Jim Ragsdale of the Strib says: “The attempt to unionize care workers in Minnesota was further complicated Tuesday by a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court agreed Tuesday to hear the appeal of an Illinois lawsuit over unionizing personal care attendants, a case known as Harris v. Quinn. In Minnesota, an attempt to unionize child care workers has been hung up by the Illinois case. A Minnesota case, Parrish v. Dayton, which seeks to block the union election in Minnesota, failed in federal court and was appealed. On Sept. 19, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals granted an injunction ordering that the Minnesota election be delayed pending a decision by the Supreme Court on whether it would hear the Illinois case.”
Maybe not quite Trinity School … but no longer failing. Kim McGuire of the Strib says: “More than two dozen Minnesota schools are no longer considered failing, according to new state rankings released Tuesday morning. The 27 schools were able to shed the failing label by boosting student achievement and reducing achievement gaps between white and minority students. … Metro area schools getting off the Priority, or low achievement list, include: Edison High School, Minneapolis; Wellstone International High School, St. Paul; North View IB World School, Osseo; Sheridan Hills Elementary, Richfield; Brooklyn Center Secondary; Humboldt High School, St. Paul; and New Visions Charter School, Minneapolis. Metro area schools getting off the achievement gap, or Focus, list include: Kenny Elementary, Minneapolis; New Millennium Academy Charter School, Minneapolis; and Partnership Academy Inc., Richfield.”
I had no idea the last of “Badfinger” was living in Minnesota. Ray Rahman of Entertainment Weekly chatted up Joey Molland of the ’70s band on his reaction to their song “Baby Blue” bringing down the curtain on “Breaking Bad” Sunday night.
“EW: Did you know beforehand that ‘Baby Blue’ was going to be used in the finale?
Joey Molland: No. It’s a Peter Ham song, so Pete’s estate and the record label, publishing house — they’d communicate with them about it. So we had no idea it was going to happen. I was actually just catching the end of the show, really. I was working around the house all day, packing up stuff for the Goodwill, and just doing mundane stuff like that. I caught the last, like, ten minutes of it, where the guy gets shot and all that. My youngest son watches it. I’m not really a big TV guy, to tell you the truth. …
EW: So what was your reaction when your heard the song come on during the scene?
Joey Molland: Well, I was really surprised! [laughs] The song sounds great — I’ve always liked the record myself. It’s one of my favorites, for sure. It was a big hit for us, too. So it was great to hear it. And I’m glad they used our version of it and not a recut of it. It’s great, you know? Today it’s in the charts, and yesterday it was kind of like an oldies record!”
Other than 19,000 employees sent home, the Tea Party-induced shutdown of the U.S. government will not be a big deal in Minnesota. Or so says folks interviewed by Mark Zdechlik at MPR: “Airports will still be open. Federal food safety and inspection programs will continue. The Post Office will still deliver mail, and Social Security and Medicare benefits will still be there. ‘For most people the shutdown, if it’s short, will be big theater in D.C., but little impact back home.’ That’s what University of Minnesota political science professor Larry Jacobs said. However, the roughly 19,000 federal employees in Minnesota who do not work for the Post Office could be sent home to wait out the shutdown — the first in 17 years. … It’s not clear who Americans would blame if the government shuts down. According a Gallup poll released late last week about 22 percent of Americans support the tea party.” Help me out here. Twenty-two. Is that more than 50?
Despite the alleged killer asteroid-effect of Obamacare … Minnesota businesses are anticipating growth. Annie Baxter of MPR says: “Minnesota manufacturers are expecting growth but were somewhat less optimistic in August than they were in July. Creighton University’s Minnesota Business Conditions Index dropped two points to 57 last month. A reading above 50 suggests economic expansion. The overall survey of supply managers in the nine-state mid-America region shows 40 percent of businesses polled expect that implementation of the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare will crimp hiring.”
If you were planning one of those jaunts up north to see the fall color … I hope you like white. Courtney Spamer at AccuWeather.com says: “The storm recently responsible for heavy rain in the Northwest will take aim at the northern Plains and Upper Midwest, bringing not only the first snowfall of the season, but also the potential for a major storm. … Heavy snow could fall with gusty winds, from the Black Hills of South Dakota eastward to parts of northern Minnesota by week’s end. … If even a mere inch of snow falls in northern Minnesota, it would be unusual for the first week in October. The average first measurable snowfall in Duluth, Minn., is not until Oct. 24. Measurable snow would not be unprecedented, however. The earliest measurable snow for a season in Duluth occurred on Sept. 18, 1991.”
So modeling for Playboy is OK … as long as you keep your clothes on? Paul Walsh of the Strib writes: “A 33-year-old Minnesota mom is suing her former employer, claiming she was fired from her job with a cable television provider because she posed nude for Playboy magazine even though she had cleared it with her boss ahead of time. The lawsuit filed by Jessica Zelinske, of Kasson, initially filed in Dodge County District Court and moved to federal court on Monday contends that her boss at Charter Communications in Rochester had said the business was fine with her pursuing a modeling opportunity with Playboy in early 2011, then he fired her as an ad account executive upon learning that she had done a nude photo shoot.” Because what prospective client wants a Playboy model stopping by the store every couple of months?
This could be good. The AP says: “A posthumous memoir by Bob Dylan‘s tour manager during the 1960s is due out next September. St. Martin’s Press announced Tuesday that it had acquired ‘Another Side of Bob Dylan,’ by Victor Maymudes, who died in 2001. The book is being written by Maymudes’ son, Jacob, and will be based on recollections the elder Maymudes tape recorded shortly before his death. Victor Maymudes first met Dylan in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s and for a few years served as his tour manager.”
