April 2008

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Target's New CEO Faces Immediate Challenges

Filed under: Business

There's a new man on top of the bull's-eye. After more than 40 years with Target, including 14 as chairman and CEO, Bob Ulrich is handing the reins of the nation's second-largest retailer to his longtime sidekick Gregg Steinhafel.

Bob Ulrich

Target changed dramatically under Ulrich's reign, and his rise to the corner office boasts tinges of old-fashioned business clichés of climbing the corporate ladder. That's not to say spent decades working himself up from stock boy to head honcho, but he was faithful to Target and it paid off. Starting out as a merchandiser for Dayton's Stores (a branch he later jettisoned from the Target family) in 1967, Ulrich saw his role grow to president of Target in 1984, which only had 80 stores at the time, and CEO a decade later. Steinhafel, an Ulrich recruit, joined the Target team in 1979, and when Ulrich landed the top job in 1994, Steinhafel, 52, was promoted to Target's executive vice president, and last year was granted a seat on the board of directors.

Gregg Steinhafel

During his time at the helm he bought up the naming rights to the Target Center, the store expanded rapidly into 47 states, he helped usher in a squadron of celebrity product lines, saw the concept of SuperTarget flourish, and sales quadrupled. I'm sure the company is kicking themselves for having a mandatory retirement age of 65.

As someone who used to work at Target -- for most of high school and breaks during college I could be found decked out in a red polo shirt and khaki pants, stocking shelves, wrangling carts in the parking lot, and demonstrating how to use digital cameras for the ignorant masses plaguing the electronics department -- I suppose I owe Ulrich some debt of gratitude for running the company so well.

Looking out for employees currently in the position I used to fill will be a challenge. Steinhafel is taking his mentor's job at a tricky economic time. With a recession either upon us or soon to be arriving, there are plenty of troubles waiting to happen. Here, in no particular order, are three.

Credit. Every day on the news we learn of new segments of the economy that are being thrashed by the shortage or credit and defaulting borrowers, and Target is no different. Turns out, Target was a little too lose with standards when choosing who could get a shiny red Target Card or Target Visa. I spent many an afternoon offering store guests premiums including two-liter bottles of orange soda to Target bulldog umbrellas to convince them to apply for credit cards. For this task, I was given a dollar for every credit application I got -- occasionally netting more than 40 a day. Turns out that the deal was better for me than the company or some cardholders. I wasn't left with a mangled credit score or billions of millions of dollars of write-offs.

A living wage. Of course a living wage runs counter to any big box store with thousands of employees. It's a simple fact that paying higher wages will mean lower profits. Still, it's probably actually in Target's best interest to pay their employees a little more. During the recession, slightly higher wages will keep internal morale high, make the company appear to be enlightened in the eyes of the media, and get labor unions off their back for a while. But most importantly to the hourly employees during times when the economy is in the tank, a living wage would help secure their finances when the inevitable cut back on work schedule hours arrives. Chicago tried to pass a living wage ordinance in 2006 for big stores, and target broke out the hyperbole pen and released a statement calling it part of an "extreme agenda." Just a bit over the top. There is nothing extreme about paying inner city employees, or retail workers anywhere for that matter, a slightly higher wage.

In defense of my idea, here's an anecdote from my time at Target: On breaks, I would read Red: The Team Member Magazine. As far as work-related publications go, it was pretty good. On these glossy pages was my only contact with Ulrich. Every month in the front of the magazine was a letter to me thousands of employees working in the 1,613 Target stores. Ulrich, whose mug shot showed his perfect graphite colored hair, and his controlled smile, told of some supposedly interesting tidbit of corporate information, which ended with Ulrich's phony signature scrawled across the bottom. One day, during a particularly hard shift, with my knees aching, I decided to calculate how long it would take for me to earn what Ulrich made. Warning: Math in ensuing paragraph.

I will recreate here with his 2007 compensation. In 2007, Ulrich made $12.2 million, during most of my time at Target, I made around $7.85 per hour, and the store was open 14 hours most days. Here was my figuring: $12.2 million/$7.85= 1,554,140.12 hours of work. Divide that by 14 possible work hours in a day and I get 111,010 days. Divide that by 365 days in a year, left me with 304.13 years of working every possible hour to make what Ulrich made in a year. And I'm not saying he didn't deserve a big ol' hunk of cash -- his work probably kept me employed -- but if corporate salaries and compensation were shaved ever so slightly, even half a percent, and added to the salaries of hourly employees, they would benefit profoundly.

Rising food prices, especially organic food.
Target is still relatively new to the grocery game, and it's about to get rough to maintain discount prices. News outlets have been pushing stories pointing out that ethanol's popularity is causing farmers to grow more corn, leaving wheat prices going up. And it's true. Target's organic brand Archer Farms will struggle to hold onto its affordable organic appeal, if it becomes prohibitively expensive for the thrifty organic consumer.

Posted by Ben Palosaari at April 30, 2008 6:07 PM | Comments (2)

 

Herbal Remedy

Filed under: Minnesota Politics

The Marijuana Policy Project is airing two television ads imploring Governor Tim Pawlenty to back down from his vow to veto a bill legalizing medical marijuana.

The first spot began running earlier in the month on cable channels. The second one--featuring a Ely resident whose neck surgery and resulting nerve pain have rendered him nearly bedridden--began running yesterday.

"I'm a registered Republican and born-again Christian," he says. "This doesn't have anything to do with culture wars. It's all about people in pain... please don't veto the medical marijuana bill, Governor Pawlenty."

Critics of the bill have framed it as a Trojan horse, maintaining that if we stop fining and jailing sick people who inhale cannabis smoke, we might one day cease fining and jailing healthy people who do the same. This "sends the wrong message," to quote an oft-repeated talking point.

Regardless of the bill's fate, medical morphine will remain legal.

[Peep the ads after the jump.]

(first one)

(second one)

Posted by Matt Snyders at April 30, 2008 2:38 PM | Comments (1)

 

Conservative St. Thomas law students back dean in Planned Parenthood flap

Filed under: Religion

Yesterday, we reported that Thomas Mengler, dean of St. Thomas' law school, barred students from volunteering at Planned Parenthood for school credit. His actions prompted 80 St. Thomas law students to sign an open letter to him decrying the decision.

In response, a rival faction of students is circulating a pro-dean letter through the school's Christian Legal Society. Among other things, these students encourage their classmates to support the dean "in order to demonstrate that, even though we might respectfully disagree with his decisions from time to time, we support him nonetheless, since he knows, better than anyone else, what is in UST Law’s best interests."

Read the full letter after the jump.

