Two days removed from his landslide victory in the Minneapolis mayoral elections, incumbent R.T. Rybak made his run for governor in 2010 official Thursday by filing to create an election committee.

Rybak did not make a formal announcement, but instead sent an e-mail to friends and supporters.

The filing ...

A first-year University of Minnesota biological sciences student was robbed after being shot in the face with a pellet gun on Wednesday evening, police said.

The student was treated for non-serious injuries and released from University Medical Center, Fairview, according to a Minneapolis Police report.

The 18-year-old student was ...

Governor Tim Pawlenty has proposed an amendment to the state constitution to cap spending for each budget period at the amount of money collected during the previous period. The proposal would not consider inflation, population, or economic growth in the intervening years. In the presentation of his proposed amendment, the Governor used charts showing the six-fold increase in the cost of government since 1962. Yet he conveniently forgot to include ...

Thursday morning, Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced a proposed amendment to the Minnesota state constitution which would limit spending in the state’s budget to what it collected in revenues over the previous biennium. The governor has announced he will not be seeking another term in 2010, but his Freedom First PAC — a suspected launching pad for a 2012 presidential run — took in thousands Wednesday, in a major fundraising event in Minneapolis.

It was hard to see much weakness in Minnesota’s 114-47 win over Minnesota-Duluth at Williams Arena Thursday night.

The young players looked comfortable, even spectacular, and the veterans made their usual big impact, as the Gophers shot 60 percent from the field, with six players scoring in double figures and nearly ...

For students at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, options for health care on campus are scarce.

“If a student needed health services, they might be able to find a band-aid. That’s it.� MCTC Director of Student Life Tara Martinez said

But thanks to a partnership with the University ...

As the Internet has developed into a powerful tool of communication, its regulation and accessibility has become a subject of fierce debate.

A recently proposed set of regulations from the Federal Communications Commission is awaiting finalization, pending a 60-day public discussion in which the details of the draft are decided.

On Oct. 22, the FCC designed a series of regulations to enforce “ ...

Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution on Thursday that would put a ceiling on government spending.

The amendment would limit government spending to the amount of revenue the state made in the previous budget cycle.

Exceptions to the cap could be made for public safety ...

WASHINGTON — Chanting "Kill the bill," thousands of conservatives incensed over the Democrats' health care overhaul protested at the Capitol on Thursday, arguing that the legislation amounts to a government takeover of the nation's medical system.

The crowd, invited on national television by Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., was staunchly anti-government — "Politicians lie, people die," read one sign — but loudly cheered the House Republicans ...

Anybody want to weigh in on the latest Twins trade: Carlos Gomez for J.J. Hardy?

The 2008 Minneapolis/St. Paul Republican National Convention Host Committee will soon disband and hand over close to $7 million in leftover funds to three local foundations: the Minneapolis Foundation, the St. ...

Uhhh… ok, here you go. And just in case you need food for thought, here’s some truly important fodder, hair and all.

And…. yes, the firearms deer season opener has finally arrived (almost)!

Gov. Pawlenty is on his way to Thief River Falls.  Hundreds of deer hunters are preparing for Saturday’s opener at the Oakdale Gun Club in ...

The Lion’s Tap in Eden Prairie has won a lawsuit against McDonald’s, crediting them with the “Who’s Your Patty?” phrase.

Thirteen-year-old Daniel Hauser, who gained acclaim for running away to avoid chemotherapy treatment earlier this year, is var my_tooltip = new Tooltip('dr4', 'tooltip_dr4')

Apparently, newly re-elected Minneapolis Mayor, R.T. Rybak thinks we’ll all be just a little bit happier with a chance to “rock out.” In an effort to honor the band’s contribution to the indie music industry, Rybak will proclaim November 7th “Suicide Commandos Day” this Saturday as they ...

Most likely, the topic of the day will be yesterday’s Fort Hood, Texas shootings, the largest mass murder ever on a U.S. military base. Nidal Malik Hasan, a major and Army psychologist trained to treat soldiers under stress, opened ...

I believe I have found the possible grave sights of the 10 men listed on the Kensington rune stone. No joke; I have kept my find to myself for several years. There seems to ...

… was famously uttered this day (11/5) in 1971 at the Met Sports Center in Bloomington (where IKEA is now located) following Elvis Presley’s kick-off concert to a 15-city North American tour. Al Dvorin made the announcement (”Elvis has left the building. Thank you and good night.”) in an effort to ...

According to The New York Times, pigs from a commercial herd in Indiana tested positive for swine flu. “Last month, tests confirmed that several show pigs at the Minnesota State Fair contracted swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus.” Are they trying to blame the Minnesota pigs for ...

I'm not saying this is the last week of buzz.mn; I'm just saying it could be. That's all.

So: name this town!

Oh Tom I TOLD YOU. Go HERE for the Sunday strip, complete with clue-emphasizing colorization. (Had to be done.) 

Our long drought is over: finally, someone’s done his part for Miscreant Round-up! Makes up for otherwise slim pickings:

“Theft. Police were called to Coborn's Superstore, 7900 Sunwood Drive NW., in regards to a theft. A man had shoved steaks down his pants and left the store. He was last seen getting into a vehicle.�

Carefully and slowly, ...

