October 2011 Archives

Debating still goes on for the downtown vikings site proposed by Mayor R.T. Rybak on Friday.

Gov. Mark Dayton toured the proposed Arden Hills site for the new Vikings Stadium on Friday, but says "I continue to be even handed to any site as long as it's in Minnesota," said the governor.

While lawmakers are pushing back on Dayton's idea to hold a special session to address the vikings issue. "Special sessions are for flooding or tornadoes," said Rep. Bob Dettmer.

And overall lawmakers are still debating the feasibility of the proposals. "The state doesn't have $300 million sitting around in a slush fund," said Rep Mary Kiffmeyer.

More than 4 million people are without power in the northeastern part of the country after a snowstorm dumped record amounts of heavy snow on Saturday.

The storm recorded record snowfall in Plainfield, Massachusetts where 27 inches fell. Heavy branches, which still carried leaves are being attributed to the additional havoc.

Many voiced surprise at how sudden and heavy the snow fell. "We are expecting extensive and long term power outages," said Conneticut Gov. P. Mallow.

The amount of snowfall in places crushed records as far back as a 100 years in some cases, according to National Weather Service spokesman Chris Vaccaro.

Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was buried in a secret location reports the Libyan interim government on Tuesday.

Gadhafi was buried alongside his son who, along with Gadhafi, was killed in the Libyan uprising reports the USA today.

Libya's new leaders would not reveal the location, but say Gadhafi and his son were given a traditional islamic burial. Reports of Gadhafi's death are conflicting with some saying he was killed in crossfire, while others claim he was executed.

Recent video shows a bloodied and dying Gadhafi amongst rebel fighters who are beating Gadhafi and cheering. Human Rights watch says there are strong indications that the leader was executed reports NPR.

The National Transitional Council, which is tasked with forming the new Libyan government, has promised an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the former leaders death reports the Tripoli Post.

Vikings cornerback Chris Cook has been arrested and charged with domestic abuse by strangulation says an affidavit obtained by the Pioneer Press on Tuesday.

The cornerback who is known as jersey number 31 and sports the seemingly required dreadlocks that many in the NFL's secondary do, went to twitter to claim his innocence. "There's always two sides to a story!!," he tweeted.

Cook, 24, was arrested on Saturday at his home in Eden Prarie after an argument with his girlfriend where he learned she had spoken with an ex-boyfriend. Neighbors called the police who found a bloodied woman sitting on floor holding her neck and sobbing.

The affidavit says she freed herself by grabbing Cook's shoulder length dreadlocks, after which he attacked her again.

Earlier this year Cook was found not guilty of pulling a firearm on a neighbor at his home in Virginia.

Cook is facing a possible sentence of three years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that boys receive the HPV vaccine on Tuesday.

The vaccine, which has been criticized by GOP presidential candidate Michelle Bachman for "causing mental retardation," is already given to females between the ages of 9 and 26. While others criticize the vaccine as just "a license for young people to be sexually active," writes Fox News.

Now the CDC is advising boys between the ages of of 11 and 21 receive the vaccine.

The vaccine is given to prevent the human papilloma virus which is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause certain types of cancers. Of all sexually transmitted diseases it is ranked at number one, with at least 50% of sexually active people contracting at some point in their lives.