Dear Fellow Classmates at UST Law,

By now you are all probably aware of the controversy that has surrounded the recent decision of the Public Service Board (PSB) in approving service hours at Planned Parenthood and Dean Mengler’s decision to overturn this action of the PSB. It is not the purpose of this letter to rebut each of the arguments that the “Open Letter to Dean Mengler Regarding the Recent Public Service Board Decision” (“Open Letter”) sets forward. Dean Mengler has made his decision and that decision is final—it is not our place to fly to his defense.

Contrary to the premise of the “Open Letter,” the issue at stake is not our “due process rights,” the limits of the Dean’s authority, the autonomy of student organizations, or any past precedent that has been set by the University of St. Thomas. Indeed, this controversy is about more than counting service hours at Planned Parenthood—the real issue at stake here is this: What does the University of St. Thomas School of Law mean when it calls itself “a Catholic law school” —more pointedly, what does Catholic Identity mean for UST Law?

It is obvious that this is a very important question, and worthy of discussion. It is equally obvious that this is the wrong time to have that discussion, since we are all in the throes of our final exams and papers. We simply don’t have the time to hold a fair and extended dialog right now.

The purpose of this letter is to make it known to the entire law school community – students, faculty, and staff – that there are many students at the law school who have voiced concerned about the integrity of UST Law’s “Catholic identity.” We believe there are many more students who agree with the Dean’s decision, and we hope they will join their voices with ours.

Two weeks ago, Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States for the first time since his papacy began in 2005. During his time in Washington, D.C., he spoke to the presidents of Catholic colleges and universities in the United States. Our very own Father Dease was present at this event and highly recommends that we read the Pope’s address. Pope Benedict discussed the issue of Catholic Identity:

A university or school’s Catholic identity is not simply a question of the number of Catholic students. It is a question of conviction – do we really believe that only in the mystery of the Word made flesh does the mystery of man truly become clear (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22)? Are we ready to commit our entire self – intellect and will, mind and heart – to God? Do we accept the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible in our universities and schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally, through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for God’s creation? Only in this way do we really bear witness to the meaning of who we are and what we uphold.

The Pope raised a number of issues that are worth thinking about in this discussion of our identity as a Catholic law school. Unfortunately, the Open Letter (whether its authors realized it or not) is asking the student body to take a premature and uninformed stance about UST Law’s identity without taking into adequate consideration the viewpoints and interests held by students on all sides of this issue.

THEREFORE, we ask those who oppose Dean Mengler’s decision – both those who wrote the Open Letter and those who signed it – to wait with us to discuss these issues until after finals are over. There is simply not enough time to give this issue the attention that it deserves at the busiest time in the semester. We propose that it is best to wait until the beginning of next semester, when we will all have time (at least, more time) to have an open, honest, and informed dialogue—a forum where all of our interests can be voiced and defended.

If you wish to support the idea that we all wait until next semester to resolve this vital issue of UST Law’s Catholic Identity, then please send an email to [address removed] with the word “yes” at your earliest convenience. Please show your support for the Dean in order to demonstrate that, even though we might respectfully disagree with his decisions from time to time, we support him nonetheless, since he knows, better than anyone else, what is in UST Law’s best interests.

Best wishes and God bless with all of your final exams. Consider these last words, taken from Pope Benedict XVI’s address to Catholic Educators:

“Teachers and administrators, whether in universities or schools, have the duty and privilege to ensure that students receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. This requires that public witness to the way of Christ, as found in the Gospel and upheld by the Church's Magisterium, shapes all aspects of an institution’s life, both inside and outside the classroom. Divergence from this vision weakens Catholic identity and, far from advancing freedom, inevitably leads to confusion, whether moral, intellectual or spiritual.”

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[3 students]

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at April 30, 2008 10:58 AM | Comments (17)

 

Breakfast of Champions 4/30: Embarrassment of riches

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

When Nate Patrin heard Grand Theft Auto IV was coming out, he knew he'd spend every waking hour playing the hell out of it. Hence, the plan.

Nate would spend 24 hours getting every other game he'd wanted to play out of his system. He'd play 24 different games overnight, with no sleep at all. This would leave him free to play GTA free of regret. It would lead to bizarre experiences like playing Resident Evil at 2 a.m. and Professor Layton and the Curious Village at 3 a.m. All the while, he'd liveblog it.

Which he's in the process of right now at Joystick Division.

Part game review orgy, part psychedelic travelogue, the posts are jaw-droppingly entertaining. Nate's writing more words than anyone has a right to expect, and his reviews of each game are extensive -- though that might change as his brain melts into quivering Jell-o. The liveblog is broken down into three posts, one for each eight-hour period, and every post is updated constantly during the process. Don't miss the crazy videos for Audiosurf down at the bottom of part one. I watched the Stereolab one and feel like I stayed up all night. Trust me, read the first one all the way through.

Here's the preview, part one and part two, with part three to be posted soon.

I'm heading over to Nate's place with a video camera to document his crack at Rock Band in hour 20 or so. Hopefully, his fingers still work at that time. Whether they do or they don't, the video's ending up here.

(In between all the lunacy, Gary Hodges found time to post some GTA IV special edition photos.)

DAILY DISH: WHAT'S NEW AROUND THE SITE

Besides all that, we have a new issue (which showcases a fascinating local artist), a Web exclusive news story (which we're going to do more often) and the heroic return of a few members of the old guard.

To accompany the feature on Dosh, Jeff Severns Guntzel offers a Reporter's Notebook that is more like an online museum of Martin Dosh, complete with more than a dozen MP3 files -- some of which aren't available digitally anywhere else. Also videos, pedal porn or music gear aficionados, and a musical family tree that will leave you boggling. If this post doesn't
make you have a holy shit moment, you have no holy shit in you.

Unavailable in the print paper is Jonathan Kaminsky's reportage about the latest controversy at St. Thomas. Law school students are required to spend 50 hours volunteering, but Dean Thomas Mengler vetoed one student's choice to work at Planned Parenthood. In the coming weeks, we'll be doing more of these Web-only features on breaking news, local arts and more.

In other surprising news, country blogger Jack Sparks pops up to preview the Kentucky Derby and lambaste Paul Demko. Hillbilly One has opinions, let me tell you, about the Derby crowd as well.

Matt Snyders has a message for you. Please, please, do not smoke Salvia at the Roger Waters show. Presumably this applies to any Laser Pink Floyd experience as well.

Local photographers are hosting a fine art nudes show at the Minneapolis Photo Co-op. We have 12 preview images available.

Atmosphere's latest finds Slug and Ant undertaking musical explorations, and Peter S. Scholtes returns to tell you all about it.

At least there's no lawn to keep off.

