Nurses vote today. Lorna Benson at MPR says, “After three long days of negotiations, the Minnesota Nurses Association said it will let its members decide whether to approve Allina Health’s latest contract proposal. Union negotiators said in a statement that they are ‘not making a recommendation’ on the offer. The rank and file will vote Monday on the three-year package, which would be retroactive to June 1. The headway in the contract dispute comes after a federal mediator brought both sides back to the bargaining table Tuesday morning.” Those part-time bartending gigs are probably getting little old by now.
Republicans in Minnesota seems a bit conflicted over The Donald’s $916 million tax loss story. Says Allison Sherry in the Strib: “Intense new scrutiny of Republican Donald Trump’s tax returns is revealing a deep divide among local GOP leaders … Former Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson, a Republican, is criticizing Trump for refusing to release his tax returns, saying the issue directly affects national security. … Republican megadonor and media mogul Stanley Hubbard called Trump’s decision to keep his tax returns private a personal one and said voters ‘don’t give a hoot.’ Several of Minnesota’s GOP leaders, particularly those facing re-election, have refused to speak on the issue at all.”
Straight cash, homie. Ben Goessling at ESPN notes the return of a Vikings legend for tonight’s game against the Giants. “When the NFL schedule was released in April, Randy Moss picked out the Vikings’ Monday night matchup with the New York Giants. He circled the game on his calendar. The receiver, who went to five Pro Bowls and made three All-Pro teams in his first seven seasons with the Vikings, will return to the spot of his greatest NFL moments in his first season as an NFL analyst for ESPN. … It remains to be seen when the team will honor the game-changing receiver, but perhaps his return to Minnesota can help rekindle some warm memories.”
RIP, maestro. At MPR, Matt Sepic says, “The classical music world is mourning the death of Sir Neville Marriner. The British conductor and violinist died Sunday at age 92. He’s best known for founding the London-based Academy of St. Martin in the Fields chamber orchestra in the late 1950s. The ensemble has been known for decades for its prodigious output of recorded music. Marriner also served as the Minnesota Orchestra’s music director from 1979 to 1986.”
Give me 14 seconds and I could get to first base. Maybe. Howie Sinker for the Strib says, “Some of you were watching the Ryder Cup and some of you were watching football. Others were enjoying a wonderful October afternoon. In other words, we’re guessing that a lot of you missed the inside-the-park home run that Byron Buxton hit to open Sunday’s game against the White Sox.” Dang. That guy is fast. (Check out the video.)
I get it. There’s no such thing as too over-the-top at the Ryder Cup. But: Kristi Belcamino of the PiPress says, “The pilot of a small plane received a low-tech police escort off Lake Hazeltine on Sunday when he landed on the water abutting Hazeltine National Golf Club, dropped anchor and attempted to watch the final matches of the Ryder Cup. … City law makes the lake off limits during any event, said Chaska Police Chief Scott Knight. ‘I’m just incredulous that anybody would think this is OK,’ Knight said. ‘In today’s world and environment with everything going on, to think it’s OK to violate airspace in this way is the most imbecilic thing I’ve ever seen in my life.’” He must have missed last week’s debate.
What is happening to ‘Merica? Stribber Paul Walsh says, “Putting aside what the school sees as restrictions based on gender, the University of Wisconsin-Stout’s annual homecoming on Saturday will for the first time in nearly 80 years not crown a homecoming king and queen. Instead, eight to 10 students will be selected Friday in a campus ceremony for the Stout Ambassadors Spirit Award, the school 45 miles east of the Minnesota border announced Friday. The new program provides an opportunity to recognize more students, said Emily Ascher, UW-Stout’s campus activities coordinator.”
Also in crownings, Sally Jo Sorensen at Bluestem Prairie writes, “While some adults in Brainerd and Aberdeen are freaking out about Muslims and refugees, Willmar High students are confident their homecoming court demonstrates that ‘being around people from other ethnicities just feels normal.’ The West Central Tribune’s education beat reporter Linda Vanderwerf interviewed Willmar High’s homecoming royalty for ‘The privilege of diversity,’ an article centered around the student body’s selection of Anisa Abdulahi, a Somali-American senior, as homecoming queen for the public high school … .”
I still like the moose. Another Paul Walsh story says, “A new vehicle license plate in Minnesota is now available as part of a long-running effort to raise money for critical habitat in the state. Borrowing the image from the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) turkey stamp for 2016, a proud tom graces the left side of the plate, the state announced Friday. … There are 10 of these specialty plates to choose from that benefit the DNR as part of a fundraising effort that started in 1995 and has brought in nearly $60 million.”
Why, yes. There is more on Wells Fargo. Here’s a former employee writing for The Washington Post. Says Kristen Polito, “The average American’s credit score is in the high 600s — not horrendous, but not stellar. Our clientele frequently didn’t have the credit scores to qualify for what we were selling, … But I’d do it anyway, because more credit applications, even the ones we rejected, showed effort on my part. Believe me, I know all of this is terrible. … Eventually, I left Wells for good. I had to.”
And there’s this: Jackie Wattles at CNN Money writes, “Wells Fargo will pay $24 million to settle allegations that it mistreated members of the military — including illegally repossessing their cars. The bank, already reeling from a scandal over fake accounts, will pay $4.1 million to settle Justice Department charges that it seized 413 cars owned by service members without a court order, a violation of federal law. The Justice Department said the illegal repossessions took place from 2008 to 2015. The first complaint came from an Army National Guardsman in North Carolina who said the bank seized his car while he was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. Wells Fargo then auctioned his car and tried to collect a balance of $10,000 from his family, the Justice Department said.”
