Erik Paulsen just can't seem to keep himself out of trouble these days. Only recently was his party accused of darkening the skin color of his opponent, and now Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) is claiming Paulsen pirated its footage to advance his campaign.
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If you aren't a fan of drunken buffoons in the a.m., avoid the University of Minnesota campus at all costs. It's Homecoming weekend on campus and tomorrow is the really lame parade.
But it won't be Goldy Gopher getting the crowd riled up. Leave it to the U of M to welcome a grade school Disney mascot for the drunken stumblers. Here comes Mickey Mouse!
A University of Minnesota researcher has found a way to make dairy cows more comfortable. Marcia Endres, an associate professor of animal science at the University of Minnesota, says that cows whose stalls have more than nine inches of bedding--sand, sawdust, or other organic materials--tend to be more content than cows that rest on more shallow bedding. “A comfortable cow is a cash cow,” says Endres, adding that happy cows produce up to two gallons more milk per day.
For those of you who read up on some Reusse this week (no, not the see-saw Kevin Love pieces), perhaps you caught the Gopher football article in which he adroitly points out that being named a Homecoming opponent is akin to hearing the host club saying something about your mother. Or, in the case of Minnesota/Northwestern, your great-great-great grandmother.
Looks like former CEO and local millionaire Tom Petters will have to get a little more comfortable in jail. He's not going anywhere any time soon.
Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis ruled in his hearing today that he will stay in jail while he waits for a trial, according to the Star Tribune. Too bad, so sad.
We're watching bullies on the playground once again.
Al Franken's Senate campaign released a statement today asking Sen. Norm Coleman to answer questions about the lawsuit that alleges he received $75,000 from a good friend through his wife's employer. The campaign did not address Coleman's statement that tried to connect Franken and Democrats to the lawsuit.
Coleman denies all of the allegations associated with him in the lawsuit and called it a last-ditch political smear.
Trying to procrastinate and catch up on some election fun? Here are some campaign videos to suck some of your internet bandwidth.
Miss the former President Bill Clinton rally last night? Or maybe you didn't want to be caught dead there. The Uptake has a video on their site of his rally:
Laurie Coleman, wife of Sen. Norm Coleman, works at Hays Companies. Although they are not a party in the lawsuit relating to money funneled to the Coleman family, they released a statement today calling it "libelous and defamatory".
Minnesota has never had this much attention. The backlash? We can't seem to escape the terribly dirty campaign ads. These politicians are going to go down kicking.
Political parties think they can just buy our love... Unfortunately it might be true.
Minnesota is the top state for Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee spending during the final week, according to Roll Call.
At least this time Coleman isn't completely avoiding reporters on important issues. Well, sort of. Sen. Norm Coleman spoke to reporters on Friday in Moorhead about the lawsuit against Coleman's buddy, Nasser Kazeminy.
The suit alleges Kazeminy had his employees funnel $75,000 to Coleman through his wife's workplace. Coleman said the suit is "false and defamatory."
Can we just say that the polls keep showing a toss up and stop polling? Please?
Two more polls show a tight race for U.S. Senate. We are pretty sure there is poll overload going on this year. What happens if all of the polls are wrong?
Our favorite millionaire has a hearing this morning in hopes of escaping jail while the prosecution builds the amazingly huge case against him. Tom Petters, former CEO of Petters Group Worldwide with holdings in Sun Country Airlines, Polaroid and other companies is accused of a more than $3 billion Ponzi scheme against investors.
Catch up on the drama in our Tom Petters Blotter archive. His buddy Larry Reynolds was released on bond yesterday.
There's nothing spookier than politics on Halloween. We found this particularly clever display in the Ericsson neighborhood. Check out the sign up close after the jump.
Friday's five most fascinating stories printed on wood pulp:
Burglar karma
This doesn't even need an explanation: "A St. Paul man tied up an acquaintance and recruited a friend's children to help him beat the man with a belt and table legs before he tried to sexually assault him -- all to retaliate for the burglary of the friend's home, according to charges filed this week in Ramsey County District Court." Happy Halloween!
Suitgate is back! Yesterday Sen. Norm Coleman used his own frivolous lawsuit against Al Franken as his weapon of mass distraction. What goes around comes around!
A lawsuit that has been swirling in the blogosphere has finally made the news. A Texas man is suing a wealthy supporter of Coleman claiming he was forced to make $75,000 in secret payments to Coleman through the senator's wife, Laurie, according to a complaint filed in Harris County, Texas, district court. The lawsuit was supposedly pulled, but was reinstated yesterday.
Coleman vehemently denies the allegations.
The state's congressional races are taking an ugly turn. First, the GOP was accused of darkening the skin color of their opponent in the Third District. Now, just in time for Halloween, they are turning their female adversaries into monsters in the fourth.