Was sending Francisco Liriano to Rochester the right move? Judd Spicer says no.

A new flyer from All the Way Rider heralds their record release show Friday at the Triple Rock. Also, Prince covered Radiohead's "Creep" at Coachella? Even Thom Yorke hates that song.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at April 30, 2008 5:38 AM | Comments (0)

 

Salvia: The More You Know...

Filed under: Drugs

Ever since our story on the legal psychedelic Salvia divinorum went to print three weeks ago, my inbox has been inundated with emails asking where I bought the stuff, what situations to do it in, etc.

“I was wondering where I can get the Purple Sticky or maybe just buy what is left of yours,” reads the most recent one. “Roger Waters is in Dallas next week and I am flying home for the show, might just be the thing for the show… With gas the price it is I cannot afford to drive to every head shop around and some are not even on the net."

Instead of replying to these emails individually, I’ll just come out with it: 1) no, you cannot buy what's left of mine, and 2) I got it at Maharaja’s near downtown St. Paul. A little birdie tells me they hawk it at Hideaway in Dinkytown, as well. (Note: neither Hideaway nor Maharaja’s paid me to plug them. Not because I possess any journalistic integrity, but because they are cheap, cheap bastards.) So have at ‘er.

Which brings us to 3)...

Salvia is not “just the thing” for a Roger Waters show in Dallas. For one thing, no primate should ingest hallucinogens of any sort within a 30-mile radius of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Dallas is to bad vibes as Los Angeles is to superficiality. Refuse my warning, and you’ll find this out the hard way when the rotting corpse of John F. Kennedy explains it to you in lurid, existentially gut-wrenching detail.

Then there’s the activity itself to consider. Roger Waters shows, I assume, attract sizable crowds. And crowds are usually comprised almost entirely of strangers. Like pot or shrooms, Salvia can elicit nauseating social unease, even ferocious anxiety. But unlike pot or shrooms, Salvia does little to enhance external stimuli. It’s not worth doing in concert settings. There’s no trade-off to be made. You’re not going to swim in the music or ponder his giant pig balloon on a more visceral level. Rather, you will fall to the ground and clasp your temples, trying in vain to remember your name while stoners laugh at you.

Say it with me: Salvia is to be smoked in a quiet, private setting.

But what do I know? My experience with Salvia is rather limited. Sound off in the comments below about your own experience with Salvia (or whatever else). Ask advice. Provide advice. Just don’t smoke Salvia at a Roger Waters show in Dallas.

Safe travels.

Posted by Matt Snyders at April 29, 2008 6:02 PM | Comments (7)

 

Breakfast of Champions 4/29: That was the month that was

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

It was a dark day.

I was broke. Desperate to make bills so my roommates wouldn't kick me out of our shared house, I turned to my regular capital-generating strategy -- donating plasma. But Alpha Plasma Services turned me away because I'd already hit up the vampires earlier that week, and you're only allowed to donate once every seven days.

The day before I'd been kicked out of a newly-formed punk band because my pal Gabe had found Pink Floyd records in my collection. And that's not punk rock, now, is it?

No band? No money? Only one item of value in my possession? There was only one choice: I had to sell my Epiphone Jack Casady model bass. So this sad panda accepted a ride from his roomie Jackie (being too busted to own a car, but not too proud for charity) and headed downtown to the pawn shop.

Jackie parked. I hopped out of the car, eyes downcast -- and caught a glimpse of a bumper sticker on the Chrysler Cordoba next to us. It bore a venomous anti-abortion message. Next to the message, as if in endorsement, was the image of a smiling, waving two-year-old.

The precise wording of the sticker has long been lost to the dark backward and abysm of time, though the image of the happy moppet has long stuck with me. On one side, the anti-choice message; on the other side, an adorable grinning toddler.

Now, there's not much I hate more than the anti-abortion movement. If being raised the lone son of a single mom doesn't make a feminist out of you, well, I don't know what to tell you. So it should be unsurprising that my bass's case bore the following sticker:

The juxtaposition between our two adhesive placards was clear. The same size and shape, they nevertheless had opposite messages. But the fonts were similar. They might even be the same, now that I looked twice. If you were to replace one with the other, the only difference the casual observer would notice was the moppet's photo. And hey, the stickers were even the same color ...

Being a shy and retiring type with little aptitude for graphic design, I'm not given to random acts of art-sabotage. But for the second time that day, my course was clear.

The dimpled surface of the bass case made it easy to peel my sticker off. There was still well enough adhesive to affix it atop the other sticker, and the divide between the text side and photo side of their sticker made the permutation easy. The finished product looked seamless.

The resulting image was a happy two-year-old waving, seeming to shout: "AGAINST ABORTION? HAVE A VASECTOMY!"

On the vandalism scale of 1-10, where 1 is the Graffiti Research Lab and Dan Savage licking Gary Bauer's doorknobs clocks in at about 7, I'd say this was roughly a 3. But the tiny act of art-sabotage made it a lot easier to get through to my next plasma donation.

I liked to think of the driving around town for weeks, months maybe, drawing puzzled stares from strangers too polite to ask. Who is this toddler? They might be thinking. Why does this toddler want me to have invasive contraceptive surgery?

Not all stories need a moral. But if I had to pick one, it would be simply this: if you get a fake ID, they'll let you donate plasma twice a week.

DAILY DISH: WHAT'S NEW AROUND THE SITE

I tell you this tale in reference to Ben Palosaari's new post about graphic images used by an anti-choice group during an uninvited barnstorming tour of South Dakota. When your allies in political repression over womens' bodies want you turn it down a notch, you might want to switch to decaf.

For images that are more fun, try our April in Photos slideshow. And speaking of April and photos, it's April 29: why does my windshield look like this?

Turns out Roger Waters is a fan of Obama. Takes the sting out of getting kicked out of that band lo those years ago.

This pizza knife reminds me of a Star Trek medical instrument, or possibly a medeival torture device. But James Norton says it works like a charm (if a spendy charm), and he would know.

Heidi's is hot, quoth Conde Nast Traveler. Rachel Hutton has the details.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at April 29, 2008 7:43 AM | Comments (1)

 

Web Extras: Best Of the Twin Cities interactive map

Filed under: City Pages

Our biggest Best Of the Twin Cities issue yet is live online, and will be making its way around town in perfect-bound format all day.

But why wait to see where the hottest spots in Minneapolis and St. Paul are, when you can check out an interactive map?

You can view our Google Map of the Best Of the Twin Cities below.

View Larger Map

Every entry we could map, we did. For the other, non-geographically tied entries, you'll have to pick up the Dead Tree edition. We were afraid to Google Map the houses of every private citizen we lauded. Also, we didn't want to give C.J. even more to write about.

