Somehow I doubt this will be the last “Just one more little thing” expense we’ll be hearing about. Janet Moore and Eric Roper of the Strib write: “The developer proposing a massive project next to the new Vikings stadium is asking the public to pay for skyways not required by the legislation passed last year — likely about $6.4 million. Ryan Cos. also would retain the right to build on part of a 9-acre plot of land that plans have set aside for a public park. These are among new details revealed in city documents, obtained by a public records request, about the $400 million mixed-use project being proposed in Minneapolis. … The Star Tribune and Ryan have declined to disclose terms of the purchase agreement. The only projected cost for Star Tribune land listed in the documents is $7.7 million to acquire a block for the parking ramp.” It’s none of the media’s damned business!
The fateful phrase “They seemed like normal people” appears in Paul Walsh’s Strib story on a shooting in Shoreview this morning: “A man and a woman were fatally shot Tuesday morning in their Shoreview home and two others there were wounded, authorities said. The shootings occurred shortly before 10 a.m. in the 5900 block of Grotto Street, just south of County Road J, according to the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. … Neighbors, including one who lives next door, identified those killed as Johnny L. Simpson, 65, and Nancy A. Sullivan, 57. The two who were wounded, a man and a woman, did not live at the house but are related to the couple, the spokesman said.”
Do we really want to know all that much more about Adrian Peterson’s thinking on gays? Jason Kersey of the Oklahoman writes: “Former Oklahoma superstar and Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson said an openly homosexual teammate ‘really wouldn’t bother me that much.’ Peterson — a little more than a week removed from expressing his opposition to gay marriage in a radio interview — did admit, though, that some aspects of it might make him uncomfortable. ‘Simple things, as far as showers and things like that, you know, of course, anyone would be uncomfortable,’ Peterson said Monday. ‘But you know, I’m a grown man. There’s things that I can deal with. I’m comfortable in my skin. I’ll still high-five them. Pat them on the butt when he’s doing good, and go on about my business.’ ”
We’re in the Top 10! Elizabeth Dunbar of MPR reports: “A report released Tuesday by a clean energy think tank said Minnesota is among the 10 states leading the nation in clean energy and technology. Minnesota ranked 9th in the report by Clean Edge, which does research and analysis on everything from renewable energy to technology investment to energy policies. The report said Minnesota has more Energy Star-rated green building space per capita than any other state. … The report also looked at large cities and ranked Minneapolis 14th overall when looking at four indicators: green buildings, advanced transportation, clean electricity and carbon management; and clean tech investment, innovation and workforce.”
The conservative Cato Institute’s Ilya Shapiro looks at Red Wing’s rental inspection policy and says: “The city of Red Wing, Minnesota, has a rental property inspection program — one that’s unfortunately not unusual — whereby landlords and tenants must routinely open their doors to government agents. These searches take place even if both the landlord and tenant believe it not to be necessary. The owner of the property even has to pay a fee for the unwanted search to receive a rental license! … Last Friday, the Minnesota Supreme Court handed down its decision in McCaughtry v. Red Wing. Unfortunately, the Court decided to dodge the question of whether the government is required to obtain a warrant to inspect a residence without individualized probable cause under the U.S. or Minnesota Constitution. The court’s reasoning is maddening: Red Wing’s ordinance allows judges to imagine individualized standards even when the city doesn’t present any individualized evidence when applying for a warrant.”
Lawsuits are flying up on the Range … . The AP says: “Two lawsuits are seeking to overturn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to grant a water quality variance to the Mesabi Nugget iron processing plant near Hoyt Lakes, saying regulators violated the Clean Water Act and other federal laws when they approved it late last year. The lawsuits were filed late Monday by the environmental group WaterLegacy and by the Fond du Lac and Grand Portage Chippewa bands.”
Bob has added a date back in (one of) his old hometowns. Christa Lawler of the Duluth News Tribune writes: “The Duluth-born, Hibbing-raised singer-songwriter will play a show that starts at 5:30 p.m. July 9 at Bayfront Festival Park as part of a tour with Wilco, My Morning Jacket and Richard Thompson, according to Mayor Don Ness, who announced the concert at a media conference at the park. … Dylan also performed at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Arena in 1998. Bayfront Festival Park has become a regular stop for six-man Chicago band Wilco, which last played the venue in July. It has become an ongoing joke that Wilco is an honorary Duluth band, which front man Jeff Tweedy played on when he asked for the keys to the city during the show.
Speaking of Bob … There’s a Kickstarter program going to put up a statue to the man. For years, Duluth’s city fathers (and mothers) regarded Dylan as a wheezy old pothead and an embarrassment to their morally upright little town. Well, the times they have been a-changin’ for quite a while now and the group pushing the 12-foot statue say: “Over a year in the making, the Dylan by Duluth concept is meant to be not only a tribute to modern times’ most prominent songwriter, author, painter, radio host, and all-around mystic, but also as a dedication to his fans world-wide. The Dylan by Duluth Creative Team includes a number of individuals helmed by sculptor Tom Page, an experienced artist of many large-scale projects. … The tribute is meant to capture Dylan in his earlier years, as he steps out of the Iron Range and onto the world stage.”
The Young Entrepreneurs Club run amok … James Warden of Hopkins Patch reports: “An 18-year-old Maple Grove woman, a senior on the Hopkins cheerleading team, is accused of trafficking a 16-year-old Hopkins High School cheerleader by placing an ad on Backpage.com and convincing her to prostitute herself. Montia Marie Parker has been charged with two felonies: sex trafficking in the second degree and solicitation, inducement and promotion of prostitution. … Victim A is a 16-year-old sophomore at Hopkins High School and on the cheerleading team. The victim’s mother told police that she is on an Individual Education Plan at school and works with a social worker due to a developmental cognitive delay. On Friday, March 1, police say Victim A was talking to several friends and cheerleading teammates about trying to make some money. One of her friends mentioned that she could make some money by giving men oral sex. She told police she thought it was a joke, but they talked about it anyway.”
