McGuire partners with Pohlad and Taylor in pitch to Major League Soccer

Are you ready for still more pro sports? Brian Straus at Sports Illustrated says, “On Sept. 22-23, MLS commissioner Don Garber and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott spent time in Minneapolis meeting with both the Vikings and [former UnitedHealth CEO Minnesota United owner Bill] McGuire, sources have told SI.com. The Vikings are owned primarily by Zygi Wilf, a New Jersey real estate developer, and his family. In this nascent local derby, they’ll be up against some of the biggest names in Twin Cities sports. SI.com understands that McGuire has partnered on a potential MLS bid with Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlad and Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, both of whom were present at the meeting with Garber and Abbott.”

WCCO-TV’s Pat Kessler slaps Al Franken with a “misleading” for his latest ad. “A new TV ad by Democratic Sen. Al Franken claims his Republican opponent Mike McFadden searches the world for places to avoid paying taxes. A claim McFadden says is ‘dishonest.’ Franken’s ad skillfully weaves fact and fancy. It’s misleading, but it’s not completely false.”

It’s getting a little late to get in the action. But Catharine Richert at MPR tells us, “The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee has named three Minnesota House races to its watch list. Those races are among 69 the group, which works to elect Democrats to state legislatures, believes have the best chance of flipping from red to blue.

Targeted Minnesota races include:

• Minnesota House District 01B – Democrat Eric Bergeson is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Debra Kiel of Crookston.

• Minnesota House District 2B – Democrat Dave Sobieski is challenging Republican Rep. Steve Green of Fosston

• Minnesota House District 14A – Democrat Dan Wolgamott is challenging Republican Rep. Tama Theis of St. Cloud.”

Meanwhile at the state Supreme Court: Dave Chanen of the Strib reports, “For the first time, the Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to let a juvenile murderer fight his mandatory life sentence without parole on the grounds that it’s unconstitutional. The case involves Mahdi Ali, who was 16 when he killed three men during a January 2010 robbery at Minneapolis’ Seward Market. Under state law, Ali’s first-degree premeditated murder conviction called for a life sentence without parole, even in the case of a juvenile certified to stand trial as an adult.”

Are your tires inflated? MPR’s Jon Collins says, “Hennepin County released a draft plan this week to guide bicycle transportation policy for the next 25 years. The plan sets the target of adding 20 miles of bikeways to the county each year, quadrupling the number of bike commuters and giving suburbanites more access to bike paths and trails. Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin said the plan represents a shift from transportation policies that prioritized car traffic over transit, pedestrians and bikes.”

We’re number … wait, they didn’t give us a number! Money magazine throws up a list of the country’s “Most Innovative Cities.” And there we are. “June saw the opening of a new light rail line between Minneapolis and St. Paul. Experts from around the country praised it as an example of transportation infrastructure done right … . The Twin Cities were early adopters of programs to help immigrants start businesses, artists buy real estate, and enlist local execs in solving community problems. The cities also get high marks for their public health efforts, including smoking cessation programs, cancer screening and efforts to create walkable communities.” What? No kudos for our street maintenance and snow removal?

Not quite the chutzpah of the archbishop, but a lot, says Frederick Melo in the PiPress, “By her own recollection, St. Paul Parks and Recreation employee Megan Campbell was driving a supply van back from a city storage building on the city’s West Side when she turned a corner, causing serious front-bumper damage to a parked car. The damaged 2001 Nissan Pathfinder in question wasn’t just anybody’s vehicle. It was her own. Now, Campbell has filed a claim against the city seeking $1,600 to $1,900 from public coffers for damage caused to her personal vehicle by a city worker — herself.”

Some good anecdotes from the Bill Maher panel in Northfield Tuesday. From Jesse Marx of City Pages, “One of the most embarrassing moments of the night comes when Maher asks Katie Kieffer, a conservative author, whether she believes in evolution. She pauses for several seconds, and the crowd goes hysterical. Maher jumps up from his seat in disbelief. They begin to seriously weigh the evidence of natural selection until Matt Taibbi, a national journalist, shuts everyone up. Conservatives don’t debate quantum mechanics, he says, because there’s no financial incentive at stake.”