Also see: the photo slideshow and the top ten reasons we were late getting this issue online.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at April 29, 2008 5:54 AM | Comments (8)

 

Anti-Abortion Group, Planned Parenthood Agree: Leave Abortion Images at Home

Filed under: Health Care

In 2006, anti-abortion group Vote Yes For Life attempted to essentially ban abortion in South Dakota. They put the ban to the voters, who rejected the measure 55 percent to 44 percent. Vote Yes remained undeterred and has accrued enough signatures to return the issue to the voting booth again this year. And in a strange political and ideological marriage, Vote Yes and Planned Parenthood agree on one thing for this year's showdown: Activists should leave their dead baby pictures at home.

'Those images are offensive, that we can agree on for sure,' says Kathi DiNicola, director of media

relations for Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota. 'Those don't help start the real conversation about preventing unintended pregnancy and reducing the need for abortion.'

'In South Dakota, that doesn't work,' Leslee Unruh, executive director of Vote Yes argues. 'Certainly people have a right to do what they want. But as leader of this campaign, I'm asking people to not come to South Dakota with pictures of dead babies.'

Unruh says that last time around, graphic images of aborted fetuses that appeared on the sides of trucks and being flown behind airplanes offended and upset many South Dakotans, which she suspects might have turned the tide away from the anti-abortion movement. In 2006, she says Vote Yes conducted polls that showed people convincingly didn't want to be subjected to the photos, and that many people, even voters willing to vote for the ban, voted the other way out of rage. In addition to turning voters off, Unruh says that pictures of tiny aborted fetuses are harsh on post-abortive women like herself that support the abortion ban.

Leslee Unruh with Vote Yes for Life petitions and South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson.

'It's very difficult to have to look at those pictures for women who've had abortions,' Unruh says. 'I feel that they cause a lot of us to have serious backlashes. It brings us back to that experience. A lot of us have gotten to a point of healing, where we don't see the child that way. When I think of my aborted child, that's not what I want to think of.'

And although Unruh requested anti-abortion activist organizations not to blanket the state with grisly images, it happened anyway. 'I pleaded with them not to come, and they still came,' she says.

Troy Newman of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, which operates a fleet of ten 'truth trucks' plastered with images of dismembered and bloody aborted fetuses, says his rigs will probably not show up in South Dakota during the campaign. Operation Rescue was one of the groups Unruh was targeting with her request to leave graphic images out of South Dakota. Newman endorses Vote Yes on their Web site, and says this year the vote is more about uniting anti-abortion activists behind one cause, rather than trying to win voters' hearts with gore.

'I think the polls show that South Dakota already is pro-life. And they have a strategic vision for how to overturn Roe,' Newman says. 'I don't think the people of South Dakota need to be convinced to be pro-life. So I'm going to focus our resources elsewhere.' Newman also initially denied that his trucks were in South Dakota in 2006. 'Mine weren't, no. I'm not aware of that,' he says. But he later softened that response, ' I can't say that (they definitely weren't in South Dakota), I do not believe they were. We've got ten trucks, we traverse the country. I suppose it could be, but I don't see the relevance.'

'Not everybody is going to agree with every tactic, but as a movement, we agree on the ultimate goal. Obviously we believe that those trucks are incredibly powerful in changing a person's heart and mind. But again, in South Dakota, the polls are pretty clear that the overwhelming majority of people are pro-life,' Newman says.

DiNicola, of Planned Parenthood, says Vote Yes is playing with fire, and that by putting the near ban up to another vote, South Dakota might be too irresistible for anti-abortion supporters to not use upsetting images. 'By filing another initiative, when the people have already spoken, she's inviting them.'

Meanwhile, Unruh is holding her breath and hoping that demonstrators heed her request for a soft-sell approach as the campaign inches closer to the national media spotlight. She says that unlike in 2006 when Vote Yes had less funding, less experience and didn't know how to handle extremist demonstrators, this time they will be ready. 'There were some situations last time in which I asked some of them to leave,' she says. 'But I've come a long way since then. Hopefully this time, they'll know I mean business.'

Posted by Ben Palosaari at April 28, 2008 4:08 PM | Comments (5)

 

Breakfast of Champions 4/28: Dress you up

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

It's not that every day is Halloween for the Twin Cities Costumers' Guild. It's that every day might be a stroll through Victorian England, or a jaunt through futuristic spacescapes, or -- you name it.

The nascent group (they've been around about six months) includes 15-20 avid costumers from around the Twin Cities, and this weekend they held their first big event, a costumed dance, at the Oddfellows Hall in St. Paul.

See the slideshow with more photos by James Tran.

Tons more, including pictorial remembrance of Paul Demko, after the jump.

DAILY DISH: WHAT'S NEW AROUND THE SITE

Andrea Myers' latest includes reviews of weekend shows by Cloud Cult, Haley Bonar and the Afternoon Records gang, the Deaths and many more. The photo slideshow features all of the Afternoon Records bands.

Learn to make Jessica Armbruster's Thai green curry, complete with step-by-step photo instructions that for some reason include a bottle of tequila. As any good meal-production experience should.

Our own James Norton is giving a food writing seminar. I'm thinking of asking him for two dozen complimentary press tickets and scalping them at $100 a pop, so get 'em while they last, before I implement this nefarious plan.

Vikings blogger Eric Refsland returns with a full draft day recap.

Get well soon, Chris Ward's grandpa.

SPECIAL PAUL DEMKO PICTORIAL (INCLUDES NO ACTUAL PICTURES OF PAUL DEMKO)

As many of you know, Friday was Paul Demko's last day with us. If you've ever been a journalist, you know that we get tons of odd items shipped to us, and many wind up staying in our offices for years. I still have some dried fruit Michael Tortorello bought in 2004. I am serious.

Demko leaves behind a legacy of great stories, and some really weird shit. Exhibit A:

This is from Harper's Magazine and was affixed to the entry wall of Paul's office. True story: when I found out he was leaving, I laid claim to the item immediately. It's a statement by Bushwick Bill, formerly of the Geto Boys, announcing the change of his name to Dr. Wolfgang Vincent Gobin Bushwickin the Barbarian Mother Funky Stay High Dollar Billstir.

"I've had this for years," Demko reported as he offloaded this thing on me, "but this is the first time I've read what it says." Feast your eyes. I am bringing this into staff meetings from here on in to express which ideas I think are number one.

Word is, Demko actually wore this pink baby-doll tee as a gag once. I figure if he's okay being naked on the Internet, he won't mind me sharing this detail with you.

