Gibbs, Beth

According to the Star Tribune, Forest Lake teachers rejected a revised version of the quality compensation, or “Q Comp,” teacher merit pay program and will vote on a proposed contract that could freeze their wages for two years.

58 percent of Forest Lake teachers who voted refused a revised Q Comp program that would lower the amount teachers would be eligible to earn.

The proposal reduced the maximum potential payout to teachers from $3,000 this year to $1,800 next year. The plan cost will cost the district $300,000 more this year than anticipated, so district official wished to change it.

The new contract freezes salaries and saves the district $2.4 million over each year and has been tentatively approved by district and teachers union leaders.

"We were surprised and feel a little disappointed that this program, which we feel is quite innovative, was rejected," said Larry Martini, the district's business services director. "It puts extra money in the pockets of teachers, and that's especially important given these economic times,” the Pioneer Press reported.

Teachers in the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale schools also voted against the “Q Comp” program in 2006. That decision was reversed six months later, after the district needed to make budget cuts.

Posted by gibb0138 at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that according to Minnesota health officials, a Twin Cities woman has rubella, also known as German measles, and is the first case of rubella in Minnesota in nine years.

The woman, who has not been identified, is in her 30s and has not been vaccinated against rubella. She is now recovering, Kris Ehresmann, head of the state immunization program, said.

Rubella is an infection, which causes a rash, low fever, cough and swollen glands. It is most threatening to pregnant women and their unborn children.

Since 1992, only six cases have been reported in Minnesota, the health department said. The last reported case in Minnesota was in 2000.

"We used to see dozens and hundreds and thousands of cases in the prevaccine era," Ehresmann said.

A vaccine for Rubella is available, but some parents have refused to vaccinate their children, in fear the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is linked to autism. That link has not been proven.

The Health Department is encouraging parents to have their children vaccinated, in order to prevent illness and spread of the infectious disease.

"Clearly when we let our guards down in terms of vaccination, it allows the disease to regain a foothold," Ehresmann said.

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The Star Tribune reported that a University of Minnesota official said that tap water in three research and clinical buildings on campus might be unsafe to drink.

University spokesman Daniel Wolter said more than 600 dentist appointments were cancelled by the university after discolored and foul-smelling water was reported on Wednesday in Moos Towers and the Phillips-Wagensteen building.

The university found that the tap water was also tainted in Diehl Hall after further investigation on Thursday. The three buildings are at the end of a water main and the university has been working to clean the systems since Wednesday night, Wolter said.

The cause of the contamination is unknown and the rest of the university’s water is believed to be safe, Wolter said.

According to the Minnesota Daily, Wolter said water contaminations are common in the spring and the university is being cautious.

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The Star Tribune reported that a Champlin eight-grader won the statewide geography competition on Friday at St. Cloud State University.

Champlin’s Jackson Middle School eight-grader Cody Baird, successfully beat 102 other state finalists in the Minnesota States Geography Bee.

The 103 finalists competed for a $100 prize, an atlas, and the chance to compete in the National Geography Bee in Washington D.C., on May 19 and 20. The winner of the national bee wins a $25,000 scholarship.

This was the second time Baird had competed in the geography bee as a state finalist.

"It's a little stressful," Baird said.

According to KTSP.com, Baird’s final question was, "To see Sandro Botticelli's famous painting, the "Birth of Venus," you would travel to which Italian city located upriver from Pisa?" Baird answered the question correctly, as Florence.

Ben Allen from Westwood Middle School in Blaine and Stephan Gosswiller from Inver Grove Heights Middle School won second and third place, respectively.

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The Star Tribune reported that a study revealed that the triathlon, which is a swimming, biking and running race, create a higher risk of sudden death than marathons.

According to the study’s author, the greatest risk happens during the swimming portion of the race. It is mostly heart problems, although it only about 15 of a million athletes are affected.

The popularity of triathlons is increasing and each year about 1,000 events are held and several hundred thousand Americans try one, many of whom are not used to such exercise.