Here's this week in Minnesota history, as conveniently compiled by the fine Book of Days, and shamelessly hoovered up here for more than a fifth of a decade:

"1869: Norwegian newspaperman Paul Hjelm-Hansen leaves Alexandria to travel to the Red River by oxcart. Hjelm-Hansen had been hired by the State Board of ...

Another template-busting Sunday strip. As much as we hate to taunt the template this way, and make it feel inadequate for having such a narrow option for the text field, well, its days are numbered. Very extremely numbered. It's ...

It’s the weekly survey of small-town websites, and I expect it will bring the usual gentle chiding: they’re not for the outside world! They’re for residents. I disagree, and so do most of the people who set up the sites, it seems - they’re constantly touting the town’s advantages to draw investment and residents. If so, then they need to ...

We begin Monday with this week in our history, from the indispensable Book of Days.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the arrival of the first passenger train in Fairmont. I wonder if anyone got off. Or on. They must have known it was coming, unless the tracks were laid at night and covered with brush to make ...

Another Sunday strip, and I apologize for not cleaning it up as much as usual. You will admire the frank, shameful penitence of the last panel, though. 

Solution posted early this evening.  Good luck!

Your host is bedeviled by meetings and video shoots and column work today, so no time for Miscreant Roundup. Seems a good time to introduce a new feature, though: name that Minnesota Town! This feature ran in the Sunday color ...

This week we head off to Dodge County - first up, it’s Dodge Center in Dodge County. So even when you get out of Dodge, you’re still in Dodge.

Logo? No. Slogan? Two: “A Solid Foundation,� and my favorite, “Stepping Toward the Future.� Sounds rather tentative. Picture of downtown: yes, and it’ ...

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced national detention reform efforts early in October, and while advocacy groups are encouraged by a greater effort to prioritize the health and safety of ICE detainees, they want DHS and ICE to do more to " improve the existing detention system," according to a press release ...

When Carolyn Bramante began working with the homeless, she could provide a hot meal but couldn't treat a bad cut on the road to infection.

"I thought, man, even simple health care ... it could really go a long way," Bramante said.MORE »

I see quite a few plays, but never have I heard someone laughing so hard that she actually cried out for help. At the Thursday night performance of Four Humors' Love is Blind...and Furry at Bedlam Theatre, the woman behind me was in such paroxysms that she ...

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is proposing a constitutional amendment that would cap government spending to the prior budget period's income level. DFL Senate Majority leader Larry Pogemiller and Sen. Tom Bakk say they are willing to listen, but critical of the Governor for being ...

Thanks to The Uptake for live-streaming today's forum on Networking and the New Media Landscape: Reporting news, building community, making money. Click "MORE" to see video.
MORE »

On Wednesday night, the line for dinner outside of St. Stephen's Shelter in south Minneapolis is just beginning to grow as the sun goes down and the temperature drops. MORE »

What's Happening This Week

Thursday, November 5

On the radar: For most of human history, no one ever said, "Fo shizzle, my nizzle." Then Snoop ...

The Black community currently is in a "state of emergency" because there are so many young Blacks who need mentoring, especially Black males, says Darlene Bell. MORE »

State and federal officials are doing their darnedest to track the economic benefits of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, AKA the stimulus plan, most conspicuously by trying to count the jobs created or saved by billions in taxpayer dollars. MORE »

In September, the Bugle asked readers to submit stories of "getting by": how people in the past lived frugally. We'll be publishing some of these submissions in the coming months, and we'll keep a cumulative list on our Web site. MORE »

In brief, back-to-back appearances, U.S. Reps. John Kline and Jim Oberstar delivered diametrically opposed statements on the floor of the House of Representatives Saturday night during the historic debate over national health care reform.

The pair starkly ...

Photo: Graham Moomaw, The Washington Independent

There’s word that “Stunning” Steve King, congressman from Iowa, wants a var my_tooltip = new Tooltip('dr1', 'tooltip_dr1')

There is a grassroots effort underway to draft Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher to run for governor. The campaign has set up Facebook and Twitter

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Photo: WDCpix

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – How effectively will the House health care bill cover children? Turns out, it depends on where they live.

Surveying voters outside of the city last May meant Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak should have registered a gubernatorial campaign committee, the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board said in a ruling ( var my_tooltip = new Tooltip('dr5', 'tooltip_dr5')

Photo: Chris Steller, MnIndy

U.S. Sen. Al Franken introduced legislation Thursday that would encourage states to var my_tooltip = new Tooltip('dr6', 'tooltip_dr6')

Photo: Graham Moomaw, Washington Independent

In headlining Thursday’s “House call” protest against health-care reform, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann was going rogue on her ...

“As one of my good friends and supporters, I want you to know that today we filed the paperwork to create the R.T. ...

Gov. Tim Pawlenty unveiled a proposal on Tuesday to amend the state’s constitution in order to keep a lid on government spending. His plan would cap the size of the state’s general fund budget at the amount of revenue received ...