Thoughts on great love songs for Valentine’s Day, love’s holiday

By |

I do know that the treatment, Minneapolis-born vocalist José James gave the song, “Tenderly” when he performed on this birthday, January 20, at the Dakota was stellar. It was perfect for his vocal range and revealed a level of maturity beyond his 37 years. That song, among others by the great Billie Holiday, or made popular by her, appear on his new Blue Note Records album, Yesterday I Had the Blues: The Music of Billie Holiday, which drops in March. On Valentine’s Day, James will be in Japan, where the album has already been released and is making waves.Holiday, also known as “Lady Day,” would have celebrated her 100th birthday this year. Her music has made a great impact on a wide spectrum of artists, and continues to resonate with people from all walks of life. Continue Reading

Fond du Lac Band working toward restoration of elk in northeastern Minnesota

By |

DULUTH — The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa wants to bring wild elk back to northeastern Minnesota, but the plan could face some rough patches. Elk tend to get into trouble with their human neighbors.The big browsers once roamed not only Minnesota but most of the continental United States. Testament to their presence in the state comes in geographic names: The state sports one Elk River, several Elk Lakes, and at least one White Elk Lake. They were killed off by white settlers, retreating to strongholds in the Rocky Mountains by the late 1800s.Advocates say bringing the native animals back will increase diversity, encourage wildlife tourism, provide hunting opportunities, and restore the ecosystem more closely to what it was before the massive disruptions of white settlement. But elk will face some challenges fitting into Minnesota’s modern landscape.“Human acceptance will be the biggest challenge,” said Bill Berg, a retired Department of Natural Resources (DNR) wildlife research biologist. Northwestern herdsCourtesy of Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior ChippewaElk once roamed not only Minnesota but most of the continental United States.Berg served for years in northwestern Minnesota, so he’s dealt with elk-human conflicts. Continue Reading

Legislation would ensure workers are paid what they earn

By |

ST. PAULWorkers can see their wages stolen in many ways: Not receiving the minimum wage or compensation for overtime. Not receiving their final paycheck after leaving a job. Not being paid at all.Home care worker Robin Pikala was owed nearly $2,000 when her employer, Crystal Care Home Health Services, shut down last year. Retail cleaner Maria Briones was victimized twice by unscrupulous employers – to the tune of $7,000. Continue Reading

Putting pizzazz in public policy

By |

Brandon Boat and Tane Danger are taking the script out of politics.The duo leads the Theater of Public Policy, an improv group that combines skits and interviews with local leaders and politicians, combining serious issues with comedy.“What we try to focus on is using humor to pick apart an issue or a conversation that you wouldn’t have been able to do if you were just having a regular conversation,” said Danger, a University of Minnesota public affairs student. “It’s definitely not parodying or lampooning a particular issue or guest.”Before the group’s spring season kicks off later this month at Bryant Lake Bowl Theater, they gave a free show on campus Wednesday night at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.Wednesday’s show, which included two state House representatives, discussed Minnesota politics including the urban-rural divide, police body cameras and the University tuition freeze.The company’s shows consist of four parts. A host interviews the guest for about 15 minutes. Next, troupe members act out skits based on the information given in the interview. The event continues with questions from the audience about the topic, followed by another round of improv.Often, the skits illustrate implications of the discussed policy or its surrounding conflict. Continue Reading

Police body cams raise privacy fears

By |

Minnesota faces complicated questions about how to handle video from police body cameras, the House Civil Law and Data Practices Committee heard at an information-only meeting Tuesday.Burnsville Police Chief Eric Gieseke, who said his department was a pioneer in the use of body cams, brought several models from the past to show the devices’ evolution. From the time of the city’s first homicide scene caught on responding officers’ body cams, “we were believers,” he said. The video “preserved evidence in such a way that it helped us build our case.”Don Gemberling, Minnesota Coalition on Government Information board member, said the body camera data falls under the state’s data practices law, with the presumption that all government data is public unless the Legislature makes exceptions.Videos showing multiple people raise special problems, he said, when some of those shown are protected under state privacy laws and others are not. Gieseke said responding to a public data request meant two days of work for his department to blur and redact 13 minutes of body cam video.Rep. Debra Hilstrom (DFL-Brooklyn Center) expressed concern about videos classified as public data that show children or people who are naked or partly undressed. She said a website outside of Minnesota streams body cam video obtained through an ongoing public-data request.The concern about video from first responders at private homes becoming public data was personal for Rep. Nick Zerwas (R-Elk River). Continue Reading