More »

YouTube screengrab

Whittle (pictured) thinks Obama's true color is Soviet red.

Bill Whittle, the self-proclaimed "virtual president" of the Tea Party movement, was invited up to Bemidji by the Northern Minnesota Tea Party Patriots to give a speech Saturday.

SEE ALSO: Michele Bachmann: Contraception mandate step toward one-child policy [VIDEO]

If the roughly 100 attendees at a convention of the MNGOP's 7th Congressional District expected Whittle to provide sober criticism of the Democratic Party's platform, they were at the wrong speech. Instead, they were treated to rhetorical flourishes of this sort: "Their entire philosophy is going to burn to ashes in front of our eyes," Whittle, speaking of Democrats, said.

More »

Little Carlos was recovered shortly after an Amber Alert was pushed to Minnesota cell phones.

We've heard from many people who were surprised on Wednesday afternoon to unexpectedly receive an audio and text Amber Alert on their phones.

SEE ALSO: Missing Minneapolis girl was simply crashing at a different friend's house

Shortly after the Alert was pushed to Minnesota cell phones, 8-month-old Carlos Orozco was recovered safe and sound from a South Minneapolis residence. And according to a state press release, that happy occasion marked "the first time in the United States a cell phone alert led directly to the successful recovery of a child."

More »

Chelley's one-mom campaign compelled Gedney Foods to take action.

In December, Chelley Martinka, a 28-year-old Rhode Island mother of a baby girl named Adelaide who has dwarfism, was "shocked, appalled, and hurt" when she went grocery shopping and saw Cains "Kosher Dill Midgets" pickles on the shelf.

SEE ALSO: The new Green Giant looks like he just took a bong rip [IMAGE]

In a letter to Chaska-based Gedney Foods, the company that manufactures the pickles, Martinka wrote: "I know that as times change it is hard for a company to keep up. But for the equality of all children I hope you consider renaming this product for 2013."

More »

Screengrab from Newtown shooting TV coverage

Officials say the plan was prompted by Newtown.

Instead of arming teachers, the town of Jordan, Minnesota is moving police officers into schools.

SEE ALSO: Minnesota law already allows teachers to carry guns in classrooms

In the small Scott County town, city, police, and school officials have teamed up on a plan to rotate the office of the town's police chief, a, police detective, and an officer between the local elementary, middle school, high school, alternative school and a private school.

More »

Craig Keefe's private Facebook posts got him expelled from school.

Late last fall, Craig Keefe, a student at Brainerd's Central Lakes College, published a Facebook post using the term "stupid bitch" and another about there "not being enough whiskey for anger management."

SEE ALSO: Keith Ellison on freedom of speech: "It's a good and bad thing" [INTERVIEW]

A few weeks later, Keefe was called into a meeting with Central Lakes College officials and told he was being expelled from school. Keefe had been studying at Central Lakes for more than three years and was just months away from completing a program to become a registered nurse.

More »

Have a full sleeve? You won't work for the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department as long as Rich Stanek is around, apparently.

Under the leadership of Sheriff Rich Stanek, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office has adopted a no-visible-tattoos policy for new hires.

SEE ALSO: Antonio "Savage" Jenkins' tattoo of "pig get'n brains blew out" leads to criminal charge

No other Hennepin County department's have a tattoo policy, the Star Tribune reports. The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office asks employees to cover up tats but only explicitly bars face and neck tattoos.

More »

No doubt, rifles are potentially more deadly than fists, but potential doesn't necessarily match reality.

When President Obama spoke in North Minneapolis earlier this month, he characterized his proposed semi-automatic rifle ban as "one thing we can do" to reduce gun violence and thereby save lives. But the numbers suggest a ban of that sort might have minimal impact.

SEE ALSO: Would guns in the audience prevented the Aurora shooting?

That's because in 2011 -- the last year for which numbers are available -- only three Minnesotans were murdered with a rifle of any type. By comparison, four died in fist fights. Twelve were killed by knives and 51 by handguns.

More »

Desperate times call for desperate measures, we suppose.

Paper, rock, scissors, AR-15?

An "Active Shooter Training Video" put together by Homeland Security suggests that in a desperate situation, you might consider trying to take out a gunman with a pair of scissors.

SEE ALSO: Owner of Trail's End gun shop in Fridley reports "feeding frenzy" for military-style weapons

"If you are caught out in the open and cannot conceal yourself or take cover, you might consider trying to overpower the shooter with whatever means are available," the narrator says as the camera cuts to a scissors-clutching hand.

More »

Liebling wants to keep children away from smoking foster parents.

Last week, we told you about how smoking is slowly becoming illegal in Minnesota.

SEE ALSO: Chuck Grassley, Iowa Senator, compares smoking pot to murder, rape, and child abuse

A new bill introduced today by Rep. Tina Liebling, D-Rochester,  takes another major step toward that end.

More »