Finally, this has almost nothing to do with Paul Demko, except he made me promise that I'd include a picture of "that watch [I] won off of Colonel Sanders" in this morning's post. He did not, however, require that I tell the story. Which is a doozy. But it'll keep for another day.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at April 28, 2008 7:21 AM | Comments (0)

 

Breakfast of Champions 4/25: Weekly drinking

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

Today's Friday, and though it's early in the morning, I can already tell that I'm gonna need a drink later on. Thus, we launch a new "Drink of the Week" feature on the food blog. Every Friday we'll alert you to a new off-beat drink, a beverage deal that can't be beat, or whatever strikes our libation fancy.

I'm glad Paul Demko posted this promo of the White Iron Band's show, and not just because of the free MP3 of the band's new single. Mostly, it's because Demko's feature on the band from 5 years back is a great rock n' roll travelogue that I was planning on posting myself if he didn't.

Among modern philosophers, there's the late and lamented John Rawls, there's Jurgen Habermas, and ... there's Dude Weather. The latest encapsulates my sentiments perfectly.

Dan Israel is given a rave review by a respected music magazine.

Judd Spicer looks at Twins ticket sales.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at April 25, 2008 7:12 AM | Comments (0)

 

Breakfast of Champions 4/24: Housed

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

I do a lot of housing market posts. Some have called me an alarmist because I think this economy has yet to hit bottom.

If I'm the pessimist, though, Credit Suisse is the doom-and-gloom prophet. Not only does the company thing that it'll take another two years for the market to rebound, they think that before it's over, roughly 13 percent of borrowers will face foreclosure.

Think about that. One out of every eight. Depending on how big the blocks are where you live, that's about a home per block.

DAILY DISH: WHAT'S NEW AROUND THE SITE

Blowjobs? Fun. Lawsuits? Not fun. Potential lawsuits about blowjobs? ... makes brain hurt.

There's discussion in the comments about whether a smoking ban in bars increases the rate of drunk driving. An American Lung Association guy takes us on.

The thing is, he's absolutely right that that study is horseshit. Aside from pretty specious methodology, it doesn't point out that the public health benefits of the smoking ban certainly outweigh the consequences, even if their findings are the gospel truth. But he's absolutely wrong to suggest that editorial policy is influenced by advertising.

Checked out the Best Of the Twin Cities interactive map yet? No? What are you waiting for?

How often do you get a chance to read an interview with a dude named Dead Eye?

Paul Demko's Minnesota Thunder season preview offers all you wanted to know and more about the local soccer franchise.

It's raining now, and it might snow Friday, but Rachel Hutton anticipates better weather ahead and offers must-have foods and beverages for spring. James Norton's lunch at TropicWorld may give Lake Street locals other ideas.

Cool band flyer.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at April 24, 2008 7:09 AM | Comments (2)

 

U of Wisconsin study: Smoking ban = More DUI Deaths

Filed under: Drugs

A report on a connection between smoking bans and an increase in DUI deaths should give pause to Minnesotans.

The paper, "Drunk driving after the passage of smoking bans in bars," was written by Scott Adams and Chad Cotti of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and published in the Journal of Public Economics. The authors estimate that smoking bands increase the number of DUI deaths by about 13 percent. Summary (emphasis added):

Using geographic variation in local and state smoke-free bar laws in the US, we observe an increase in fatal accidents involving alcohol following bans on smoking in bars that is not observed in places without bans. Although an increased accident risk might seem surprising at first, two strands of literature on consumer behavior suggest potential explanations — smokers driving longer distances to a bordering jurisdiction that allows smoking in bars and smokers driving longer distances within their jurisdiction to bars that still allow smoking, perhaps through non-compliance or outdoor seating. We find evidence consistent with both explanations. The increased miles driven by drivers wishing to smoke and drink offsets any reduction in driving from smokers choosing to stay home following a ban, resulting in increased alcohol-related accidents. This result proves durable, as we subject it to an extensive battery of robustness checks.

Deaths from DUI in Minnesota reached their lowest level in 2006, with 175 people dying at the hands of of drunk drivers (see a chart of alcohol-related traffic fatalities going back to 1982 here). So if the research holds true, we could expect an additional 22 or 23 people to die as an unintended consequence of the smoking ban that went into effect October 1. Then again, some lives will undoubtedly be saved that would otherwise have been lost to diseases caused by secondhand smoke.

UPDATE: This is particularly troubling considering this report released today that found that the North has the worst rates of DUI already. Wisconsin has the highest incidence, and Minnesota checks in at No. 3.

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at April 23, 2008 12:00 PM | Comments (13)

 

Strib Shocker: Sex column spiked over blowjob description

Filed under: Media

What's the point of being a sex columnist if you can't even report proper fellatio techniques?

Sexpert Alexis McKinnis, author of “Alexis on the Sexes," seemed to be making that point exactly in her personal blog when she complained to her readers that her most recent column was "canned and replaced" by editors at Vita.mn due to her "apparent over-descriptiveness on how to give proper head to the man in your life."

I'm bitter, very bitter, about it right now, but my editor has my back on this one (as usual) and hopefully the informative column will see the light of day soon.

It's especially puzzling because the piece wasn't any more descriptive than my cunnilingus or anal sex tutorials. I've actually written about giving girl head more than once, but I guess someone had a problem with penises. I rather like them myself.

When the decision was made to yank the problematic penis column, that left a big gaping hole that needed to be filled. So the faux alt cobbled together online reader feedback from a recent column on "the Shocker." According to Wikipedia, the Shocker involves "inserting the index and middle fingers into the vagina and the little finger into the unwitting anus, hence the 'shock'…" Or, as one Vita.mn reader so delicately put it: "two in the pink, one in the stink."

Good thing we didn't have to read that offensive column about blowjobs!

Lucky for us, the nannies at the daily are hard at work removing the offensive language in the original column, which is set to debut Thursday. Vita.mn editor Simon Groebner tells us in an email that Alexis's column "was not killed or censored," but rather "it was held for revision." When pushed for further information about these so-called revisions, Groebner went frigid, writing:

I'm not gonna discuss my edit process. This is a non-issue. You can read it on Thursday at www.vita.mn; let me know what you think.

Next we reached Alexis herself, who had touched off the whole issue by blabbing on her blog. Apparently the ensuing days had quelled her outrage, because she sent us an email implying that somehow we were the ones in the tizzy. She asserted that it was all a tempest in a teacup, which was in stark contrast to the much more bombastic language she had used in the comments section of her own blog:

Well, by definition it was canned, censored and edited. And the quality was perfectly fine, unlike the replacement that ran, for which I am still receiving emails and text messages from friends to the effect of "what is this craptastic thing?" If they're saying what's on their mind, I shudder to imagine what the rest of my readers were thinking.