Minn Indy's Paul Schmelzer reports:
The GOP has been accused of fear-mongering this campaign cycle, but Republican candidate Ed Matthews has taken it to a new, overt level: he’s borrowed the horror-film genre to strike fear into voters of the Fourth Congressional District. In a mailer posted at Minnesota Democrats Exposed, Matthews’ team has photoshopped Democratic incumbent Betty McCollum to look like Leatherface from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
See the flyer after the jump.
Golfers get ready, the seventh hole of Applewood Hills Golf Course in Stillwater is worth $239,000. The Pioneer Press reports:
In a market heavy with foreclosure, Dan Brasch and Jenna Fletcher have a different idea about what might follow closure: "Fore!"Brasch and Fletcher have come up with a unique way to market their Stillwater house. If someone buys the house and makes a hole in one at a local golf course, the mortgage will be paid off.
Here's the kicker, you have to close on the home first.
In recessions the casualties pile up fast and span pretty much every facet of society. The Ford plant shutting down for December or a Target shareholder attempting to boost the company's stock value by selling the land under the stores, the economy is hitting everybody. The Traces Center for History and Culture is no different. The museum located in downtown St. Paul's Landmark Center is closing Nov. 9. Their traveling WWII "bus-seum" will continue to visit schools and libraries. Full press release below.
In Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign announcement this morning of a lawsuit against his opponent Al Franken for false accusations in his TV and radio ads, his spokesman cited Franken's use of a Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington report of the most corrupt members of Congress.
Melanie Sloan, the group's executive director, spoke to City Pages to clarify their report and respond to Coleman's claims.
After Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign announcement this morning of a lawsuit against his opponent Al Franken for false accusations in his TV and radio ads, the local media is reporting on the incident. Their reports ad some more depth to the story and quotes from the press conference.
Check out our first report for a recap on the story.
Things keep getting worse for the Coleman campaign.
Just days before Election Day comes a pesky lawsuit filed in Texas that alleges Coleman's wife, Laurie, received $75,000 courtesy of "suitgate" chum Nasser Kazeminy. It surfaced Tuesday and was withdrawn yesterday. Still, not exactly the preferred topic of discussion on the stump for an incumbent marred by charges of quasi-cronyism.
Larry Reynolds, a 67-year-old Petters associate who pled guilty to helping Tom Petters in his alleged $3 billion Ponzi scheme, will be released on $2.5 million bond later today, according to the Star Tribune.
Let's hope this man doesn't have friends in really high places. We wouldn't be surprised if Reynolds disappeared into thin air without his passport.
Image by Dan Corrigan for City Pages
Al Franken's campaign for Senate responded to Norm Coleman's campaign announcement this morning that they will be submitting a lawsuit against him later today.
A second poll released this week shows Sen. Norm Coleman ahead of Al Franken in the race for Senate. Could Coleman actually be gaining ground with his positive campaign?
The poll, conducted by Mason-Dixon October 27-28:
Coleman 42%
Franken 36%
Dean Barkley 12%
Undecident 10%
The poll, which has a margin of error of +/- 4%, also showed Barack Obama leading McCain in Minnesota 48% to 40%.
Could Coleman's lawsuit against Franken be a game changer? Or is just inside baseball that regular voters could care less about?
The Star Tribune is one of the latest news organizations to receive a suspicious package labeled as Anthrax. None of the other letters have tested positive for the substance.
In a press conference this morning, Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign said they are suing their opponent Al Franken for false attacks against him. They will submit the lawsuit to the Bureau of Administrative Hearings later today.
The campaign claims Franken violated the law in recent TV and radio ads by knowingly running false attacks against a political candidate running for office. The campaign says they will take appropriate civil and criminal sanctions against Franken.
UPDATE (12:55 p.m.) Franken's campaign responds.
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We all know Rep. Michele Bachmann is a magical being, but no one told us she had the power to lower gas prices in just a couple months! Wow, what a feat. Can she make our home values rise and provide more jobs? That would be awesome.
In her latest claim to fame, Bachmann is taking credit for the drop in gas prices. Video and her blog post below.
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie has asked prosecutors to investigate a call to a St. Paul man that he calls alleged voter intimidation. The caller said he was working on behalf of Minnesota Majority, a right-wing group previously run by former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer.
Watch the video of his news conference below.
We won't miss reporting poll numbers...
In the latest Rasmussen poll, John McCain gained two points, but Barack Obama still holds a solid 12-point lead.
Obama 55%
McCain 43%
Other 1%
Undecided 1%
Last week's poll showed Obama with a 15-pount lead with Obama ahead 56% to 41%. Obama has always been ahead, but McCain brought it to a 4-point spread in August.
Thursday's five most fascinating stories printed on wood pulp:
MIA returns artwork stolen by Nazis
After 10 years or research, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts said a painting they owned for decades was stolen by the Nazis. The $2.8 million painting for 1911 was returned to the French heirs of a Jewish art collector who died in 60 years ago.
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