Jesse Mandell-McClinton's Blog

The Minnesota Vikings used their second draft pick in the second round on Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, the AP reported.

The team was in need of a back-up running back after they did not resign veteran Chester Taylor this off-season, The San Jose Mercury News reported.

The Vikings traded draft picks to attain the 19th pick in the second round to take Gerhart, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Gethart is now reunited with his idol Adrian Peterson, The Houston Chronicle reported.
"The opportunity to play with him, to learn under him and complement him is really a huge honor and a dream come true," Gerhart said.

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor party elected House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher as its gubernatorial candidate for 2010 in Duluth Saturday night, KSTP reported.

Kelliher's stiffest competition for the spot came from Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who conceded at 11 p.m. Saturday night to Kelliher, the Pioneer Press reported. Other candidates are choosing to remain in the race, including House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, former Sen. Mark Dayton, and Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner.

Party backers have urged the other candidates to withdraw, as they will face a difficult campaign for the governor's seat, which hasn't been Democratic in Minnesota since 1990, The Star Tribune reported.

A 27-year-old St. Paul man shot and killed his wife and wounded himself while fighting with a home intruder Sunday morning, the Pioneer Press reported.

Nicholas Firkus' house was broken into around 6 a.m., after which he struggled with the intruder and accidentally killed his wife when his gun fired, The Star Tribune reported.

The sinking of a South Korean warship has been blamed on a torpedo fired by North Korea, ABC News reported.

The attack happened near the disputed oceanic border between the two countries, The New York Times reported. 40 South Korean sailors were killed in the attack.

South Korea has yet to officially blame North Korea for the attacks, The AP reported.

President Barack Obama met with ailing evangelist Billy Graham for the first time on Sunday at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, The Washington Post reported.

The visit lasted 30 minutes, during which Obama shared a prayer with the 91-year-old Graham and met his son Franklin, USA Today reported. Obama called Graham "a real treasure for this country."

The president had been vacationing in nearby Asheville, and met with Graham without the company of first lady Michelle Obama, The Miami Herald reported.

A Ugandan king turned 18 on Sunday, taking control of over 2 million people in a western section of the country, CNN reported.

Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV became a king when he was three years old after his father died, The Daily Monitor reported. Turning 18 grants King Oyo full control over decisions for the area.

Ash clouds from an Icelandic volcano have canceled thousands of flights across Europe, the AP reported. The ash is also affecting the visibility of sunsets and weather systems.

A group of high school students helped prevent a tobacco company advertising at a West St. Paul Cinco de Mayo festival, the Pioneer Press reported.

The group of student from Harding High School on the east side of St. Paul offered to raise money to help cover the $9,000 the tobacco company was offering the advertising rights, Topix reported.

This blog analysis will come from an article taken from Ground Report.

This story is about racism in the Tea Party movement. It's hard to determine if the story plays into the stereotype of the Tea Party being racist, as it really is a part of the media that is creating the stereotype.

The debate has been happening online as the party has become more prevalent over the last year. The article is questioning the validity of the claims, and where they come from.

The article uses both quotes and observation concerning the online forums, giving clear example for the examples of racism, as well as the examples of over-exaggerated reactions from the liberal left.

I talked with a friend of mine named Michael, who participates in these forums from the liberal point of view. He is a student at the university and has volunteered with the Democratic party over the last 7 years.

He said that what the report analyzed was not completely representative of the online forums, as they are usually not as heated and offensive as the article portrays. He also feels that the article is doing much more to create a stereotype of the online dialouge than it is of painting a clear picture of the racism issue.

The Duke Blue Devils won the 2010 NCAA basketball championship on Monday, beating Butler 61-59, ABC News reported.

Butler had a last second shot from half court to win the game that just rimmed out as Duke won their first Championship since 1992, ESPN reported. The game was played in at Lucas Oil stadium in Indianapolis, just miles from Butler's campus.