Adrian Peterson discusses son’s death

Adrian Peterson talked about the death of the 2-year-old son he apparently had never met before the child was attacked. Mark Craig of the Strib writes: “Peterson also confirmed reports that he didn’t learn about the 2-year-old boy in South Dakota until recently. Peterson visited the boy in the hospital last Thursday. The boy died a day later from injuries suffered in the alleged beating he got from the boyfriend of the boy’s mother. ‘It’s an unfortunate situation and I can speak on it,’ Peterson said. ‘But, yeah, I found out recently that it was my son, like two months ago. I was planning on seeing him and I had talked with his mom and had gotten some things together as far as financially helping her. Unfortunately, this situation took place and it’s devastating. A lot of people won’t ever understand the situation that I am in, to see it the way I’m seeing the situation. It’s tough, but I’m able to deal with that. I got a good supporting cast around me that has been supporting me at this tough time.’ “

It lives again. Frederick Melo of the PiPress says: “A lemonade vendor, a theatre improv instructor, a restaurateur and the widow of “Taste of Minnesota” frontman Ron Maddox gathered Thursday to declare that the state’s largest free festival is coming back to Harriet Island next 4th of July weekend, fireworks and big-name bands and all. Linda Maddox said that the Taste of Minnesota — which fell into bankruptcy after coming under new ownership in 2009 and 2010 — is returning to a more grassroots format under its original management. “But it worked,” Maddox said. “People were really excited about it. They were down on the bluffs.” The 30-year-old event, which has been on hiatus for three summers, will be held July 3, 4, 5 and 6, with fireworks each night, Maddox said. The Taste will be free to attend, with an entry fee before the national acts begin.”

Some great quotes in Kevin Diaz’ Strib survey of GOP House members: “From Congress, a pair of Minnesota Republicans send their regrets. ‘It’s not where we wanted to be, there’s no question about that,’ said Rep. John Kline, a close ally of House Speaker John Boehner. ‘We had hoped to make more progress toward getting more fairness in Obamacare. We didn’t get that.’ … Paulsen, however, was able to use the crisis to push for the repeal of a new tax under the health care law that is opposed by Medtronic and other large medical device companies in Minnesota. ‘I can absolutely tell my constituents that I’ve been working on finding solutions to break the logjam,’ he said.” The man gets points for single-mindedness.

MPR’s Brett Neely rolls in a gem from Our Favorite Congresswoman: “One House Republican who was more defiant in the face of adversity was Michele Bachmann, a tea party member who had pushed for a shutdown and argued that breaching the debt ceiling wouldn’t actually lead to a default. But as that deadline ticked closer, Bachmann said it was President Obama who had played hardball. ‘What he did is count on the fact that Republicans would be the adults in the room and at the end of the day we would be unwilling to see not only our credit rating hurt but also see the United States default on the debt. We wouldn’t do that, we’re responsible people, it wouldn’t happen,’ Bachmann said.” She and Sen. Cruz are like the perfectly-in-sync couple who can finish each other’s sentences.

There will be further review … The AP says: “Minnesota regulators will review the proposed expansion of a taconite mine after environmentalists warned of potential water pollution risks. Northshore Mining wants to expand its mine near Babbitt by about 100 acres. But the Duluth-based environmental group Save Our Sky Blue Waters says the expansion could mean digging taconite out of a new area with rock that has a higher-than-usual sulfide content, which the group says could lead to acid mine drainage off the site. The group petitioned the Department of Natural Resources for an environmental assessment worksheet, but the DNR declared the request moot this month because Cliffs Natural Resources, which owns Northshore Mining, filed its own request for a review.”

What’s the old line about never putting it in writing? Tony Kennedy of the Strib says: “The University of St. Thomas priest accused of sexual contact with a young girl expressed love and affection for her in deeply personal e-mails he sent her from Rome when she was 14 and 15 years old. ‘Be really sure that I love you lots and lots and never think of you without a smile coming to my mind,’ the Rev. Michael J. Keating wrote in one of at least 19 e-mails he sent in 1999 and 2000. He addressed her in three separate e-mails as ‘Dear Sweetheart’ and teased her about boys her age. ‘I’m afraid you are going to have to get used to being hounded by boys,’ wrote Keating, who was then 44 and studying to be a priest.”

I mention it only because when O’Hare sneezes, we all catch a cold … Jason Keyser of the AP reports: “Ten years into its $8 billion airfield overhaul, O’Hare International Airport has opened a second new runway that officials say will begin to ease the Chicago hub airport’s congestion and eliminate the flight delays that have a ripple effect across the country. … Chicago Department of Aviation officials say the runway will allow for nearly 90,000 additional flights per year while reducing delays by half.”

The worst they can say is “no” … Chao Xiong of the Strib says: “Jeffery Trevino’s attorney is seeking to have his client’s second-degree unintentional murder conviction thrown out, claiming an insufficient legal basis for the jury verdict handed down this month. Trevino was convicted Oct. 2 of killing his wife, Kira Steger, after a two-week trial. His attorney, John Conard, filed a motion Wednesday arguing that Trevino should be acquitted because the injuries to Steger rose to the level of third-degree assault, which does not support the murder conviction.”

I probably should have had one of these for all those Who concerts back in the day … Martin Moylan at MPR writes: “Maplewood-based 3M has developed a smartphone program that can tell if a certain noise is loud enough it might damage people’s hearing. 3M figures its customers will be professionals charged with monitoring workplace noise. But 3M hopes consumers will see the value, too, said Ted Madison, an audiologist with 3M. ‘They may be concerned about noise levels in their wood shop at home or if they’re out snowmobiling or doing other noisy recreational activities,’ he said. The application includes a sound level meter that provides 30- and 60-second readings on noise levels.”

Finally, Gov. Dayton’s office wrote to ask for a correction on a link I posted Tuesday to Stribber Pat Doyle’s story saying that Gov. Dayton had “ordered” a delay on the Southwest LRT vote. Said Matt Swenson, “Governor Dayton did not ‘order’ the delay on the SWLRT vote. It was the consensus of local leaders in the room and the Governor. The Governor just happened to speak first at the news conference, so you can say he announced the decision – but he in no way ‘ordered it.”  In Doyle’s amended story, he writes: “Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday announced support for a major delay in the Southwest Corridor light-rail project, keeping alive alternatives to a controversial plan to dig tunnels for the system in a recreational corridor of Minneapolis.”