R Cermak

by: Rachele Cermak

It’s been a year since the Minnesota State Lottery first introduced its Millionaire Raffle game. The game returns this holiday season and is met with enthusiasm by the public and state officials.

“It’s only once a year, and they’re excited because their odds are a lot better,� said Scott Dalen, local convenience store manager.

The game’s grand prize makes two of the ticket holders millionaires at the start of the new year. The game is limited to sell 500,000 tickets at $10 each.

The raffle sold out last year.

One-in-a-quarter million odds to win a million bucks makes the raffle more appealing because it has better odds than other random draw games, such as Gopher 5 or Powerball.

“I don’t know. I just felt lucky today,� said St. Paul convenience store customer, Pamela Dalbec.

The game is sold around the holiday season because it could make a great stocking stuffer, said Debbie Hoffmann, the public relations manager for the Minnesota State Lottery.

Anyone may purchase a chance to win, but Minnesota is the ultimate winner.

The raffle could bring in a gross of $5 million.

In 2006, 26.8 cents of every dollar went to the state. Meaning, roughly $1.34 million could go to the treasury to
pay for programs that help Minnesota.

Of the money going to the state, 60 percent is given to Minnesota’s general fund and 40 percent to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, which finances public safety, education, transportation and the environmental programs.

Games like the raffle help the lottery reach their long term goal of contributing $250 million to the state treasury annually by 2024. That goal was set by acting director Michael Vekich in 2004 when the lottery underwent reform.

The raffle’s success helped 2006 become the third year in a row to break contribution records by bringing in $121.5 million for the state, according to the fiscal year report.

Lottery officials hope this fiscal year will be even more of a success.

[State Government Story Assignment for JOUR 3121]

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By: Rachele Cermak

The number of riders using charter planes is decreasing every year at the Minneapolis St. Paul airport.

Some believe the decrease is because commercial airlines are offering cheap flights and frequent-flier mile rewards.

The Internet brought the online market of discounted tickets and package deals that mostly include commercial routes, such as Northwest Airlines.

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By: Rachele Cermak

The percent of people that are overweight in America is on the rise.

In 2003-04, a study by National Center for Health Statistics said that about 17 percent of those ages 2 to 19 years old are overweight, compared to five percent in 1976-80.

Regulating the food available in vending machines and on public school lunch menu is a way the government is trying to decrease that number.

Nutritional foods on school lunch menus was found to not cost more than serving processed foods, though healthier foods may require some kitchen equipment upgrades to prepare the new items, according to the Review of Agricultural Economics winter 2007 analysis.

The report also said that the number of nutritional lunches sold compared to processed food lunches remained the same, meaning students will eat healthy foods.

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By: Rachele Cermak

Metro Transit added 19 hybrid buses to their pack as part of their Go Greener initiative.

On Thursday MTC paraded 17 of them down Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.

MTC plans to add 150 more over the next four years.

Free rides will be available on Monday for routes 17 and 18.

Posted by Rachele Cermak at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By: Rachele Cermak

In a Scott County Courtroom Judge Mary Theisen granted a motion made by the county to pluck 25 pubic hairs from Michael John Anderson for DNA testing.

Anderson, 19, was charged Oct. 30 with second-degree murder of Katherine Ann Olson, 24. He allegedly used a listing on craiglist.org to get Olson to the Savage home where he lived at with his parents.

The prosecution said pubic hairs were needed to see how they compared to the one found on the sleeping bag Olson's legs were covered with in the trunk of her car.

Judge Theisen also denied the request to lower bail from $1 million to $150,000 because the defense said it was excessive.

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By: Rachele Cermak

Minnesota Department of Transportation canned their emergency response executive, Sonia Kay Morphew Pitt, for her actions before and after the 35W bridge collapse.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports her abuse of the state's expensive account got her fired.
The Saint Paul Pioneer Press said it was the way she prioritized her personal life instead of responding to Minnesota's biggest transportation disaster in recent history that did it.

Public records show a mixture of both and an overall lack of regard for the job responsibility play into the decision Friday.

Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau, a Republican who also is lieutenant governor, from her commissioner's post may also be fired when the 2008 legislative seesion gets underway some Democratic senators said.

Posted by Rachele Cermak at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By: Rachele Cermak

In the wake of the 35W bridge collapse, concerns are being raised over the safety of dams, specifically one in the small northwestern Minnesota community of Lake Bronson.

With a population of 246, the town sits victim if the area experiences flood conditions and the dam gives out.
The dam is number one for being the biggest risk in the state if it failed, partially because there wouldn't be enough time to evacuate the area. Flood waters could even effect residents in the neighboring community of Hallock, according to a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources memo released in June.

AP reports that Kent Lokkesmoe, director of the DNR Waters Division, said he's confident that neither Lake Bronson nor any of the 1,150 other dams the DNR regulates are an immediate risk to public safety.

But the Lake Bronson Dam is at the top of the DNR's priority list and repairs for it are years away.

Minnesota's history does not go unmarked with dam failure.

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By: Rachele Cermak

The Holidays are around the corner and once more the Minnesota State Lottery has brought back the Millionaire Raffle.

