Kenny's News Tidbits

The Minnesota Vikings presented tight-end Jim Kleinsasser with a new deal that will keep him in purple, the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press reported.

The Star Tribune said that the deal is three-year $9 million contract while the Pioneer Press reported that it was a two-year $6 million deal.

Kleinsasser was drafted out of the University of North Dakota in 1999 by the Vikings.

The deal will bring back one of the elite blocking tight-ends in the league for his 11th season.

With 164 career receptions to go along with 1,466 yards, Kleinsasser isn't know for his catching. His blocking abilities are a valuable asset to a team that depends on its running game.

NFL free agency started Friday morning and Kleinsasser received multiple offers from teams.

Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/40457097.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiU9PmP:QiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/vikings/ci_11801611

Posted by nels5410 at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Richfield man was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for killing his romantic rival with a GMC Yukon, the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press reported.

Moises Nieves, 36 told Judge Michael Fetsch, "God forgive us all, because we are all sinners."

This was not enough to temper the sentence for Nieves who killed Sergio Escalona, 46.

The incident occurred Oct. 21 at 3:30 a.m. Reports say that Nieves saw Escalona talking to Maria Rocha, 23, Escalona's ex-girlfriend and the woman Nieves was in love with.

Nieves crushed Escalona between two cars and drove off, staging an accident in an attempt to cover up the murder.

The defense argued Escalona had been abusive to Rocha during their relationship, and Nieves was trying to defend her.

The Star Tribune reported that Nieves will be eligible for release two-thirds of the way through his 15 year sentence.

Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/local/west/40457262.html?elr=KArksUUUU

Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/ci_11800681?source=most_viewed

Posted by nels5410 at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Metro Transit bus struck and killed a 55-year-old woman Wednesday evening according to the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press.

Authorities say that a northbound Route 24 bus struck and killed a woman at 46th Street and Minnehaha Avenue. The driver didn't realize that they had struck someone until about 20 minutes later near 43nd Avenue and 35th Street.

The Pioneer Press reported that the woman was identified as 55-year-old Mary Ann O'Dougherty,

One passenger was onboard at the time and he also did not realize that someone had been hit.

The driver is on paid administrative leave and will go through standard drug and alcohol testing according to the Star Tribune.

This is the third bus related fatality in nine years and the first since October 2006.

Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/local/40331032.html?elr=KArksUUUU

Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_11804661

Posted by nels5410 at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These two news stories were written on the same day but they were posted nearly six hours after each other. Even thought they are same day stories, they provide a great example on how follows are done.

The first story talks about the raw details of the recent signing of Joe Crede by the Minnesota Twins. The details of the contract were given along with the information that a news conference introducing Crede would be held later.

The second story gives the same information on the signing as the first story but more analysis is shown. Quotes are used to detail why the signing happened and why it's important. Also more background information on Crede was given to give the story a fuller feel.

Both of the stories were written by the same news organization.

First story: http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_11753927

Second story: http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_11757856

Posted by nels5410 at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

30-year-old third baseman Joe Crede signed a one-year $2.5 million contract with the Minnesota Twins, the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press reported.

Crede fills a whole on the left side of the infield with solid power and defensive skills.

He was an All-star in 2008 but his season was cut short by a back injury that required surgery. This was the same in 2007, a season in which he only played in only 47 games.

Scot Boras, Crede's agent, says that his client is 100 percent, as both parties hope that Crede returns to the four previous season before back surgery in which he averaged playing in 144 games.

Before Crede was signed, the Twins planned on platooning Brenden Harris and Brian Buscher at third base. This will now not be happening but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said that both players will get significant playing time at other positions.

The addition of Crede gives the Twins a solid infield including, shortstop Nick Punto, second baseman Alexi Casilla, and star first baseman Justin Morneau.

The Star Tribune reported that Crede will be presented by the Twins on Sunday morning.

Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/40035792.html?page=1&c=y

Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_11757856

Posted by nels5410 at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An off-duty Minneapolis police officer accidentally shot a retired Minneapolis police officer Saturday afternoon reported the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune.

The accident occurred at the Minneapolis Convention Center during the Minneapolis Gun Show.

At around 1:15 p.m. the Minneapolis police officer's gun got caught on the chair he was getting up from and a single bullet was shot.

The bullet hit the ground and fragmented hitting the retired police officer in the left leg and hand and also grazing the other officers leg.

