With the MOB

Some day I will do my duty as Wisconsin weblogging ambassador and make it to a MOB event. We Badger State webloggers are still trying to get our social act together. I hope Shawn (the other one) posts a report.

Superman, Where Are You?

Now that spring has arrived, can we in the St Cloud, Minnesota Metro area count on seeing Superman outside of Dairy Queen?

[Link courtesy of the Wayback Machine

All For One, One For All

The Brun Triplets of Minnesota are being awarded their Eagle Scout rank today.

Congratulations!

Minnesota Shootings

King is covering the shootings on a Minnesota Indian reservation. My prayers are with all the families affected.

"Depressingly Too Often"

That Whole "Pot/Kettle" Thing

Tom Rukavina is a member of the Minnesota State House of Representatives. Tommy hails from the northern climes of Minnesota (and, before you say I'm belittling him by calling him "Tommy", keep in mind, he goes by that name) and likes to rabble-rouse in Minnesota.

His latest tirade has been against Governor Tim Pawlenty and the fact that his official website can be reached with other URL's (www.Pawlenty2006.com for example. Oh, and that The Governor's site had photo's of him as a child. Please, don't let us citizens try to get to know our governor.

Today, an editorial in the Duluth News Tribune points out Representative Rukavina's hypocrisy.

The next time state Rep. Tom Rukavina makes a fuss over someone's supposed campaign impropriety, he might want to call home first.

Or for convenience's sake, the Iron Range DFLer could call his campaign committee's phone, which is the same number as his home phone in Virginia, as well as the local listing under "Minnesota State Government Offices, State Legislature, House Of Representatives, District 5A."

[...]

But back to Rukavina, who was so confident in his last campaign that he didn't bother with a Web site. He did file campaign papers, however, and listed the campaign phone number that doubles as his official district line.

Neat! Those added phone lines cost extra money. Rukavina does a great job spending the taxpayer's money; it's interesting to see that he is so tight-fisted with his own that he can't install another phone line to at least give the impression of the campaign donation phone calls being separate from the official business phone calls. The Governor's official site issn't soliciting donations for the campaign. So, what's the big deal?

Fire on Ice

If you happen to be in Duluth, MN beware of exploding Zambonis.

Leaking propane from a Zamboni ice resurfacing machine was blamed for an explosion and fire that destroyed Peterson Arena in the midst of a broomball game Sunday night, according to press release issued by Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson Monday.

Bergson said the city's fire marshal had determined the leaking gas reached an open flame on a gas-fired hot water heater, which triggered the explosion.

"Said explosion breached into the arena and rapidly spread into the upper level and across the ceiling," the release said.

Damage to the building and equipment inside was estimated at $850,000.

"Peterson Arena Damage $850,000"

Telling It Like It Is

A DFL (Democratic Farmer Labor) candidate for House is running against an incumbent DFL'er for Minnesota's 8th Congressional District Seat.

A political newcomer is trying to defeat one of the longest-sitting members of the U.S. House of Representatives to represent much of northern Minnesota.

Mike Johnson is a Gilbert pilot with a science background who has never run for elected office before. Johnson finds himself challenging incumbent James Oberstar in a DFL primary to represent the 8th Congressional District.

Johnson, 60, said his campaign will be geared toward "putting the farmer and laborer back into the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party." He proposes universal health care, living wage requirements and improved education.

Ho hum, pretty vanilla. First question: What amount of money will be considered enough to "improve education"? Someone get back to me on that one.

But here candidate Johnson expresses where he differs from Congressman Oberstar on the core DFL issues:

Johnson said he differs from Oberstar on guns, saying he identifies himself with the positions of the National Rifle Association as opposed to Oberstar's voting record in favor of gun control.

He also said he is pro-abortion rights, as opposed to Oberstar's consistent anti-abortion rights voting record.

I find it interesting that the St. Cloud Times article (by the way, the St Cloud Times has never heard of permalinks, so you have today to see this article) would go so far as to say that a candidate is pro-abortion, and the other anti-abortion, as opposed to the "pro-choice" and "pro-life" monikers.

St. Cloud is located in Stearns County, which is Minnesota's Catholic Hotbed(tm), loaded for bear with pro-life residents. Could this be a way to sway the primary voters? They aren't in Stearns County; Stearns is in the 6th Congressional District . The 8th Congressional District includes two counties, Morrison and Mille Lacs, that are in the SCT reading area, so I imagine that is why the paper covered this story, but I'm not as sure if those counties are as full of Catholic, pro-life voters that Stearns is.

Will There Be Justice?

Yesterday, I noted how Minnesota House Representative Phyllis Kahn (yeah, that's really her) was cited for stealing campaign literature, swapping it out for the candidate she supported.

Fraters Libertas and Mitch Berg did a much finer job of covering this story than I did. But, short of myself and King Banaian, I don't know what other Minnesotans read this blog.

Today it is reported that the Anoka County attorney will not bring any charges against her. Though she was cited and was acting in Hennepin County, the Hennepin County Attorney, Amy Klobuchar, opted to not get involved as she and Phyllis have worked together in the past.

The case was referred to the Hennepin County attorney's office, which declined the case on possible conflict-of-interest grounds and referred it to the Anoka County attorney. As a member of the Minneapolis legislative delegation, Kahn frequently works with Hennepin County officials. On Friday, Anoka County officials said the case was at most a misdemeanor theft, which the New Hope city attorney would have to review.

Hopefully the city of No New Hope will pursue some charges. However it pans out, Kahn's constituency will likely not care about this, which is rather sad.