Dr. Kevin Harris, a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital expressed concern that people often sign up to do triathlons without a medical checkup.

"They might prepare for a triathlon by swimming laps in their pool. That's a lot different than swimming in a lake or a river,” Harris said.

Harris, who had led the study, presented its results Saturday at an American College of Cardiology conference in Florida.

After the death of Ryan Shay, 28, while competing in New York in the men’s marathon Olympic trials, sudden death due to exercise has been in the headlines. Statistically, four to eight deaths occur during marathons, a 26.2-mile running race, out of every million participants.

The study shows the rate for triathletes is even higher, 15 out of a million and almost all occur during the swim portion of the race, which is typically the first part.

This is most likely because cold water constricts blood vessels and makes the heart work harder. It might also trigger an irregular heartbeat.

Posted by gibb0138 at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Star Tribune reported that Jon Stewart ‘hammered’ his guest Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s “Mad Money,” and the network on Thursday night’s “The Daily Show” for putting entertainment above his journalistic responsibilities.

"I understand that you want to make finance entertaining, but it's not a ... game," Stewart said.

Stewart, who is a comedian and host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” normally uses satire to portray the news of the day, but on Thursday night's program, the show was dedicated to confronting the CNBC host.

The program was similar to when Stewart appeared on CNN’s “Crossfire” in 2004 and Stewart accused the co-hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala of being “partisan hacks.” “Crossfire” was canceled soon after.

Stewart utilized mostly the 2006 video clips not meant for television of Cramer speaking about the duplicity of the economic market.

Stewart said CNBC is not doing its journalistic duty because it believes corporate lies, rather than investigating and looking for the truth.

Cramer disagreed with a few of Stewart's arguments, but agreed that he should have done a better job.
"We all should have seen it more," Cramer said.

The entire un-edited interview is available on ComedyCentral.com.

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The Star Tribune reported that a Canyon, Minn., man came to claim his winning hot Lotto lottery ticket on Wednesday.

According to state lottery officials, Edward M. Ruiz, bought the winning ticket last Saturday and validated the ticket on Wednesday.

Ruiz was given the choice of a 25-year annuity option of $3.62 million or $2.37 million in cash. Ruiz chose the cash and after taxes will have won $1.6 million.

Lottery official said after validating his ticket he said, “You’re looking at a millionaire."

Duluth News Tribune reported Ruiz bought the winning ticket at Miller Hill Super One Foods in Duluth, about 30 miles southeast of Canyon.

Ruiz is the seventh Minnesotan to win the Hot Lotto jackpot since the game started in 2002. The winning numbers were chosen with a quick pick and were 3, 6, 21, 22, 27, with 2 as the Hot Ball.

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The New York Times reported that the Canadian Defense Minister announced Friday that a Russian bomber neared Canadian airspace hours before President Obama’s trip to the country the previous week.

Two Canadian fighter jets intercepted the long-range bomber about 125 miles from Canada over the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic, Defense Minister Peter MacKay said.

According to the Star Tribune, MacKay said the jets approached the bomber in international airspace and gave a "strong signal that they should back off."

"I'm not going to stand here and accuse the Russians of having deliberately done this during the presidential visit,” MacKay said, “but it was a strong coincidence.”

According to the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Alexander, the bomber never intruded on Canadian airspace and that Canada had been notified about the flight in advance.

MacKay said that this is the not the first time a Russian plane has flown near the airspace and has given no prior warning, despite Canada's request for Russia to do so.

Posted by gibb0138 at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reported a 200- pound pet chimpanzee was shot and killed by police in Stamford, Conn. on Monday after he attacked a woman he was familiar with.

According to authorities, the woman, Charla Nash, 55, is critically injured with much of her face torn away. She is being treated at Stamford Hospital and may not survive,

The woman is friends with the chimpanzee, Travis', 14, owner.