The 61-year-old former officer was treated and released from the hospital suffering minor wounds. The other officer needed no medical attention.

The Pioneer Press reported that the semi-automatic had its safety off, which is standard procedure when a gun is in the holster.

Minneapolis Police didn't put the officer on administrative leave because it's considered an accident, but they will be investigating the gun and the holster

Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/local/40055597.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU

Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_11761848

Posted by nels5410 at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shakopee police shot and killed an armed man with a criminal history Saturday afternoon, the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune reported.

A man wanted for second-degree assault, second-degree domestic assault, and for violating an order for protection, was shot and killed by two Shakopee officers.

The incident happened at 4 p.m., according to the Star Tribune.

Both the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune reported that the officers are on administrative leave and the incident is being investigated by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Administrative leave in these situation are standard procedure.

Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/local/40055507.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUX

Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_11761558?nclick_check=1

Posted by nels5410 at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New evidence in the death of Chandra Levy case may lead to an arrest eight years after her death, The New York Times and the Associated Press reported.

Chandra Levy was a former intern for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington D.C. She disappeared on May 1, 2001 and her body was found in Rock Creek Park in D.C., more than a year later.

The story was highly sensationalized when the investigation of Levy's death revealed that she was in a relationship with Gary A. Condit a married seven term congressman from California.

Allegations that Levy was involved in her death helped to contribute to Levy's failed re-election bid in 2002.

The suspect in the case is Ingmar Guandique,27, a Salvadoran immigrant, according to both the Associated Press and The New York Times.

Guandique is serving a 10 year term in prison for similar attacks on women, and he was a person of interest early in the case. He denied being in the park at the time of the murder and he passed a lie detector test, according to the Associated Press.

Charges are supposed to be filed in several days.

The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/us/22arrest.html?ref=us

USA Today/Associated Press: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-02-21-chandra-levy_N.htm

Posted by nels5410 at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

74 miners died in a blast in China, the world's deadliest mining country, The New York Times and the Associated Press reported.

A mine in Gujina city, a city in northern China, was the scene of an unknown accident that left 74 dead and 104 hospitalized, six in critical condition.

The New York Times reported that the blast occured at 2:17 am early Sunday. Miners were trapped initially, but all the miners underground were rescued by Sunday night, the Associated Pres reported.

The Shanxi Coking Coal Group own the mine and they have a reputation of having the safest mines in China. They haven't had an accident in five years.

The accident was the deadliest in China since a blast in Linfen city left 105 dead in Dec 2007.

The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/world/index.html

MSNBC/ Associated Press: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29321397

Posted by nels5410 at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Pioneer Press' article on the Gophers recent loss to Penn State has a good progression to it. At the beginning of the story what happened in the game was generally stated along with the implications of the loss. The info is ordered in an inverted pyramid structure with the most important information at the top. This was done to keep the reader interested and make sure the most important info wasn't lost in the story. This was effective to a point but I personally like the details of the game and this wasn't written in until the end of the story.

Link to story: http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_11706526

Posted by nels5410 at 7:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Minnesota Gophers lost to the Penn State Nittany Lions 68-63 in State College Saturday afternoon, the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune reported.

The Gophers dropped their fifth out of eight games, and third game in a row on the road, hurting their NCAA Tournament hopes.

Freshman Devoe Joseph scored 23 points including a school-record-tying seven three-pointers, but had two turnovers in the final three minutes.

Turnovers were yet again the Gophers' main issue. For the second consecutive game the Gophers had 19 turnovers while only seven assists were produced.

The Nittany Lions led at halftime 24-23 and the Gophers were able to pull into the lead 56-53 with 5:16 remaining in the game. A 10-0 run by Penn State right after that put the Gophers in a hole that they were never able to climb out of.

Penn State moved into a tie for fifth place with the Gophers and Wisconsin. This puts pressure on the Gophers to win a majority of their remaining five games.

This puts into question the Gophers' chances to make the Tournament but Tubby Smith told the Pioneer Press, "I don't care about that...I care about how we need to stop turning the ball over."

Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_11706526

Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/39616477.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUo8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Posted by nels5410 at 7:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A former aid to St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman will head the new Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Department, the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune reported.

Luz Maria Frias, was Coleman's director of external affairs and she will start her three-year term on Feb. 23.

The Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity Department was created to fix the problems that led to tensions between City Hall and the minority community.

Minority-owned business accused City Hall of giving them an disproportional amount of St. Paul's contracting funds.

