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Rice quits Christ's followers

​Updated: "You'd like the UCC, Anne Rice" launches on Facebook. Details after the jump.

Anne Rice, arguably the modern-day mother of America's obsession with all things vampire, made big news a decade ago when she converted to Christianity. Now she's given up on the church in part, she says because of the venal rants of an anti-gay Minnesota preacher. She declared, "I quit," after reading a story about You Can Run But You Cannot Hide founder Bradlee Dean.

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Terminal Velocity is closed after its safety net failed

​When it works as advertised, the Extreme World Terminal Velocity ride at Wisconsin Dells hauls you into the sky aboard a special cage. Then you do a free-fall drop into in a big net and get lowered to the ground. But it didn't work that way yesterday for a 12-year-old girl.

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Jared Allen's already got an iPhone app. Now he's featured on SCVNGR

​The news out of opening weekend at Vikings training camp in Mankato isn't Brett Favre's absence -- his presence would have stopped the presses, of course. But no, what's really cool is a social game for iPhones and Droids called "Jared's Journey."

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Is Tom Emmer soft on drunken drivers?

​Tom Emmer's 1981 and 1991 arrests for drunk driving have been back in the spotlight this week after a liberal coalition released an ad this week. The Alliance for a Better Minnesota, which made the advertisement, defended the foray into the GOP gubernatorial candidate's private life by linking it to a bill he sponsored 18 years later as a legislator.

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A tough week for the un-tenured at St. Cloud State

​It's been a rough past week for a couple dozen faculty members at St. Cloud State University. In order to balance a stiff budget and meet union deadlines, the college sent out 26 layoff notices on the same day late last week to some unfortunate non-tenured staffers.

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PolitiFact challenges T-Paw

​Yesterday we drew attention to a column by Ruth Marcus in the Washington Post, quoting Tim Pawlenty at a meeting with Beltway journalists: "I don't think the argument can be credibly made that the United States of America is undertaxed compared to our competitors." Oh? PolitiFact took Pawlenty up on that challenge, and insisted that his pants were on fire.

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Kyle Ray Ostrander went on a one-man crime spree

​So Kyle Ray Ostrander makes bail on burglary charges Wednesday and immediately loses his mind: He steals a car and gas, breaks into two homes, makes off with cash, a stereo, ATV and a pit bull named Grace. But that was before Winona County Sheriff Dave Brand picked up the Bat Signal.

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Grandma Randi Reitan doesn't like anti-gay stores

​Whoever at Target thought it would be a good idea to pitch in $150,000 to support gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer must be kicking themselves right now. The company formerly known for supporting gay employees is getting an avalanche of bad reviews since contributing to Emmer's quest. The latest comes from Randi Reitan, an Eden Prairie grandma and mother of a gay son, whose video protesting the company has gone viral on YouTube.

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For Sale: Cybercommunity

​Secrets of the City, the distilled online version of what was once The Rake, appears to have run its course. Matt Bartel, its founder, posted a note yesterday saying that the online community site's editor, Christina Cordova, and publisher, Kristin Henning, are both moving away from the U.S., "So we're looking for someone to step up."

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Spike Moss, at right, walked out of the Project CeaseFire meeting.

​North Minneapolis activist Spike Moss leveled accusations of racism at Mayor R.T. Rybak's office yesterday, furious at what he called the mayor's disrespect for local volunteers working day and night trying to curb the rising violence across the city. At issue: Project CeaseFire. At stake: a $2.2 million U.S. Department of Justice grant.

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