The attack occurred in the driveway of a home in s wooded neighborhood in northern Stamford.

Travis had been featured in television commercials and was in photographs at the towing shop operated by his owners. He had escaped before, but had no history of violence.

Sandra Herold, 70, Travis' owner tried to protect Nash with butcher knife,Capt. Richard Conklin said.

According to detectives, Herold said Travis took her keys from the kitchen table, unlocked a door and let himself out into the yard at 241 Rock Rimmon Road.

Herold called Nash for help to get Travis back in the home. When she arrived Travis began to attack her.

Nash had not provoked the chimpanzee, but had changed her hairstyle, which may have lead Travis to believe she was an intruder.

Nash called 911 after trying to pull Travis off of Nash. Travis fled when emergency vehicles arrived.

Police went after the chimp. After some time, the chimp began to act aggressivly towards officers, Capt. Conklin said.

Travis entered one police car. The police officer shot Travis several times.

“He’s trapped in his car,” Capt. Conklin said. “He has nowhere to go."

Travis ran into the woods. Police followed the blood trail back to the house, where they found Travis dead in his caged-in area.

The Star Tribune reported Travis was in commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola, on the "Maury Povich Show" and in a television pilot, according to an article The Advocate newspaper of Stamford in 2003.

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The Star Tribune reported that a Minnesota native landed a Broadway role.

Laura Osnes, native to Eagan, landed the role of Nellie Forbush in "South Pacific." She will replace Tony nominee Kelli O'Hara, who is leaving to have her first child.

Osnes starred in the Broadway revival of Grease as Sandy, after she won NBC-TV competition, "Grease: You're the One That I Want."

Osnes will begin on March and O'Hara will return from leave Oct. 6.

"South Pacific" will show at the Lincoln Center Theater production. It is directed by Bartlett Sher.

According to Broadway.com, Osnes had been announced as a star of "A Little Night Music," but will take the role of Forbush instead.

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The New York Times reported a pilot who landed his plane in the Hudson River was terrified despite his calm exterior during the landing.

While Capt. Chesley B. Sullenberger III landed the U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River on Jan. 15, he remained calm, but told reporters he was terrified.

The plane lost both engines after hitting a flock of birds. Sullenberger was forced to do an emergency landing.

Sullenberger kept calm as he made the decision to land in the Hudson River, ruling out landing at La Guardia Airport or trying land at a New Jersey airport.

“I needed to touch down with the wings exactly level,�? Sullenberger told Katie Couric on a "60 Minutes" interview on CBS. “I needed to touch down with the nose slightly up. I needed to touch down at a — at a descent rate that was survivable. And I needed to touch down just above our minimum flying speed, but not below it. And I needed to make all these things happen simultaneously.�?

According to the Star Tribune, Sullenberger felt sick during the whole event.

After learning that all 155 passengers had survived the landing, Sullenberger felt much better.

“I felt like the weight of the universe had been lifted off my heart,�? he said.

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The Star Tribune reported on Wednesday that the U.S. Postal Service may cut one mail delivery day per week due to deficits.

Postmaster General John E. Potter spoke to the U.S. Congress, asking to lift the legal requirement that the Postal Service deliver mail six days per week.

Recently, there has been less mail and as costs rise the Postal Service finds itself in financial distress. Potter said in testimony to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee the post office could have a net loss of $6 billion or more this year.

Potter told the committee a lift of the requirement did not mean the day-cut would happen soon. He said the Postal Service is making necessary budget changes to prevent the cut.

Potter also told the committee that if the Postal Service went to a five-day delivery system, delivery would be stopped on the days with the least mail deliveries.

Although the Postal Service has the opportunity to request an increase in rates, it would not be beneficial because mail volume would further decrease, Potter said.

According to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Dan G. Blair, the chairman of the Postal Regulatory Commission and Phillip R. Herr, director of the Physical Infrastructure Issues division of the Government Accountability Office, also testified during the hearing.

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