SAT scores hit four-decade low: What does that mean for Minnesota schools?

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SAT reading scores hit a four-decade low trumpets the Washington Post headline. That means one point lower than last year. The average reading score dropped from 497 to 496. Is that even statistically significant?

That’s the national average. Minnesota schools and Minnesota students have even less to worry about. The mean critical reading score for Minnesota students in 2012 was 592, down one point from 2011, but up 11 points from 581 in 2002. So Minnesota schools and Minnesota students are far above average, right? Continue Reading

Minnesota Muslims speak out

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Abdirahman Ahmed called Monday afternoon to tell me about an event he is planning for the silent majority, to give an opportunity to talk about the anti-Muslim film and the violent response to Continue Reading

MN VIDEOS | Clockwork – K’nex Ball Machine

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Austin Granger, from St. Anthony Park neighborhood in St. Paul, posted this video on YouTube — and it’s going viral!This is Clockwork, my fifth major K’nex ball machine, and my largest and most complex K’nex structure to date. It took 8 months to build, has over 40,000 pieces, over 450 feet of track, 21 different paths, 8 motors, 5 lifts, and a one-of-a-kind computer-controlled crane, as well as two computer-controlled illuminated K’nex balls.Since people have been asking about the music, it is an original composition I wrote specifically for this machine and this video. You can find it here:http://soundcloud.com/austron/clockworkInteractive 3D panorama of the machine: http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=85ae3e43-741c-4fa8-b5ac-18f95e078b0aLong exposure of the machine running at night: http://i.imgur.com/76ZGv.jpgFor more videos of specific details of the machine, as well as construction history, visit my channel!If you have any questions, send me a private message or email me at AustronKnex@gmail.com Continue Reading

2012 Selby Avenue Jazz Fest rocks in St. Paul

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The Selby Avenue Jazz Fest: sunshine, good music, good food and good people made for a perfect day for the 11th annual event. Jazz artists included Dick and Jane’s Big Brass Band, Walker West Music Academy’s Legends of Jazz, Brio Brass, and Penumbra regulars performing in the Jazz Heritage Showcase, and headliner Abdul Zuhri featuring vocalist Cheryl Pepsii Riley. Music is the reason for the celebration. From the Selby Avenue Jazz Fest website: “Since 2002 on the second Saturday in September, the intersection of Selby and Milton Avenues becomes a wonderous gathering that celebrates the positive path that has been taken by neighborhood residents and business owners. People from all walks of life, cultures, backgrounds and professions interact together through music, food and activities to become an engaged community.”Stephanie and Mychael Wright of Golden Thyme, founders of the Jazz Fest, work hard every year to make the Selby Avenue Jazz Fest happen. From the Selby Avenue Jazz Fest website: “The first anniversary of 9/11 was coming up and you could just tell that people were feeling pretty somber,” added Mychael. “I then thought to myself, ‘I’m tired of feeling this way. Continue Reading

Q & A with Louis Alemayehu: Northern Metals air quality issues reach beyond North Minneapolis

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On September 5, a half dozen activists gathered in North Minneapolis at Kwanzaa Community Church to record statements about the Northern Metals application for changes to an air quality permit – video above. Louis Alemayehu, one of the group’s organizers, sat down with the Daily Planet to explain what the issues are.You had a meeting this week to talk about the environmental impact of Northern Metals in North Minneapolis. What’s the issue?Alemayehu: The immediate issue is Northern Metals, and it’s not just Northern Metals in isolation. If they’re allowed to operate this way through Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, the cumulative effect of this is throughout the region. It’s not just the North Side, it’s not just this particular company in north Minneapolis.Last February when we were putting pressure on the MPCA to do an Environmental Impact Statement, the day we were to meet as a community to inform our community about the situation and what was about to happen unless we made our voices heard, the Governor issued a document to speed up the certification process.Which struck us as “why was the timing like that? Continue Reading

Naked men and snapping turtle in Twin Cities suburbs

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HuffPost may feature a Kim Kardashian cleavage article (with photos! and poll!), but right here in the Twin Cities, we’ve got plenty of our own headline click bait. There’s the 17-year-old arrested after taking a naked stroll in Minnetonka, a large snapping turtle on a suburban road, a car vandalized with a cucumber, and, getting down and dirty, cops reportedly found “crack in a Richfield man’s ‘crack.'” All local headlines — and great click bait — right here in the Twin Cities metro area.  Continue Reading