oral sex with a fan in the front of the crowd.

Students with non-legal U.S. immigration status would receive in-state tuition and be eligible for financial aid at Minnesota public colleges and universities under a bill passed Wednesday, May 1, by the state Senate. "Today the Minnesota Senate is making history by recognizing that all students in Minnesota have access to higher education and state financial aid. The future is better for all of us in Minnesota when we have more professionals and we are able to compete with the world," said Mariano Espinoza, an outreach worker for the city of Minneapolis, after the vote. Announcement of the Senate vote at...

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — House Speaker Paul Thissen decided Wednesday that the Minnesota House won’t vote on any gun control bills this year, a major priority for many Democrats coming into the legislative session but one that got stymied by divisions in the party over access to guns.

Two years ago, I was one of two legislative Republicans to stand up and speak out against the marriage amendment, which sought to constitutionally define marriage as between one man and one woman. My reasoning was simple: I do not believe government should dictate with whom an adult should live and love, nor is it government's duty to define what marriage means to an individual. Gay rights supporters lauded my stand. They blasted the Legislature -- rightfully so -- for wasting time on an issue that ordered government to define and accept a religious activity. Now with the "freedom to...

A parent at St. Paul's Nova Classical Academy alleges the charter school violated his sixth-grade daughter's right to free speech when administrators prohibited her from passing out anti-abortion fliers. The parent, Nicholas Zinos of St. Paul, has sued the school in federal court on behalf of the girl. Nova policy requires administrator approval before students hand out or post materials at school, the lawsuit states. In a letter to Zinos, the school's top administrator said the school has come to limit political, religious and controversial speech to its high school students in response to parental concerns. The lawsuit alleges the...

Like his mentor Jack Kemp, he’s pro-immigration.This week, there was a new development in the House: Paul Ryan may be the key to passing comprehensive immigration reform. But that should hardly come as a surprise. Long before he was a vice-presidential nominee, Ryan was an adviser to former New York congressman Jack Kemp at Empower America, a conservative think tank. It was there, in his early twenties, that Ryan began to share Kemp’s politics. Beyond fiscal issues, that meant supporting pro-immigration policies, such as an expanded guest-worker program. Kemp often spoke passionately about how immigration was necessary for economic growth...

Paul Ryan Is Channeling Bill Clinton on Immigration(Cannot be posted per FR rules)

House DFLers are going after "The One Percent" in a big way. Make that the 1.1 percent of Minnesotans who earn the highest incomes. The DFL-controlled House passed a tax bill -- 69-64 with all Republicans voting "no" -- Wednesday, April 24, that creates a new, fourth income tax bracket with an 8.49 percent rate -- up from the current 7.85 percent rate -- for the top-earning 1.1 percent of Minnesotans -- couples with taxable incomes over $400,000. On top of that, the bill would impose a temporary 4 percent income tax surcharge on the 0.5 percent of taxpayers making...

Bob Davis of KTCN is being offered a free trip to Newtown, Conn., to repeat what he said on the air about the victims’ families.

Even knowing that there are radicals in all movements, doesn’t lessen the startling admission recently by lesbian journalist Masha Gessen. On a radio show she actually admits that homosexual activists are lying about their radical political agenda. She says that they don’t want to access the institution of marriage; they want to radically redefine and eventually eliminate it. Here is what she recently said on a radio interview: “It’s a no-brainer that (homosexual activists) should have the right to marry, but I also think equally that it’s a no-brainer that the institution of marriage should not exist. …(F)ighting for gay...

Metro Transit officials confirm there is a major investigation underway at its light rail Hiawatha maintenance shop. 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned the investigation started in December and is still in progress. Metro Transit says it does involve staff at the maintenance facility, but would not specify which employees were under investigation. Sources tell 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS it does involve managers as well as hourly employees. Those same sources say part of the allegations that lead to the investigation include the exchange of pills and firearms for coveted overtime shifts at the maintenance facility.