Garrison Keillor suffers brain seizure; will still perform Saturday

Jeez man, take the week off. At MPR, Euan Kerr reports, “Garrison Keillor, host of ‘A Prairie Home Companion,’ suffered a brain seizure over Memorial Day weekend, but says he’ll still perform this weekend. In a post on his Facebook page, Keillor revealed he had the seizure after performing two shows in Virginia last weekend. He was treated in a local emergency room and then traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for further tests, the post said. He wrote that the Mayo visit left him feeling fortunate. He saw an MRI scan that showed damage caused by a previous stroke near the language centers of his brain.”

Russia trade. About to boom? Anastasiia Samoilova in the Strib writes, “Minnesota’s trade with Russia, relatively small to date, is poised to grow, opening the doors to more Russian businesses in the state. … The American-Russian Chamber of Commerce of Minnesota (ARCCoM) — the first of its kind in the state — was created last summer.” We’re interested in the vodka. The machinery, not so much.

One of many things someone would like signed. Says Don Davis for the Forum News Service, “Greater Minnesota groups are asking Gov. Mark Dayton to sign tax-break legislation lawmakers passed last week. On Thursday, it was clear that Dayton signing the tax bill with aid for cities, counties, farmers, businesses, students, working families and others could be a longshot. Besides tax breaks and local government aids, the bill also contains a one-word mistake that would cost the state more than $100 million. Unless there is a special legislative session to fix the mistake, the Democratic governor said, he will veto the tax legislation. Groups that could benefit from tax breaks were not happy with the news.”

A fake UnitedHealth? For KMSP-TV Courtney Godfrey reports, “With two children at home and another on the way, Melissa Holt of St. Paul Park was exploring jobs that would put her closer to home. When she searched for ‘medical record’ and ‘health information management’ jobs in the Twin Cities, a link to openings at UnitedHealth Group popped up. Unfortunately for Holt, the site was a fake. ‘The logos are the same, the address is the same, the phone number is the same,’ she said.”

It is the original “miracle drug.” At MPR, Lorna Benson says, “Heart attack and stroke prevention have long focused on avoiding smoking, fatty foods and inactivity. But a new public health campaign launching today in Minnesota showcases a strategy many should embrace: taking a daily dose of aspirin. Aspirin’s long been recommended to patients following a heart attack or stroke to prevent repeat attacks. But using aspirin to prevent a first cardiovascular event is nowhere near as common as public health experts feel it should be. ‘A substantial number of Minnesotans do take regular aspirin now. But the majority who would benefit from it, do not. And that’s the group we’re targeting’, said Dr. Russell Luepker, a cardiologist and researcher with the Minnesota Heart Health Program, a University of Minnesota effort to reduce heart disease.” Can I take it with my Keystone Light and double cheeseburger?

Summer means … no, not impassable highways … crime. Also at MPR we have this from Doualy Xaykaothao. “An effort to help law enforcement prevent crime is powered by volunteers, including one with a particular knowledge of the justice system. Alonzo Elem spent 27 months in prison for second degree assault. ‘I was one of those people who brought the community down,’ Elem said. ‘And now I’m trying to build it back up to where it needs to be.’ The 45-year-old is now a youth coordinator with the Minneapolis chapter of MAD DADS. It stands for Men Against Destruction, Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder. Elem and other volunteers are part of the 12-year-old ‘SafeZone’ initiative by the Minneapolis Police Department.”

Interesting idea. Brandt Williams of MPR says, “Police reform advocates are calling on Minneapolis to amend the city’s charter to require police officers carry personal liability insurance. The Committee for Professional Policing on Thursday turned over 1,200 pages of signatures on a petition seeking to put the change to voters this fall, arguing that the measure would provide officers a financial incentive to avoid misconduct lawsuits and reduce police misconduct in Minneapolis. Officers who are sued over and again for misconduct would face higher premiums in the same way insurance companies raise premiums on bad drivers, said petition drive organizer Dave Bicking.” The town could use fewer cop equivalents of the hot-headed teenager with a new Corvette.

The prosecution ain’t havin’ it. Says Jenna Ross in the Strib, “Prosecutors are pushing back against Danny Heinrich’s requests to move his child pornography trial from Minnesota, throw out his statements to investigators and suppress evidence found during a search of his Annandale house. In a 46-page document filed Wednesday, federal prosecutors argued that Heinrich, named a person of interest in the abduction of Jacob Wetterling, can get a fair trial in Minnesota … .”

For the PiPress, Mary Divine says, “Prosecutors also said the defendant’s motion to suppress his collection of child pornography should be denied because the ‘evidence was seized pursuant to a valid warrant that was issued by a judge and based upon an affidavit supported by probable cause.’ Statements made by Heinrich to law enforcement officers also should not be thrown out, prosecutors argued.”

Uh, let’s cut down on the traffic here. Also in the Strib, Shannon Prather writes, “Owners of a busy Coon Rapids strip mall want to banish public buses from stopping on their property. Now Anoka County and Metro Transit, which are responsible for the bus line, are scrambling to salvage the popular stop near Wal-Mart and Cub Foods. … County officials said they were told some of the smaller businesses don’t like the loitering that comes with having a bus stop nearby. But the owners say it’s about property rights, pure and simple.”

Twelve seconds? Dude … . Says Marino Eccher of the PiPress, “Former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe made his debut on ‘American Ninja Warrior’ this week — the domestic spin-off of the nearly impossible Japanese game show in which incredibly fit people fail to jump over, hold onto and climb past a sadistic series of challenges. He started training for the endeavor last summer and came out of the gate strong, executing a flying bear-hug of a suspended barrel and high-stepping his way across a precarious bridge. But then came a series of swinging rings: Total time on the course, according to Sports Illustrated: 12 seconds.”