Keillor says MPR wrong for not conducting full investigation

by MinnPost staff 12/07/201712/07/2017

A bit of a changed tune. MPR’s Nate Ryan reports: “Garrison Keillor says Minnesota Public Radio was wrong to cut business ties with him last week without fully investigating what a senior executive has described as ‘multiple allegations’ against the former “A Prairie Home Companion” host spanning an extended period of time. … Jon McTaggart, CEO of MPR’s parent company American Public Media Group, addressed the issue at an employee meeting Wednesday. McTaggart didn’t provide details of the allegations against the 75-year-old veteran broadcaster, saying only that he has shared them with lawyers and board members.”

No Ford site plebiscite. The Star Tribune’s Jessie Van Berkel reports: “A group of residents that fervently lobbied, and ultimately failed, to stop St. Paul leaders from approving a plan for the former Ford Plant site this fall recently took a new approach to prevent the city’s vision from becoming a reality. … But Wednesday they once again hit a roadblock with the City Council. … The group, called Neighbors for a Livable St. Paul, wanted to put a referendum on the 2018 election ballot giving voters the chance to repeal the Ford site zoning plan, which provides a framework for development at the 122-acre property. … They said the plan would lead to traffic congestion, a lack of green space and development too dense to fit the character of the surrounding Highland Park neighborhood.”

More on the Albert Lea Mayo labor dispute. The Rochester Post-Bulletin’s Brett Boese reports: “Amidst rising tensions in Albert Lea, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Mayo Clinic have made dueling allegations of unfair labor practices. … SEIU leadership announced this morning that a one-day strike will be held outside Mayo Clinic Health System’s Albert Lea campus. The Dec. 19 strike includes 79 SEIU members employed as certified nursing assistants, housekeepers, sterile processing staff and utilities and materials management workers.”

How many neighborhood organizations is too many neighborhood organizations? The Minnesota Daily’s Kelly Busche reports: “The City of Minneapolis is gathering community input to decide which Cedar-Riverside neighborhood organization to fund. … The West Bank Community Coalition and the Cedar-Riverside Neighborhood Revitalization Program are considering a merger to solve the funding issue, which many residents support. … Cedar-Riverside is the only neighborhood in Minneapolis that had two organizations — which exist with the goal of improving the city’s neighborhoods — apply for funding from the Neighborhood Revitalization Program. … The city hired a consultant to assess what the community needs from a neighborhood organization, what current organizations want and other future recommendations.”