HometownSource Blogs

Guests to the Republican National Convention receive a black tot bag filled with mementoes of the four-day convention and other treats.

Printed on the tot bag are the logos of the Southern Company and Coca-Cola — “Live Positively” the soft drink manufacturer urges under its logo along with an encouragement for recycling.

Other gift items include:

•A Windjammer umbrella.
•A Mall of America coupon book.
•Two Nature Valley bars.
•A packet of sweet alyssum seeds from Chesapeake Energy.
•A packet of Truvia calorie-free sweetener.
•A box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese featuring an elephant in suit and tie holding a “Republicans in 2008!” sign.
•A packet of Post It brand notes featuring a convention seal.
•An AT&T trivia challenge card with a lapel pin of an elephant paddling a canoe and an AT&T gift card.
•A Delta, NWA luggage tag.
•A wind turbine lapel pin from the American Wind Energy Association.
•A GOP Party Guide.
•A Qwest cell phone recycling bag for phone donations to raise money for schools.
•A key chain from Escape Hybrid.
•Breath mints in a brown plastic container shaped like a UPS truck from UPS.
•A plastic water bottle featuring a Republican National Convention 2008 Minneapolis-Saint Paul seal and beneath that, Visa and US Bank logos.
•NWA “World Traveler” magazine featuring Sen. John McCain, U.S. Senator Norm Coleman and Gov. Tim Pawlenty on the cover. Inside is printed an editorial from the Wall Street Journal arguing the merger of Northwest and Delta makes sense.
•An official guide to the 2008 Republican National Convention featuring a fanciful drawing of the Twin Cities on the cover.

There’s nothing to compare with presidential politics.

I’m dating myself but I must reflect back 40 years to one of my biggest assignments as then a young reporter for a small daily newspaper in southern Minnesota. My assignment was to cover an appearance by former Vice President Richard Nixon who was coming to Rochester, MN one week before the election of 1968.

This was an exciting time but also a tumultous one since we as a country had weathered the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in April and of Robert F. Kennedy in June. Our country had also watched a violent setting of events in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention.

I was sent to Rochester all by myself and I guess being youthful I was more excited at the opportunity than nervous about the assignment.

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I learned a very important lesson this week in terms of hunting, that’d I’d like to share with all of you.

When an editor tells you to write about the start of the “Mourning dove season,” it has nothing to do with the time of year the pigeon family birds breed. Nope. It’s about the start of when it’s legally time to hunt them. (Sept. 1 thru Oct. 31). Read more »

Not exactly what you want to read about a profession that needs its credibility more than ever:

Several members of the media were seen cheering and clapping for Barack Obama as the Illinois senator accepted the Democratic nomination Thursday.

And then there’s what happens when you don’t cheer and clap.

Rep. Chris DeLaForest, R-Andover, is resigning from the Legislature effective Sept. 1.

DeLaForest. who did not seek reelection, in a press release cites the opportunity to pursue a lifelong professional goal as the reason for not serving out the remaining months of his term.

“While retiring from elective office was not an easy decision, I knew the time was right for me to pursue other goals and opportunities,” said DeLaForest.

“Although I would have preferred to serve out the few remaining months of my term, a unique opportunity presented itself, and unfortunately, the timing did not work out,” he said.

DeLaForest has been credited by fellow lawmakers as being an able negotiator — one of the few in the Legislature, one lawmaker opined once.
A serious car accident last summer near his home had DeLaForest reexamining his life priorities, he explained last session.

One of the lawmaker’s more colorful bills was a ticket scalping bill that drew wide media attention.

House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, in Denver for the Democratic National Convention indicated that she would not be surprised if Gov. Tim Pawlenty were picked by Sen. John McCain as his vice presidential running mate.

“I’ve always thought that Governor Pawlenty has a strong chance at being a choice — his loyalty to Senator McCain is legendary here,” she said, speaking from Denver.

The governor has some appeal to rank and file Republicans, Kelliher opined.

“Obviously it’s a very personal choice to the nominee,” she said of McCain’s decision.

If McCain picks Pawlenty, is that something Minnesotans should feel a sense of pride about?

“Well, obviously I think Minnesotans would wish anyone well in a journey that they took that was going to stretch them — that they would grow through that journey,” said Kelliher.