Posted by: Alexis | April 19, 2008 at 08:56 PM

We wish we could share with you her exact words from the email, but we can't, because Alexis threatened to sue us if we did.

It's ironic that a columnist from the Star Tribune--a newspaper that depends on freedom of speech and frequently advocates for more openness from public officials--would threaten legal action against us for reporting the news. It's a stark departure from Editor Nancy Barnes recent column, "How we respond to reader concerns," in which she promised that the local daily would be more open about how its decisions are made:

To help communicate what we are doing and why, top editors will share this column with me most weeks. We will also be available in a blog online, to post comments and hear your thoughts. You can find us at www.startribune.com/blogs/editors.

Some readers have told me that they no longer know where to call with corrections and concerns. We have staff members available to take your calls at 612-673-4414. If they cannot handle your concerns, they will find someone who will. In addition to these efforts, I have asked all top editors to be responsible for responding to reader concerns regarding their sections and any changes they are making. You'll find those names and numbers here.

We called the numbers and got the runaround. You'd have more luck trying to shake information out of MnDOT.

But what do you expect from a faux alt? It wants to be edgy, as long as it doesn't offend anybody. It wants to have a sex column, as long as it isn't too sexy. And it opposes censorship, unless it's doing the censoring, in which case it will threaten to sue you.

We haven't seen this much hypocrisy over a blowjob since the Republicans went after Bill Clinton!

We eagerly anticipate the expurgated column Thursday, but in the meantime, those who want to read a real sex columnist should check out Dan Savage.

Posted by Beth Walton at April 23, 2008 8:30 AM | Comments (14)

 

Breakfast of Champions 4/23: Please stand by

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

As you may notice, our annual Best Of issue isn't up yet. We're having some server problems that are delaying the upload -- a Rev. Horton Heat slideshow I made Monday morning is just now appearing -- and it's affecting the issue as well.

This is a purely technical difficulty. The issue content's ready to go, and I'm assured it'll be online by this morning.

You can choose to believe me. Or you can choose to believe one of these alternate explanations, which make me want to laugh instead of punch a kitten in the face.

THE TOP 10 REASONS OUR "BEST OF THE TWIN CITIES" CONTENT IS NOT ONLINE RIGHT NOW

10. A Salvia-bedazzled Matt Snyders tripped over the server, unplugging it; proceeded to dismantle the server so it could become "one with its Buddha nature"

9. The Internet has become bourgeois and outmoded. We choose to go old-school, using only wax and rollers to paste up the issue. Somehow this means it is not accessible from the World Wide Web

8. Turns out Hoffman is Amish

7. Pawlenty budget cuts affecting even the mighty Village Voice Media

6. Douglas Feith seemed down on his luck, in need of work; we asked him to install a web server. Turns out he's not any better at that

5. Demko on his way out decided to take up a new hobby -- walking into random offices, pulling wires at random. Hey, a red one!

4. Our tech people ate something that didn't agree with them, and now the tubes are clogged

3. It was a sophisticated denial-of-service attack from Ron Paul supporters

2. Tom Bartel forgot to pay our credit card bill

1. It's actually online RIGHT NOW, but only the pure of heart can see it.

I can see it. What the hell is wrong with you people?

DAILY DISH: WHAT'S NEW AROUND THE SITE

Elvis Costello's new album release this week provides Jeff Severns Guntzel an excuse to Unearth some 1981 Elvis material from these pages.

Andrea Myers breaks down national coverage received by local bands with new releases, including Tapes 'n Tapes, Cloud Cult, Atmosophere and more.

This Ron Paul CGI animation thread has rapidly become my second-favorite comment thread in my limited tenure at Citypages.com. It is funny on so many levels. I sincerely thank every person for being a part of it.

My favorite comment thread -- of the day at least -- is the pothole haiku thread. Although there's some consternation in the latest Tim Pawlenty VP-o-Meter post's comments as well.

Gary Hodges discusses the latest release from indie game manufacturer Atlus.

Judd Spicer asks: should the Twins' top farm team be closer to the cities?

Posted by Jeff Shaw at April 23, 2008 6:11 AM | Comments (0)

 

VP Pawlenty Meter: Using addition by subtraction, T-Paw comes out on top

Filed under: VP Pawlenty Watch

Will Governor Tim Pawlenty become our nation's next vice president? It's hard to keep track of all the many factors at play. Each week, the VP Pawlenty Meter (TM) provides an odds sheet to ensure you make your best bet.

In our last installment, we took note of claims that John McCain had settled on T-Paw as his VP more than a year ago. A report on the website of conservative mouthpiece Fox News over the weekend only adds fuel to that claim.

For one thing, McCain's advisers announced that he had doubled the number of competitive swing states. That makes a moderate Republican like Pawlenty all the more attractive, and indicates Minnesota could potentially be a battleground:

Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, a former governor of Pennsylvania, is high on his list of VP bets. So is Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Both states went Democratic in the 2004 presidential election, but not by much.

In fact, political oddsmaker Ron Faucheux puts Pawlenty's odds at 5 to 1, giving the same favorable chances to Condoleezza Rice, Mitt Romney, and Tom Ridge. But pollster Scott Rasmussen dismisses several of those potential rivals:

“The three names that McCain should absolutely not pick are (Mike) Huckabee, Romney and Condoleezza Rice,” he said.

Rasmussen has even set up a fake stock market that allows political junkies to bet on who they think will get the nod. So far, T-Paw is barely trailing Romney, who as previously mentioned, may not be a candidate McCain could live with:

From Rasmussen Markets (value reflects percentage chance)

Romney: 16.9%

Pawlenty: 16%

Rice: 7.9%

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison: 5.9%

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani: 5%

Huckabee: 5%

T-Paw attracts similar betting action on Intrade Prediction Markets (value reflects percentage chance):

Romney: 16.3%

Pawlenty: 15.6%

Rice: 8%

Huckabee: 7%

Hutchison: 5.9%

Tom Ridge appears on neither of those lists, meaning he may be a nag. Which leaves Pawlenty as the last candidate standing.

Meanwhile, McCain indicated Monday that he's going to pull the trigger sooner rather than later:

“Let me just say that I hope that we could arrive at that decision earlier rather than later, but it is a long process to go through.”

This again works in Pawlenty's favor, since he's a known, vetted commodity whose been on the shortlist for over a year.

In light of this, we're taking the unprecedented step of raising the VP Pawlenty Meter to Orange Alert:

Posted by Kevin Hoffman at April 22, 2008 1:37 PM | Comments (7)

 

Pothole of the day: Haiku version

Filed under: potholes

Perspective is everything. A little seasonal shift alters moods, sways perceptions, gently nudges the very reality around us.