The Star Tribune reported that a study found that in 2006, only 7 percent of $220 million of contracts went to minority-and-female owned business.

To combat the unequal distribution of funds, the department will increase commerce for minority-and-female owned businesses.

In 2009 their budget will be $4.7 million.

Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/39534642.html?elr=KArks:DCiUoaW_eEO7UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_11707638

Posted by nels5410 at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A 33-year-old man was struck and killed by a Union Pacific train Saturday night on tracks in St. Paul's East Side, the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune reported.

The Star Tribune reported that the man was struck by the train Saturday night near the tracks at Payne Avenue and Phalen Boulevard and it was called into the authorities around 10:30 PM.

The Pioneer Press reported that it was called in around 11 PM.

St. Paul police Cmdr. Kevin Casper said that the body was found on the tracks near Bush Avenue and Burr Street.

The man didn't seem to be hit by the train and then knocked on the tracks said Peter Panos, the St. Paul police spokesman. He was already on the tracks," said Panos.

Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_11711350

Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/local/39642157.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUX

Posted by nels5410 at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday, Venezuelan citizens started voting on a referendum that would eliminate term limits for President Hugo Chavez and other elected officials, The New York Times and The Washington Post reported.

If the referendum is passed, elected officials will have indefinite reelection and increase the power of President Chavez.

President Chavez's, 54, current term runs until 2013 and the possibility of increasing his current ten year run is highly possible.

After an earlier rejection of a similar referendum in December 2007, Chavez has made a hard push to get the measure passed this time around.

Pro-Chavez groups have been aggressively campaigning while citizens have been complaining that the referendum has been taking attention away from other pressing issues.

Venezuela has seen an increase in inflation and crime rates.

Chavez told a local radio station, "Do not fail me, and I will not fail fail you (The Washington Post)."

Opposition to the referendum has had difficulty trying to push their opinions.

Officials reviewing opposition advertisements took so long that the ads never got viewed, while university students were denied permits for protests.

Both The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that the election is going to be close.

The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/world/americas/16venez.html?ref=world

The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/14/AR2009021401621.html?sub=new

Posted by nels5410 at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Continental plane that crashed Thursday night near Buffalo, New York, killing 50 people, could have been caused by severe icing the New York Times and the New York Daily News reported.

Steve Chealander of the Nation Transportation Safety Board said that the crew reported icing on the windshield and wings and requested lower flying altitudes.

The pilot, Captain Marvin Renslow, 47 tried to abort the landing but then the plane experienced severe pitching and rolling. The plane later crashed into a house killing one occupant inside the house and all 49 people on board the plane.

The New York Daily News reported that a federal aviation official said that the plane may have been on auto pilot when it crashed.

Chealander said that manual flying is required in severe icing conditions, so if the plane had been on autopilot it could be a violation of airline policy.

William Voss said that ice, "can seriously distort the airflow over the surfaces, so if you don't keep the wings clean you could find yourself in a situation where ... suddenly the aircraft decides to quit flying (New York Daily News)."

Chealander said that the de-icing system was on before the crew started discussing the icing problems.

Two other people were inside the house at the time of the crash, a 57-year-old woman and her 22-year-old daughter, and they have been released from the hospital (New York Times).

New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/nyregion/13crash.html?pagewanted=1&sq=plane%20crash&st=cse&scp=4

New York Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/02/15/2009-02-15_pilot_error_plane_that_crashed_near_buff-1.html

Posted by nels5410 at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the Pioneer Press' story about the Gopher basketball team's recent loss to Ohio State, four different sources seem to be used.

The sources were players Blake Hoffarber, Damian Johnson, and coach Tubby Smith. Also used were probably the stats from the official scorer. The reporter witnessed the event and some of the stats he may have recorded himself but the he probably checked them with the official scorer's records.

The attributions are scattered throughout the story not cluttered in one area.

The attributions are set up effectively with quotes starting paragraphs, the attribution right after that and a quote closing out the paragraph.

The Story: http://www.twincities.com/ci_11654990?source=most_viewed

Posted by nels5410 at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Saturday night the Minnesota Golden Gophers basketball team lost to Ohio State 64-58, despite 19 second half points from Blake Hoffarber both the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press reported.

Hoffarber was 6-for-10 from the three point line snapping a 7-for-37 slump which had been running during the previous 10 Big Ten games. Hoffarber's 19 points lead the team but he told the Pioneer Press, "It doesn't really mean much, because we got the loss."

