News Cut

News Cut: March 4, 2011 Archive

Protesters leave state capitol (5X8 -- 3/4/11)

Posted at 7:06 AM on March 4, 2011 by Michael Olson (3 Comments)
Filed under: Five by 8

1) THE PROTESTERS HAVE LEFT THE BUILDING
Wisconsin protesters have left the state capitol after dwelling in the building for 17 days. A judge ordered the protesters to evacuate; they complied with cheers of victory and left without incident. However, after the protesters left, Democratic state Rep. Nick Milroy was tackled by police as he tried to gain access to the capitol. Rep. Milroy was allowed access to his office once police realized he wasn't a protester.


2) WALKER THREATENS TO CAN 1,500 PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

Protesters have left the Wisconsin Capitol, but it doesn't mean that the stalemate in the Badger State is coming to a close. Gov. Scott Walker (R ) is threatening to begin layoffs of public employees if his bill to diminish collective bargaining remains at an impasse.


3) HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER COLLAPSES, DIES AFTER MAKING WINNING SHOT
A sad item picked up by the Strib this morning:

A western Michigan high school basketball player collapsed on the court and later died after making the game-winning shot to cap his team's perfect season.
Holland Hospital spokeswoman Deb Patterson says 16-yer-old Fennville High School basketball player Wes Leonard died Thursday night. A cause of death has not yet been determined.

4) THE SOUNDS OF RED WING
A beautiful item from MN Today about a violin maker in Red Wing.
20110228_red_wing_violin_maker_33.JPG


5) NEWS FROM THE NOT EXTINCT

Yesterday 5X8 carried an item that the eastern cougar was determined to be extinct. Amateur wildlife observers continue to doubt the declaration by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. Although extremely rare, species can be removed from the extinct list. There is a candidate for that distinction swimming in Lake Michigan right now. A species of fish once thought to be extinct in the Great Lakes has reemerged. Straight from the front pages of the Leelanau Enterprise:

The strain of lake herring once thought to be extinct is part of the salmonoid cisco family of fishes native to the Great Lakes. Claramunt said that the species had been declared extinct in the 1960's. In the 1990's, however, anecdotal evidence began to emerge that some of the fish might be frequenting Grand Traverse Bay in the waters off Leelanau County.

TODAY'S QUESTION
With oil prices rising and the Middle East in turmoil, the Interior Department has approved the first deepwater drilling permit in the Gulf of Mexico since last year's BP disaster. Today's Question: How aggressive should the United States be in developing its own sources of oil?

(3 Comments)

You'll have to help me; I'm new at this

Posted at 12:00 PM on March 4, 2011 by Nate Minor
Filed under: Floods 2011

red-river-valley.jpgThe start of the Red River Valley as viewed from Minnesota Highway 210 just east of Fergus Falls, Minn.

After interning at MPR's headquarters in St. Paul in college, I took a job at the company's Moorhead bureau last summer. Before I drove to Fargo-Moorhead for the interview, the farthest up Interstate 94 I had been was Fergus Falls, where hills and lakes are still common. I'm originally from the Duluth area, so my mental picture of the Red River Valley area consisted of the Coen brothers movie, farms as far as the eye can see, and, of course, what seems like yearly floods.

In the last nine months, I've seen a lot to support those preconceptions, and a lot to knock them down. Now, as stores in the mall start pushing out spring styles and Fleet Farm puts ice fishing gear on clearance, the area's collective attention is reluctantly turning to the Red River.

The latest flood forecast from the National Weather Service says there's a 1-in-3 chance the Red River will reach record levels this spring in Fargo-Moorhead. The local paper, The Forum, is running 2-3 flood stories per day and just launched a "Guess the Crest" feature. I've recently picked up some big rubber boots and have plans to volunteer at Moorhead's Sandbag Factory. (See video below. It's quite the operation.)

So what else should a flatland newbie know about flood season?

Spring trim at 'The Deeps' could cut into summer fun, improve safety

Posted at 12:15 PM on March 4, 2011 by Michael Olson
Filed under: News

Duluth city workers aren't making friends with thrill-seekers that enjoy the adrenaline rush of cliff jumping near the turbid waters of Amity Creek. The Duluth News Tribune reports that workers pruned a cedar tree that sits atop the popular cliff jump known as 'The Deeps' to locals. Apparently a couple of kids were sent to the hospital after climbing the tree to add height to the already significant cliff jump.

Here's a compilation of kids jumping at 'The Deeps,' most of the footage appears shot near the pruned tree.

"First Responders," huh? Likely story.

Posted at 1:00 PM on March 4, 2011 by Eric Ringham

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that a fire crew on an emergency call was prevented from entering the Wisconsin State Capitol this week. It turned out that the emergency concerned a person stuck in an elevator, but for all the frustrated firefighters knew, someone was having a heart attack.

Now, to be fair, there had been firefighters among the crowd in the Capitol before the demonstrators were moved out of the building. These particular ones, though, showed up in a fire truck. They wound up driving their rig around to the other side of the building to get in.

The Journal Sentinel did not specify whether the police at the door challenged the team with the customary, "Where's the fire, Bub?"

Best commencement speech ever?

Posted at 3:36 PM on March 4, 2011 by Jon Gordon (2 Comments)
Filed under: Tech

New Yorker Magazine reporter Ken Auletta spoke at St. Thomas University in St. Paul last night as part of MPR's Broadcast Journalist Series. Auletta covers technology and media, and is author of the recent book Googled: The End of the World As We Know It.

Auletta shared some good anecdotes about the tech figures he covers, including one about Google co-founder Sergei Brin. Auletta said Brin has arrived at all interviews on roller blades. The scribe also talked about Steve Jobs, saying the force behind Apple never talks about himself -- he's all business. Auletta mentioned one exception, however: Jobs' commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005. Auletta said it was one of the best speeches he ever heard. Here it is:

Auletta's interview with MPR's Kerri Miller will air Wednesday on Midmorning.

(2 Comments)
March 2011
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