This includes our friend the pothole. Because two images of a particular road crater just hours apart afford the viewer entirely divergent experiences -- and because there ought to be more poems about potholes -- I am moved to create verse.

In the first image, spring precipitation collects in this masterpiece of decay from 44th and Wentworth. The resultant reflection fuses nature (the water, the overlooking pine) with that most urban of creations, broken asphalt.

To capture the totality of its existential pothole-ness, we turn to the haiku form. The ancient Asian art celebrates human interactions with nature: mountain hikes, drinking fermented grapes, and now, looking at potholes.

The crack collects rain,
sheltering a tree's image.
In leaps Basho's frog.

I'm all deep and shit. No, wait, it's the pothole that's deep.

With a bit of afternoon heat, Kingfield's tiny lake evaporated. Absent the April showers that promise May flowers, the hole was a bit more stark.

From limpid pool to barren gash in 120 minutes or so. The latter image is less about human-environment interaction and more about a gaping trench in my neighborhood. Hence, the haiku looks more like this:

Hey, it's spring -- bump! Hiss!
Oh, son-of-a-goddamn bitch,
time to change that tire.

If the spirit moves you, leave your own haiku efforts in the comments.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at April 22, 2008 8:54 AM | Comments (4)

 

Breakfast of Champions 4/22: Simply the Best

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

Tons of effort by scads of people comes to fruition in the next 36 as our annual Best Of issue comes online and then makes its way in perfect-bound format throughout the cities. Don't miss it -- how could you -- and know that a few Web-only surprises will be popping up during the day.

Apropos of nothing: I may be the only person who saw this comic by Dan Piraro and thought: "wait, Rorschach never knew his father. I don't get it." But I will admit that this was my first reaction.

My second reaction: what's up with the stick of dynamite behind Mr. Rorschach the elder?

DAILY DISH: WHAT'S NEW AROUND THE SITE

Temple Restaurant is no more. Nevertheless, we'll always have memories of the naked sushi event and James Tran's photographs of same.

James Norton, using a new WaPo piece as a foil, poses an interesting question: where is your "third place," that place besides home and work that you feel most comfortable, even out in public?

Tom Sorel is your new transportation chief, and early reaction is encouraging.

Minneapolis schools pass new restrictions on military recruiters. Jeff Severns Guntzel speaks with the policy's architect.

Always wonder what that window in Power Girl's costume was for? It's apparently related to the new Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe game.

Just when you thought it couldn't get creepier than Ron Paul, we get a Ron Paul simalcrum. Which is actually preferable to the real thing.

Demko is writing about soccer again, the UEFA Champions League's final four. Steven Gerrard's been injured, but I still think this is an opportune time to link to this amazing video of Gerrard's top 10 goals from two years ago. Even if you aren't a football fan, this is pretty amazing.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at April 22, 2008 7:39 AM | Comments (3)

 

Military recruiters and Minneapolis schools

Filed under: Education

In 2006, in the midst of his successful run for a seat on the Minneapolis Board of Education, a concerned delegate pointed Chris Stewart to a little known provision in the No Child Left Behind Act that makes some federal funding to school districts contingent on access to military recruiters.

"I didn't know then what a reasonable response would be," Stewart says. "But I just knew there had to be something that addressed or challenged it in one way or another."

In recent weeks letters have been landing in the mailboxes of every principal in the Minneapolis School District notifying them of new restrictions on military recruiters--the result of a Stewart drafted resolution that passed unanimously in March.

The resolution restricts recruiters to career centers and requires them to give two weeks notice before making a visit. Seattle, Berkeley and Santa Cruz have passed their own resolutions. Some of those sought to ban the military altogether. Stewart says the Minneapolis restrictions are the "Minnesota nice version."

"It doesn't seek to ban or overly chastise the military," Stewart notes. After some complaints about recruiters cornering kids in hallways and cafeterias, Stewart says the resolution seeks to make sure they act within a "protected space."

"I don't want my kid being evangelized about militarism just because he walks through the hall or into a lunchroom--especially when we are teaching him something vastly different at home. If you are a person who is proud of your family's military service, it is perfectly acceptable for you to find the recruiters in the career center."

Craig Vana, an Associate Superintendent for Minneapolis schools says when he served as a Minneapolis principle, he would give access to "maybe 100 recruiters a year" with between 30 and 40 at a time at career fairs."

Vana says he can recall "very few recruiters behaving inappropriately or crossing lines" but acknowledges the importance of controlling access and "making it very clear what steps to follow to make the appropriate arrangements.

Students of the Minneapolis district, are you out there? What experiences have you had with recruiters?

Military families with kids in the Minneapolis schools: your thoughts?

Here is the full text of the resolution:

RESOLUTION ON RECRUITER ACCESS TO STUDENTS

WHEREAS, the U.S. Military expends approximately $1.4 billion annually (FY 2006) in recruiting efforts; and

WHEREAS, the military has access to student directory information unless the student’s parent has chosen to opt out as mandated by Section 9528 of the “No Child Left Behind Act” (NCLB) which access is provided by the District under threat of loss of federal funding for schools; and

WHEREAS, to continue its core mission of providing a free and effective education for local youth, Minneapolis Special District No. 1 cannot sustain itself without adequate federal funds; and

WHEREAS, questions about the extent of access by military recruiters to students during the school day on school premises can be addressed through the standards in the District’s visitors policy; and

WHEREAS, the Minneapolis School Board is charged with giving guidance as to policy implementation; and

WHEREAS, it is in the best interests of Minneapolis Public School students to receive information about all post-secondary options available to them; and

WHEREAS, it is in the best interests of Minneapolis Public Schools students to be exposed to a variety of viewpoints on controversial issues which may affect their education or welfare; and

WHEREAS, community based organizations may be valuable sources for information on military service;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: That the Minneapolis Special District No. 1 Board of Education directs the Superintendent and staff to allow access to high school students by organizations which provide information about all aspects of military service if approved as a community partner organization through the District approval process.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that military and other recruiters may interact with students only in school approved locations such as high school College & Career Centers.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, to establish a standard procedure for campus access, all recruiters requesting campus access shall submit a request in writing on official letterhead at least 2 weeks in advance and that notice of their presence will be available to students and the public at least 1 week in advance on either a school web site or designated location for such announcements in the school.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: When high schools permit military recruiters to speak with students regarding military career opportunities, the school must provide equal access for organizations that wish to counsel alternatives to, or provide additional information about, military service. If literature encouraging military service is displayed for students to read or pick up, groups counseling alternatives to military service may similarly display their literature.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That to assure privacy protection for students, entities receiving private student directory information will sign a statement identifying the specific use of the information and certifying that use of the information conforms with all city, state and federal laws regarding privacy and is non-discriminatory.