The Gophers turned the ball over 17 times which lead to 14 points for the Buckeyes.

At half, the Gophers' were down 29-26 but more turnovers in the second half built the Buckeyes' lead. With 3:46 left on the clock the Gophers cut the lead down to 55-52.

Evan Turner, who led Ohio State with 18 points, was 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final 1 minute and 8 seconds, sealing the win for the Buckeyes.

Minnesota (18-5,6-5) dropped from third place in the Big Ten Conference to six place while the Buckeyes improved to (17-5, 7-4).

The Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/39269552.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUo8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU

The Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_11654990

Posted by nels5410 at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mayor R.T. Rybak announced Saturday at the Riverview Theater that he will be running for reelection according to the Star Tribune.

This will be Rybak's second term if he defeats his opponents. His biggest challenger will be Bob Miller according to the Star Tribune.

Rybak didn't promise that he would be able to serve the full-term, fueling already hot speculation that he's planning on running for governor in 2010.

Miller said that he would pledge to serve his full-term.

According to MinnPost in mid-January, Rybak would run his reelection on, "promoting safe neighborhoods, creating jobs, building great places, and transit; laying the groundwork for the next generation."

MinnPost: http://www.minnpost.com/politicalagenda/2009/01/13/5813/minneapolis_mayor_rt_rybak_puts_re-election_announcement_on_web

Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/local/39258747.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU

Posted by nels5410 at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An Eagan elementary school principal is facing disciplinary action for making a 6-year-old kindergartner clean a toilet after being clogged according to the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune.

On Dec. 12, Doug Steele, the principal of Rahn Elementary School in Eagan, forced a kindergartner to take paper towels out of a toilet that was clogged by the 6-year-old boy.

The boy told his parents, Elijah and Shannon Hannah, of the incident and they subsequently reported it to the school. The boy's name wasn't release by both the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune because of his age.

Steele was been on paid administrative leave since Dec. 15, while Elaine Mehdizadeh has held the interim principal position.

Both the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press reported that the school board passed a measure on Thursday to discipline Steele. Steele has 20 days to file a grievance.

According to the Pioneer Press, "The Hannahs are demanding the district fire the principal; otherwise, they will consider legal action."

The boy continues to attend the school.

Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/local/south/39179367.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUgOahccyiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Pioneer Press: http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_11649123

Posted by nels5410 at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Friday a deal was struck in the Senate between Republican moderates and Democrats according to The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Susan Collins of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania agreed to support the new $780 billion stimulus package.

More than $110 billion was cut from the original Senate stimulus package including: $20 billion for school construction and $8 billion to refurbish federal buildings for energy efficiency (The New York Times).

The House passed a different version of the package at $820 billion earlier in the week, and if the Senate package is passed it will be taken to the House for tweaks.

John McCain leads Senate Republicans who believe that the stimulus package is not the solution that will jump start the slumping U.S., economy.

According to the Labor Department 598,000 jobs were lost in January bring the total job loss to more that 3.6 million workers.

President Obama has aggressively attacked Republicans because he feels that, "It is inexcusable and irresponsible for any of us to get bogged down in distraction, delay or politics as usual while millions of Americans are being put out of work.�

The New York Times; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/us/politics/07stimulus.html?pagewanted=1&hp

The Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/07/AR2009020700639.html

Posted by nels5410 at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

More than 20 people died in Madagascar protesting the current administration of President Marc Ravalomanana both the New York Times and The Associated Press reported.

Saturday The New York Times reported that protesters faced security forces at the capital for about an hour and they marched towards the presidential compound called Ambohitsorohitra. There security forces opened fire killing 23 people and wounding 83 according to Jaona Andrianaivo, the head of the Antananarivo fire brigade.

The AP reported that 30 were dead.

President Ravalomanana has been accused of leading the government poorly while citizens have complained of the loss of civil liberties.

Andry Rajoelina is the oppositional leader and a former radio personality. According to The New York Times, Rajoelina declared that he was taking over the government last month and he, "accused Mr. Ravalomanana of being a dictator and abandoning the people."

In response Ravalomanana fired Rajoelina as the mayor of the capital Antananarivo.

New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/world/africa/08madagascar.html?_r=1&hp

The Associated Press: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hfV75EHUookBtBk2OlprGZBpDTzgD966S3PO0

Posted by nels5410 at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)