Major agreement in archdiocese sex abuse cases to be announced Monday

A deal in the Archdiocese (and other diocese) sex cases? Jean Hopfensperger of the Strib says, “A landmark settlement appears near in a clergy sex abuse lawsuit that has already forced the church to disclose the names of dozens of priests accused of abuse and the files documenting their actions. Attorney Jeff Anderson and officials from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said Sunday that they would unveil a ‘historic child protection action plan’ at a news conference Monday, but sources told the Star Tribune the plan is part of a deal to settle the suit filed against the Archdiocese and the Diocese of Winona.”

For the PiPress, Emily Gurnon and Kristi Belcamino say, “Sources said the landmark agreement not only settles a lawsuit slated to go to trial Nov. 3 but also covers hundreds of other alleged abuse victims who have been waiting in the wings with their own allegations. Along with the financial settlement, the agreement will stipulate how future allegations of abuse are handled.”

Adrian Peterson’s hefty pay checks may stop coming, regardless of how Texas courts treat him. ESPN’s Chris Mortenson says, “If Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is found not guilty of a felony child abuse charge in Texas, he could still face a personal conduct suspension without pay from the NFL, according to sources. One area of consensus that was reaffirmed in last week’s league meetings is that violation of workplace rules and personal conduct should not require a conviction, the sources said.”

GOP operative Michael Brodkorb says the state needs a debate commission. In his Strib blog he writes, “Independence Party candidate for governor Hannah Nicollet announced last evening she would not be allowed to participate in a gubernatorial debate on Tuesday with DFL Governor Mark Dayton and Republican Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson. The debate is being sponsored by the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce and the Duluth News Tribune.  Nicollet’s campaign was informed of the decision by David Ross, the president of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce. … Nicollet’s arbitrary exclusion from Tuesday’s debate is one reason why Minnesota needs a non-partisan debate commission for state campaigns, similar to the organization which establishes presidential debates.”

Again with the rail delays. MPR’s Mark Steil says, “After months of complaints by farmers, grain shippers and others that lengthy railroad delays have been bad for business, another major industry is crying foul. Minnesota power companies, which don’t have as much coal on hand as they want on the eve of winter, are blaming unreliable rail shipping. They say consumers may wind up paying steeper utility bills as a result.”

Two is enough. Peter Passi of the Duluth News Tribune says, “Ending months of speculation, Duluth Mayor Don Ness has announced he will not seek a third term in office. … While Ness certainly has had his critics, perhaps no other Duluth mayor in recent history has enjoyed such broad popularity. In the most recent National Citizen Survey of Duluth, 89 percent of respondents strongly or somewhat approved of the mayor’s performance.”

We’re No. 1 … in zombies. WCCO-TV says, “The massive crowd of zombies that took over downtown Minneapolis Saturday night was one for the record books. According to Zombie Pub Crawl organizers, the event – which had an official number of 15,458 zombies walking through the Warehouse District – set a Guinness World Record for the ‘largest gathering of people dressed as zombies.’”

What will she name him/her — Small Fries? Stribber Paul Walsh reports, “A woman gave birth in a McDonald’s bathroom in Lino Lakes, authorities said Sunday. The commotion started about 5:20 p.m. Saturday at the fast-food restaurant on Otter Lake Road, just off of Interstate 35E at the County Road 14 exit, police said. Soon after police officers arrived, the mother was taken to United Hospital in St. Paul and the newborn to a children’s hospital in the Twin Cities, said police Sgt. William Owens.”

Thanks to tipster JC for this one, from the Owatonna People’s Press. Editor Jeffrey Jackson is not happy about a comment from GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson. “There was something to do in Eldred this past Monday when GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson stopped by that grain elevator to talk to voters and to field a few questions. You can watch the entire event — about 30 minutes in all — on YouTube. I mention all of this because, much to our surprise here at the newspaper, we were brought up in the conversation. … [A] woman in Eldred wanted to know what Mr. Johnson thought of [running mate Bill] Kuisle’s comment that Highway 2 [way up north] should have remained a two-lane road. Mr. Johnson’s response was to blame the People’s Press. ‘The newspaper actually acknowledged they misquoted him,’ Mr. Johnson said. Uh, no, we never said any such thing. In fact, we have consistently stood by the story and made neither a retraction nor a correction to the story because that’s exactly what Mr. Kuisle said.”