Evidence: Fong Lee unarmed when shot by Mpls police “Contrary to what Minneapolis police have claimed, Fong Lee didn’t have a gun in his right hand when a patrolman chased him and then shot him eight times,” according to a nationally recognized video forensics expert who reviewed surveillance camera photos, reports David Haners in the PiPress. Testimony unfolding in the civil suit against the city and police officer over the teen’s death paints a picture quite different from that drawn by Mpls police after the incident. Continue reading
Author Archives: Mary Turck
News Day: Gunned down by Mpls cop / Eight workers for every opening / Coleman concedes, sort of / more
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News Day: Doing the recount math / Autism in Somali kids / Secret U.S. assassination squads / High school sports money / more
If you’re reading this … then the mega-worm has not killed the internet yet.
Doing the math Let’s see — if Al Franken leads by about 225 votes, and the court has ordered another 400 ballots opened and counted, where does that leave Norm Coleman? Probably beating the bushes for money to finance endless appeals. To outpoll Franken, The Norm would have to win more than 300 of the 400 ballots, which seems highly unlikely. Counting day — April 7.
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News Day: Norm or Nobody / Scare stories: Nuts and worms / G-What? / Hungry in MN / Listen to Grandma / more
Norm or Nobody Republican Senator John ornyn is now threatening “World War III” and years of federal appeals if The Norm isn’t given the senatorial seat that he pretty clearly has not won. The GOP is forging ahead with a dog-in-the-manger strategy that indefinitely denies Minnesota a second Senator. Continue reading
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News Day: All flood, all the time / Justice system stumbling / Post office bomb threats echo past / more
All flood, all the time As the level of the Red River slowly recedes, MPR continues to be an excellent source for flood-related news, if little else at the moment. Fifteen of the last 20 stories posted on-line (as of 7:30 a.m. today) focused on the Fargo/Red River Flood story, and one of the remaining five was the forecast of a storm that “could dump 12 inches of snow” in the region. Luckily for Fargo, most of that snow is going to fall farther south. For the Twin Cities, WCCO confirms that there’s nastiness heading our way, too, but probably not until tonight, and probably 2-6 inches of snow with freezing rain and sleet.
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News Day: NPR fear-mongering / Walgreens stiffing seniors / Michelle Minute / MN Job Watch / Around the world / more
Somali teens and NPR fear-mongering In more of the irresponsible fear-mongering that has characterized National Public Radio’s reporting on missing Somali youth, this morning’s Morning Edition story by Dina Temple Raston repeated unsubstantiated and discredited allegations that the youth will return to the U.S. to commit acts of terrorism here — and said that at least four have returned to Minneapolis and that “Now it looks like they’ve gone underground.” The damage done by such sensationalist characterizations is not balanced by the report’s admissions that “The FBI doesn’t think they are dangerous,” and that “going underground” may mean that parents are keeping the young men home and safe. Just to add the emphasis that NPR lacks, let me repeat: “The FBI doesn’t think they are dangerous.”
The report goes on to discuss secret grand jury investigations, and doesn’t let the secrecy of grand jury proceedings deter speculation about what they might be focusing on. NOTE: In contrast to National Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio has covered the on-going story without sensationalism.
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News Day: Liar, liar / Stupid on science / Jobless numbers still climbing / more
Liar, liar First Bob Bushman, from the Statewide Gang and Drug Task Force, called proponents of legal medical marijuana liars. Then, reports MnIndy Rep. Tom Rukavina, sponsor of the bill got up and challenged him:
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News Day: Michelle Bachmann’s call to arms / Lake Wobegon county / Somali college student and FBI / more
Is it just because I’m on vacation, or are today’s news stories odder than usual? More vacation tomorrow – and no News Day post.
Today’s Michelle Minute She’s at it again. This time, MN Representative Michelle Bachmann called herself “a foreign correspondent on enemy lines” and called on Minnesotans to get “armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax,” citing Thomas Jeffersons’ calls for revolution. Taxing carbon emissions, says Michelle, “has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States.” The Smart Politics blog has links to more Michelle moments. And MinnPost reports that Bachman and John Kline are teaming up to push legislation that would bar the Obama administration from sending Guantanamo Bay detainees to MN. Nice move that — maybe they would accept a friendly amendment to bar the gummint from sending us any Martian space invaders or rabid alligators.
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News Day: Lawyer-speak for loser / Ho-hum DFL / Backing off on spy bill / Around the world in 90 seconds / more
Coleman looks to appeal Joe Friedberg, Norm Coleman’s lead trial attorney, told KFAN radio that “we’ve been trying this case with the appeal record in mind, and that’s where we’re going,” reports MinnPost’s Jay Weiner. In lawyer-speak, that’s about as clear a statement as you will ever hear that the Coleman camp expects to lose in the three-judge recount court.
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News Day: RNC acquittals / More Michelle / MN tax and budget wrangling/ Ethanol, books, coffee, more
I’m writing on the fly this morning — literally — and hoping to post when we land in Newark, so advance apologies if I miss any late-breaking news. I’m out of town until Wednesday, so Monday-Wednesday blog posts may be shorter, later, or just a little different.
Not guilty for RNC protesters Two more RNC protesters were acquitted by a Ramsey County jury Thursday. That continues a solid winning streak, with no protesters yet convicted at trials. The jury evidently found police testimony not credible. Another RNC trial is still going on, with Sean McCoy facing misdemeanor charges of parading without a permit and fleeing a police officer. Some lawyers from the National Lawyers Guild suggest that St. Paul city attorney John Choi should just throw out all of the remaining misdemeanor cases. (He’s already decided that hundreds of arrests lack a basis for prosecution.)
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News Day: MN unemployment up to 8.1% / Liberian countdown / Best AIG advice / Civil rights in Minneapolis / more
UPDATED: Minnesota’s unemployment hit 8.1 percent in February, matching the national rate, as the state shed 13,300 jobs during the month, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development. January’s MN unemployment rate was 7.6 percent (NOT including “discouraged” workers, who have given up looking for full-time jobs, or those who are involuntarily working part-time because they can’t find full-time work.)
Nationwide, new unemployment insurance benefit claims last week were down to “only” 594,121, a decrease of 58,515 from the previous week. For a little perspective — there were 335,917 initial claims in the comparable week in 2008, and the total number of people claiming state unemployment insurance benefits was 6,332,272, up from 3,297,238 in 2008. Full federal report here.
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Mary Turck