“I feel quite confident that we’re going to have a President Obama. We’ll be welcoming the governor back to the state after the election,” said Kelliher.

“And we have a lot of big things to tackle in Minnesota yet,” she concluded.

Today is one of those days where looking out the window can be pretty depressing. It’s dark, gloomy and was cool enough for a light knit hoodie when I started up the old Aveo at 7 a.m. Needless to say, hot coffee wasn’t just to wake me up, but more a requirement.

But for me, when I look outside and see the threat or rain I think one of two things: it’s going to be nice and cool for a run, or, boo…I’ll have to run on the treadmill. Read more »

Jay Mariotti has left the Chicago Sun-Times, but not without taking one final shot:

Mariotti told CBS 2’s Dorothy Tucker that he decided to quit after covering the Olympics in Beijing because newspapers are in serious trouble, and he did not want to go down with the ship.

Related, the NYT’s latest numbers are in and it ain’t pretty.

Phil Jackson, the Los Angeles Lakers coach and a University of North Dakota alumnus, did some gentle nudging of those folks up in Grand Forks recently. He urged them to rethink the “Fighting Souix” nickname and moniker.

Now, for us folks down here in the Twin Cities, it might seem like a no-brainer to lose the nickname and moniker which have proved so increasingly controversial over the last few years. But, having reported on the controversy when I lived and reported in Grand Forks (my hometown), I can testify that the nickname and moniker mean much more to Grand Forksian’s and UND fans than most outside the city will ever understand.

Read more »

Senate District 16 Republican candidate Alison Krueger — the primary election opponent of Rep. Mark Olson, R-Big Lake — recently sent a letter to the editor in which in part she tells Olson supporters to back off.

Krueger, a local political activist, charges in the letter that she has been on the receiving end of a “barrage” of certified letters, emails and phone calls from Olson supporters intent on intimidating her — asking her to publicly support Olson, endorsed by district Republicans, and meet other demands.

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According to a recent Zagat survey, the Twin Cities ranked No. 12 in terms of tipping at restaurants.

Number to number, or rather dollar to dollar, the average Minnesotan tip is 19.1 percent of the bill.

This list was comprised of 30 different geographic areas, with Honolulu coming in last at 18 percent.  Read more »

Racking up another appearance on Larry King last night, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, R-Stillwater, continues a national media streak that the representative insists began when the media began calling her office, asking for interviews.

This was nothing formulated by House Republican leadership, she recently explained.

Bachmann, who is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention next week, recently gave presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama a cool appraisal.

“I think he’s naive,” said Bachmann.

“I think a lot of his remarks evidence the fact that he isn’t well schooled and prepared to be the President of the United States,” she said.

Bachmann is challenged in the 6th Congressional District by former Ventura transportation commissioner Democrat Elwyn Tinklenberg.

If you are headed to the State Fair this year, don’t miss the “JFK Remembered” exhibit.

It’s a priceless collection of President John F. Kennedy memorabilia from the private collection of Nick Ciacelli.

Read more »

Be sure to check out our Fall Sports preview in paper editions Aug. 30 or online soon after that (sometime Friday). We’ve included pieces about the football and volleyball teams we cover in a separate edition to the typical sports section where the remainder of the previews will be.

It’s hard to believe that many of our fall teams have begun play. Everyone’s season has started by now, except for football, which is always the last to start. My pick for Lake Conference football champion might be going out on a limb, but Burnsville has a great chance with many experienced players coming back from last season’s 1-8 mark. To do that they’ll have to overtake perennial power Eden Prairie (the defending Class AAAAA state champs). Andy, the other Sports Editor in our Burnsville office says Apple Valley gets his vote for the conference title.

The Republican National Convention today (Aug. 26) announced its full convention agenda, one having additional local lawmakers taking the podium before the convention.

Speakers on Monday (Sept. 1) will include 6th Congressional District Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Rep. Erik Paulsen, of Eden Prairie, the latter locked in contest for the 3rd Congressional District.

Second Congressional District Congressman John Kline is not scheduled to speak to the convention.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty, in one change, is now scheduled to speak on Monday and also on Thursday, close of the convention.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Sen. Norm Coleman are scheduled to speak on Monday.

Coleman will again take to the podium on Wednesday.