They’re not the NFL, but the expectation has to be that the NCAA will drive as hard a bargain for “hosting rights” … . Doug Belden of the PiPress says: “After the successful effort to bring the Super Bowl to town in 2018, Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday plans to detail the campaign to land the men's basketball Final Four. The local bid for the tournament has already been submitted. ... Local business leaders and sports figures will join Dayton at the Capitol for a 2 p.m. news conference on the latest push, according to a release from his office.”
Our cut will be (maybe) … 41 percent. Amy Forliti, for the AP: “Minnesota, which already successfully lowered carbon emissions and capitalized on renewable energy sources, must cut carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 41 percent over the next 15 years as part of a sweeping plan President Barack Obama announced Monday to reduce pollution from power plants. … [David Thornton, assistant commissioner for air policy at the MPCA] said the systems already in place will make it easier for Minnesota to meet the new rules.”
Former MPCA deputy commissioner and Best Buy exec Leo Raudys writes on the GreenBiz.com site: “while both sides are busy yelling at each other, innovators in the clean tech economy should be cheering quietly on the sidelines. Without question, this is the biggest thing to hit the energy sector in years and the effects will be felt for many generations. The companies that can maximize the value caused by this major policy disruption will be huge winners.” That was my first thought.
Of course you’ve already seen … the wedding party collapsing the dock. From Mike Durkin at KMSP-TV: “Dan and Jackie Anderson got married in Crosslake, Minn. over the weekend and videographer Megan Fritze caught it all on tape – including the unexpected plunge into the lake just an hour before the wedding.” I can’t find the video, but I’m pretty sure the same thing happened somewhere down south six weeks or so ago.
And in a scene out of “House of Cards” … . The AP says: “A hazardous materials team responded after white powder was found in an envelope opened at the Minnesota governor's residence. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says staff at Gov. Mark Dayton's residence opened the letter Monday morning at a building next to the living quarters. While the content of the letter was not threatening, staff detected a small amount of white powder.”
Always scary … . Says Pippi Mayfield of the Forum News Service: “Eric and Karen Odens' only child, Sophia, came down with flu-like symptoms Feb. 5. The following morning, the couple brought their daughter to the hospital in Detroit Lakes because the symptoms had worsened. On Feb. 11 — a day after her fourth birthday — Sophia died of E. coli bacteria infection. … While Karen was with her daughter at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, S.D., she became sick with the same symptoms.”
Amid all the frenzied geek tweeting during yesterday’s Apple show in San Francisco, the AP noted: “Apple executive Craig Federighi said data from various fitness-related devices now live in silos, so you can’t get a comprehensive picture of your health. He said that will change with HealthKit in iOS 8. Apple is also working with the Mayo Clinic to make sure your weight, calorie intake and other health metrics are within healthy ranges.” When my phone tells me to put down the caramel roll, it gets tossed.
But let’s talk what’s always most important … football. David La Vaque in the Strib writes, “District scheduling for high school football was approved at Monday’s Minnesota State High School League board of directors meeting at league headquarters in Brooklyn Center. Teams throughout the state were placed in one of 18 districts, bidding farewell to the traditional conference model but welcoming fewer scheduling headaches for several programs. The sweeping change begins in 2015.”
In case you were wondering … . “It appears our rainy spring has pushed the Twin Cities and much of Minnesota to the second wettest year on record so far.
2.37″ rainfall at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Sunday (a daily rainfall record)
3.04″ weekend rainfall total at MSP
16.86″ precipitation (rain and snow) since Jan. 1
+7.04″ vs. average
2nd wettest year on record so far at MSP (pending updated numbers)," says MPR’s Paul Huttner.
I doubt these folks were planning to sell at the farmers’ market. Marino Eccher of the PiPress reports, “A tip from an informant and the overwhelming smell of marijuana spurred a bust yielding hundreds of plants and more than $100,000 in cash from a sophisticated grow operation, Dakota County authorities say. Four people were charged May 30 with conspiracy to commit second- and third- degree drug felonies in the case: 31-year old Thi An Mac, 31-year-old Nghia Hoang Nguyen, 35-year-old Trang Uyen Mac and 39-year-old Trung Van Nguyen.”