Pawlenty: Layoffs coming / Misleading Strib headline / Peach-glazed pig cheeks / Tweeting the revolution / Karen fleeing / more

By |

Pawlenty: Layoffs coming Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Tuesday that he will announce state spending cuts within two weeks, reports the PiPress, and the cuts will mean layoffs for some state employees. The governor also plans to use “budget shifts” to delay state payments to public schools. Pawlenty vetoed budget plans sent to him by the state legislature, leaving a $2.7 billion shortfall in the two-year state budget that takes effect July 1, and leaving him with the authority to make unilateral “unallotments” to balance the budget.• Tuition increases, misleading Strib headline A 3% increase is not a “tuition cut”• Peach-glazed pig cheeks The State Fair is coming!• Hot spot for biking Minnesota Bike Festival attracts international attention.• No stimulus yet for MN schools The money is here, but so is the red tape. • World/National Headlines | June 10, 2009 Tweeting the revolution, Peru cover-up?• War Reports Pakistan, Burma and Karen refugees
Tuition increases, misleading Strib headline MPR reports that both the U of M and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU) are planning three percent tuition hikes next year, relying on federal stimulus funds to keep the increases relatively low. After the stimulus funds run out, a larger increase can be expected in 2012. Continue Reading

War Reports | June 10, 2009 | Pakistan, Burma and Karen

By |

Pakistan A suicide attack on the Pearl Continental luxury hotel in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed at least 15 and injured at least 60 more, reports BBC. Meanwhile, the government says its offensive in the semi-tribal areas around North Waziristan has killed at least 70 militants. Iraq A car bomb in the southern city of Bathas killed at least 28 people. The area has been the scene of conflict between rival Shia militia in the past, reports BBC. Burma After shelling of a Karen refugee camp inside Burma and heightened hostilities between Karen resistance fighters and the Burmese army sent 4,000 refugees fleeing into Thailand, the Thai army moved reinforcements to the border, reports BBC. Continue Reading

World/National Headlines | June 10, 2009 | Tweeting the revolution, Peru cover-up

By |

Tweeting the revolution A Harvard study finds that 10 percent of Twitter users generate 90 percent of all tweets, reports BBC. Twitter has 10 million users worldwide, with uses ranging from socializing among friends to news alerts and micro-reporting. According to the researchers, their findings imply that Twitter “resembles more of a one-way, one-to-many publishing service more than a two-way, peer-to-peer communication network.” Police, activists and journalists all used Twitter heavily at last year’s Republican National Convention in St. Paul, with tweets monitored on cell phones sending people racing from one hot spot to another. Continue Reading

No stimulus yet for MN schools

By |

Minnesota schools are still waiting for more than $800 million in stimulus funds delivered to the state. The money is here, but schools can’t get it until they first spend their own money and ask for reimbursement, and then wade through complicated forms. In the meantime, the money is “sitting in a state account, waiting until everyone’s ready to use it,” reports MPR. With the governor’s plan for budget shifts to delay delivery of state funding, MN schools face double trouble. Delays in delivery of state funding mean schools may have to borrow to pay for salaries or buses or books, and that increases their expenses, because they have to pay interest on the loans. With the stimulus money sitting in a state account, I’m wondering whether the accumulating interest is also helping to balance the state budget, or whether it will — some day — be disbursed to schools. Continue Reading

Hot spot for biking

By |

The Minnesota Bike Festival this week will include several bike races, reports MPR:
That means looping races through downtown St. Paul tonight, and another through Uptown on Friday night, as well as a race straight up Chilkoot Hill in Stillwater on Sunday afternoon. The hour-long Stillwater race is one of the toughest in North America.[According to a race organizer] “The riders have to go up this super steep hill about every three minutes,” LaPorte said. “So, the first time up its 100 riders. The next time up its 80 riders. Continue Reading

Peach-glazed pig cheeks

By |

With the State Fair still more than two months away, the Pioneer Press has sounded the first Fair food alert, predicting “the year of the potato,” along with such delicacies as: “Peach-glazed pig cheeks. French-fry-encrusted hot dogs. The tornado potato. German sausages wrapped in potato.” For food off-the-stick, check out “Ole and Lena’s ‘deep-fried Norwegian banana split’ — a banana rolled in lefse, deep fried and topped with ice cream, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, whipped cream and nuts.” Continue Reading

Tuition increases, misleading Strib headline

By |

MPR reports that both the U of M and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU) are planning three percent tuition hikes next year, relying on federal stimulus funds to keep the increases relatively low. After the stimulus funds run out, a larger increase can be expected in 2012. The dead tree version of the Strib headlined “Students May Get Tuition Cut.” The story attempts to justify the headline by an explanation that increased schoalrship and grant programs will benefit 61 percent of in-state students, meaning their out-of-pocket payments will be less than this year. A three percent increase is not a tuition cut, regardless of who ends up paying for it. Continue Reading

What now, Norm? / Death in Somalia: Looking for answers / Carstarphen: Go slower / Wind industry layoffs / more

By |

What now, Norm? Politics in Minnesota has gotten several answers to that question over the past few days. First, on June 4, came a report from Roll Call that Norm was willing to bow out if the MN Supreme Court rules against him. PIM thought that sounded unlikely, and, within hours, posted: MORE• Death in Somalia: Looking for answers Conflicting stories as the family of 17-year-old Burhan Hassan grieves• Carstarphen: Go slower Departing schools chief recommends waiting on proposed long-term plan• Wind industry layoffs 160 layoffs in MN by September• World/National Headlines Massacre in Peru, Shell settlement in Nigeria• War Reports Burma, Somalia
What now, Norm? Politics in Minnesota has gotten several answers to that question over the past few days. Continue Reading

War Reports | June 9, 2009 | Burma, Somalia

By |

Burma The Burmese army is attacking Karen rebels near the Ler Per Her camp in eastern Karen state, reports BBC. The conflict has created a new wave of refugees:
The Karen Human Rights Group, a Thai-based humanitarian group, put the number of refugees at about 3,000 – and so too did a Thai army official speaking to local media. Somalia Al-Shabab rebels have been destroying Sufi mosques and gravesites in southern Iraq, According to BBC, “There is evidence that the anger is stirring the usually peaceful Sufis to take up arms and fight back against al-Shabab.” News with attitude, mostly from MN but with occasional forays abroad.News Day summarizes, links to, and comments on reports from news media around the world, with particular attention to Minnesota news. Continue Reading

World/National Headlines | June 9, 2009 | Peru, Nigeria

By |

Battle in Peru Democracy Now reports that police massacred dozens of indigenous protesters and protesters killed several police, and took more hostage, in a confrontation in the Amazonian region of Peru. On Friday morning, some 600 Peruvian riot police and helicopters attacked a peaceful indigenous blockade outside of Bagua, killing twenty-five and injuring more than 150. Eyewitness accounts indicate the police fired live ammunition and tear gas into the crowd. The images our TV viewers are watching are from an on-the-ground eyewitness to the attack. Our radio listeners can see these images on our website, democracynow.org. Continue Reading