None of the hand-wringing about the effects of a government shutdown at midnight or the potential default on the government’s obligations later this month have swayed any politicians in Washington. But you have to give the National Zoo credit for a little bit of pluck for trying to make this the face of the shutdown. Read more →
The Minnesota Twins are reportedly taking a step toward assuring there’ll be no more of the same old losing at Target Field today by continuing more of the same in the manager’s office. Ken Rosenthal, one of Fox’s baseball reporters says Gardenhire will be rewarded with a two-year contract. Sources tell me and @jonmorosi that Read more →
The state’s assisted suicide law will apparently live intact for at least another week. The Minnesota Court of Appeals issued no decisions today at its regularly scheduled time. The Associated Press had earlier reported that a test of the state’s law was expected today. Update 11:23 a.m. The Court of Appeals issued an unpublished opinion. Read more →
The latest on the shutdown.
If you were losing your sight, what would you want to see before it’s gone forever? The mind of the steel-trap people. The charm of the farm. What inner-city kids can teach you about Facebook. Read more →
Thanks to Martin Luther College, there’ll be no production of the play “Inherit the Wind” by the New Ulm Actors Community Theatre.
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Paying for progress with a loss of beauty. Read more →
I’d love to put my arm around the people of International Falls and tell them everything is going to be alright after the big layoff at the paper mill there. History tells a different story, though. Jennifer Vogel’s story about the impact of the plant’s sale and layoffs is like a walk back in time. Read more →
The plot against pensions, the bad message being sent by good news, what’s walking out of NPR, a really short love story, and taking Mariano Rivera out of the ballgame. Read more →
Republican legislators in Wisconsin have introduced a bill protecting race-based nicknames in the state’s school districts.
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A lot of runners in these parts and elsewhere spend a lot of time trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. They may not like the story of Meredith Fitzmaurice who accidentally qualified while running a half marathon in Amherstburg, Ontario. She’s never run more than 20 miles before and was training for the Detroit Read more →
Jeff Tollefson updates his effort to provide opportunities for low-income young people. Read more →
A football coach takes a stand on his players’ behavior. Read more →
Abortion issue splits same-sex marriage coalition, calculating health care, darker days for the arts, pushing back against ‘teaching to the test’, and why we don’t fear autumn. Read more →
The decision by Minnesota officials to pay for a football stadium for one of the richest men in America certainly has sparked emotional debate over the years, especially in an era of declining economic conditions. It is, some say, a statement of Minnesota values. Others insist it’s a legitimate economic stimulant. Both points have their Read more →
The FBI this afternoon has released a video of Aaron Alexis, the man who staged the massacre at the Washington Navy Yard earlier this month in which 12 people were shot to death. It also released this timeline: 7:53 a.m. – Alexis’ rental car, a blue Toyota Prius with New York plates, entered Parking Garage Read more →
Bob Collins