After Hagedorn apology, GOP wants one from Franken

They’d probably like an apology for his entire career. Abby Simons of the Strib says, “One day after Republican Congressional candidate Jim Hagedorn apologized for a series of blog posts written years ago that lambasted women, American Indians, gays and national political figures, Minnesota GOP leaders called on the state’s DFL party chair to apologize for a 2012 video in which Sen. Al Franken was shown appearing to sport a pair of traffic cones as breasts. The video came to light earlier this year.”

At MPR, Tom Scheck says, “[Rep. Peggy] Scott and [chair Keith] Downey didn’t specify why party leaders waited four months before calling on Franken to apologize for his action. Instead, Downey said Martin’s statement prompted them to respond. ‘Given the fact that Chairman Ken Martin started calling on others in supposed outrage over their behavior, the absence of that outrage over that behavior (Franken’s behavior) became ever more apparent and the hypocrisy jumped out to us,’ Downey said. ‘So today is the day where these Republican women are calling on Al Franken to apologize and Ken Martin to demand such an apology as well.’ ”

Better (eight) decades late than never … Jean Hopfensperger at the Strib reports, “The former superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been named to fill a top St. Paul-Minneapolis Archdiocese position addressing clergy sex abuse. Timothy O’Malley, currently an administrative law judge, will fill a new leadership position created by the archdiocese in response to the wave of clergy abuse allegations over the past year.”

Laura Yuen’s story for MPR says, “Jeff Anderson, an attorney who represented people who have accused Twin Cities priests of abuse, said the archdiocese has taken a step in the right direction by hiring an outsider, rather than a clergy member, to respond to such allegations. ‘I mean he’s got the credentials,’ Anderson said of O’Malley. ‘So now the question is: Does he have the power?’ “

So even if there is no “reality” you still have to pay … ? At Midwest Energy News Frank Jossi reports, “While science has all but ruled out the most persistent health claims about transmission projects, high-voltage lines are still perceived by many as posing a risk to humans and livestock. … A Scott County judge ruled last week that utilities in the CapX2020 project have to buy the Cedar Summit Farm based on ‘subjective concerns’ about the power line’s impact. Cedar Summit is a grass-fed, organic dairy operation — the only 100 percent grass-fed creamery in the state — and its products are sought-after for their high quality.”

That $400k pay-out, or pay-in, is official. A story at the Strib says, “The Minnesota Racing Commission has approved a plan for Running Aces Harness Park to pay an additional $400,000 to its horsemen’s purse fund, resolving a shortage accrued through five years of underpayments. A report by the Minnesota legislative auditor determined that the Columbus harness track did not comply with state law regulating the amount it was required to contribute to purses from 2008 through 2012. The report, released in July, estimated the track underpaid purses by $436,865.”

Paul Walsh’s Strib story on a hit-and-run incident on Lyndale Ave. So., says, “Fresh from a spat over a bar tab and having missed hitting her victim the first time, a 37-year-old driver circled the block and struck the man in her drinking party outside a south Minneapolis bar and fled, leaving the man fighting for his life, according to a criminal complaint. … [Angela] Jackson’s criminal history in Minnesota spans virtually all of her adult life and includes many convictions involving driving, including five instances of driving after her license had been revoked and twice for drunken driving. She’s also been convicted of theft, check forgery, assault, disorderly conduct and prostitution.”

Can we get a little opaqueness here, please? In today’s Scott Walker news from next door, M.L. Johnson of the Associated Press says, “A federal appeals court’s mistaken disclosure of documents related to a secret investigation into whether Gov. Scott Walker’s recall campaign illegally coordinated with conservative groups ‘caused real harm to real people,’ attorneys said in a request for the court to keep all other documents private. A clerk for the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals mistakenly posted four documents online Friday that included excerpts from emails showing Walker’s recall election campaign team told him to instruct donors to give to a key conservative group that would run ads for Walker … .”

PiPresser Frederick Melo defends his story about two St. Paul officials who are (openly) dating. City Pages’ Aaron Rupar writes, “The piece is about the relationship between City Council member Amy Brendmoen and Parks and Recreation Director Mike Hahm. It raises questions about how their romance, which they haven’t tried to keep secret, could potentially impact decisions made by city officials. … We asked the ‘Why is this news’? question to Melo himself. ‘This was a piece about transparency in government,’ Melo wrote to us. ‘The public can make up its own mind as to whether these are trifling issues or serious concerns. But we were asked to explore the question by readers, so we did, without condemnation or denial.’ ” Who do I get to explore why the neighbor’s dog barks at dawn every morning?