Two ticket holders are guaranteed one million dollars. 500,000 six-digit tickets are for sale for ten dollars each.

Last year they sold out.

Posted by Rachele Cermak at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By: Rachele Cermak

Volunteer firefighters in New Ulm now are allowed to consume alcohol at fire station buildings, the City Council decided 4-1 Tuesday.

The decision raised many concerns among nationwide firefighter organizations.

The New Ulm publication, The Journal, described the tone of locals hasn't changed. Some, there, feel there isn't a difference from stopping at a bar before arriving or allowing the alcohol to be consumed at the fire station.

The four council members in approval of the measure didn't let the Assistant City Attorney, Roger Hippert, statement of allowing firefighters to drink alcoholic beverages essentially on the job could raise "some serious concerns about liability" stop their decision.

It was the last item on the agenda, yet seemed to heat up conversation.

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By: Rachele Cermak

The Saint Paul City Council Wednesday approved the installation of 25 police cameras along University Avenue. The project will cost $1.5 million. The cameras should be working by the end of 2007. The cameras will provide an added grip on security during the Republican National Convention.

The Central Corridor Security Camera Partnership is lead by Doug Holtz, Saint Paul Police Western District Investigation Unit Commander.

“We received $1.2 million from an old Federal Transit grant that has been around for some time,� Holtz said. “We matched it with $300,000 from Target Corporation.�

Which means, the city won't have to spend a cent on the project.

Target Corporation five years ago pitched in money to purchase the cameras the Minneapolis Police use in the
10-blocks around the Corp. headquarters.

Video

City Council Minutes
20. Resolution – 07-983 – Establishing a 2007 financing and spending plan in the Police Department to provide funding for cameras and surveillance equipment along the Central Corridor in Saint Paul. (GS 3043738) Adopted Yeas – 7 Nays – 0

12. Resolution – 07-713 – Authorizing the Police Department to apply for a Central Corridor Security Camera Partnership Federal Transit grant to be administered by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to install approximately sixty (60) cameras throughout the Central Corridor in an effort to reduce crime, increase business and the overall safety along the designated route. (GS 3041992)

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By: Rachele Cermak

The Metropolitan Airports Commission's noise reduction settlement offer of $127 million has been approved by the three cities who filed the suit.

Eagan, Richfield, and Minneapolis city councils all agreed, during separate special city meetings Tuesday, that MAC's offer would settle the suit the cities filed against MAC almost two years ago. The cities felt MAC had backed out on their promise to adequately sound-proof homes, that reached 60-65 decibels in airport noise, in order to continue with the MSP airport runway expansion.

The settlement must still be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Hennepin County District Court.

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By: Rachele Cermak

Statewide the Minnesota State Patrol are enforcing the Safe & Sober "Click It or Ticket" seat belt sweep. It will last ten days, during Oct. 12-21, in hopes to send the message that buckling up is necessary.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety wants the crackdown to motivate the 17% of drivers who don't use their seatbelt. Most of the 17%, are young, less experienced drivers.

Wearing a seatbelt or not is a personal choice. DPS Data shows though that about half of those people who died in a crash were not wearing one.

The fine is relatively small, about $25, but not wearing the belt can be deadly.

Posted by Rachele Cermak at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By: Rachele Cermak

Apple Inc. and AT&T are going into the courtroom over the iPhone. This time they're being sued for allegedly conducting unfair business practices and for violations of antitrust, telecommunications and warranty laws. Some feel the exclusive nature of the iPhone and AT&T is forming a monopoly. The price of the service and for the iPhone itself are significantly higher than other phones.

This isn't the first civil case against the companies.

Apple upset consumers after they dropped the iPhone price almost $200 about two months after its release.

A lawsuit was also filed over Apple's failure to inform buyers the $86 price to replace the battery.

Posted by Rachele Cermak at 7:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By: Rachele Cermak

In the case between Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben and MNDOT the civil complaint is accurately referenced by the Star Tribune's account of the suit.

The families of the 35W bridge collapse victims represented by Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben filed a freedom of information lawsuit to be able to view the reports of the incident made by a state-hired engineering firm. MnDOT ignored two previous open-records requests.

The Civil Complaint includes:
The suit was filed in Hennepin County District Court.
The bridge collapse reports are under MnDOT's possession and said to be open public documents according to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
Some of the documents would be any bridge # 9340 repair recommendations, what federal money was used to repair/improve the bridge and any visual documentation of it.
The complaint includes an exhibit A and B - the two requests made to Ms. Barbara Forsland of the Minnesota Department of Transportation which have been unfulfilled.

Posted by Rachele Cermak at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By: Rachele Cermak

A Crandon, Wisconsin teenage pizza party was interrupted when shots rang out in the home. The gunman, Tyler Peterson, wasn't a civilian but instead a 20-year-old off-duty sheriff's deputy in Forest County. He killed six of the seven people inside before he was killed by authorities.
Crandon has a population of 2,000 and is about 225 miles north of Milwaukee.
AOL has linked the story with a photo gallery.

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