[Signed]
Lydia Lee
February 26th, 2008
Board of Education Chairperson

[Signed]
Sharon Henry-Blythe
February 26th, 2008
Board of Education Clerk

Posted by Jeff Severns Guntzel at April 21, 2008 3:34 PM | Comments (0)

 

Tom Sorel new transportation chief

Filed under: Politics

Tim Pawlenty today appointed Tom Sorel to head the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Sorel leaves his post as administrator of the Minnesota division of the Federal Highway Administration.

Pawlenty chose Sorel over Bob McFarlin, the acting commissioner, who'd been in the job since the state senate fired Lt. Governor Carol Molnau from the post in February. The appointment requires senate approval, but the vote doesn't have to be held until next year's legislative session.

Early returns from the state senate are encouraging. Sen. Steve Murphy, chair of the state senate's transportation committee, didn't immediately return a call. In a statement, he had this to say:

“I look forward to working with Mr. Sorel in his new capacity as Transportation Commissioner. He has a long and distinguished career in transportation, with a civil engineering background and 30 years of experience within the Federal Highway Administration. I’m optimistic that his technical expertise and leadership ability will continue to move MnDOT in a new, positive direction.”

Sen. Jim Carlson, the DFL vice chair of the transportation committee, said he was happy to see Sorel's training as an engineer. Looking over Sorel's resume, Carlson remarked that he's "more of a can-do leader. He's getting things done. That's what we need. We don’t need someone to throw an anchor out."

Carlson also had kind words for the outgoing McFarlin, who he said "changed the complexion" of the senate's dealings with the department.

If nothing else, the change may make the folks at the Star Tribune happy. McFarlin was a strong critic of the paper's hard-hitting coverage of MnDOT last year, accusing the paper of seeking to "perpetuate the myth" that MnDOT engaged in a pattern of hiding information from the public.

UPDATE:
Senator Murphy tells CP that "As long as your attitude is we're going to fix our roads and bridges, we can work with that." Unable to resist a dig at Molnau, he adds that she "did not have that attitude."

Posted by Jonathan Kaminsky at April 21, 2008 11:48 AM | Comments (0)

 

Breakfast of Champions 4/21: Bales of Cocaine

Filed under: Breakfast of Champions

Spring is here. I know, because I saw a couple making out in the park for about an hour yesterday evening. Blanket-free. Indeed, free of many articles of clothing. I surreptitiously snapped this bit of evidence: yep, those are sweatpants bottoms.

At least the lack of a blanket isn't necessarily going to mean grass stains. Ah, young love.

Speaking of clothing and love, Ra'mon Lawrence Coleman's Eluded Love show went off Saturday, and we have a slideshow full of images. For great justice, here's a one-minute video of the show's finale. A model leaves wearing less than she entered with (and no, it's not what you think, at least I hope not):

Much more from a busy weekend after the jump.

DAILY DISH: WHAT'S NEW AROUND THE SITE

Andrea Myers makes her debut on Over the Weekend, wrapping the past 72 hours in music. This includes capsule reviews of several concerts, including the Reverend Horton Heat show last night at First Avenue, where he played the song that gives this post its name.

Also don't miss our review of Kraftwerk's first MSP tour in decades and recap of the Plastic Constellations' last show. Coming later: images and text from the latest Current Fakebook series, featuring Chuck D and Slug.

The Chefs for Change fundraiser sounds like a good time for a good cause.

The Wild and the Timberwolves are forced to utter that mantra of the also-ran: just wait 'til next year.

Paul Demko has the latest on Lee Edwards, the Minneapolis cop who is under federal investigation.

Can House of the Dead be fun? Our Game On columnists go point, counterpoint.

Play Gran Turismo? Maybe you'll agree with Nate Patrin about these 5 cars that ought to be in the game.

From Friday afternoon, images of college students using molten metal to make art.

Posted by Jeff Shaw at April 21, 2008 8:25 AM | Comments (2)

 

MPD Lt. Lee Edwards ousted

Filed under: Police

WCCO's Caroline Lowe breaks the news today that Minneapolis police Lt. Lee Edwards has been relieved of duty pending a federal investigation. Veteran fellow officer Mike Roberts has also been removed from his post while the probe is conducted.

Edwards is a former homicide investigator and 4th precinct inspector. More significantly he is one of five black police officers currently suing the MPD and chief Tim Dolan in federal court on charges of racial discrimination. Edwards was demoted from his 4th precinct post last summer. In February he was cleared by an internal probe of allegations that he drove his squad car while drunk. Edwards is currently a finalist for the police chief post in Northfield.

No details have been released regarding the nature of the federal investigation, which Lowe reports has been going on since last year. MPD officers were notified of the personnel moves at roll calls last night.

This morning John Kassen and Andrew Muller, the attorneys representing Edwards, released a statement defending their client:

We believe that this current disciplinary action against Lt. Edwards fits a pattern of alleged retaliatory and discriminatory discipline by Dolan of officers, black and white, who speak up about the alleged racist practices of the Minneapolis Police Department. Such discipline has been used in other instances to intimidate officers such as Lt. Mike Keefe and Sgt. Charlie Adams; now it is happening to Lt. Lee Edwards.

This is the second time Dolan has come after Lt. Edwards. The first time, Lt. Edwards was disciplined for allegedly driving a police department vehicle under the influence of alcohol. That charge against Lt. Edwards was ultimately found to be bogus and Lt. Edwards was fully exonerated.

This current allegation against our client, Lt. Edwards will be found to be baseless. There is no connection between Lt. Edwards and Mike Roberts. The intent of the allegations against Lt. Edwards can only be to punish and intimidate those on the MPD who speak out against discrimination. It is our intention that this current disciplinary action against Lt. Edwards will become an integral part of the lawsuit that is pending in Federal Court against Chief Dolan and the City of Minneapolis. Ultimately, the City of Minneapolis and Mayor Rybak are going to have to account for the actions of the man they have placed in charge of our police department, Chief Dolan. Right now, Mayor Rybak seems content to let Chief Dolan run rough shod, and to let him do as he pleases, without concern for how it will impact the City and race relations within its departments.

The intent of the current investigation against Lt. Edwards is obvious. It is intended to harm Lee Edwards professionally and his family personally. When the allegations and investigation against Lt. Edwards are shown to have no merit, the City of Minneapolis and Mayor Rybak will called upon to explain why such unilaterally punitive acts are allowed to continue without proper political oversight.

Posted by Paul Demko at April 19, 2008 1:08 PM |