The Minnesota Independent’s parent nonprofit, the American Independent News Network, was accepted into the Association of Alternative Newsmedia as the group’s first web-only news outlet following a vote of approval during its annual membership meeting held in New Orleans last month. ANN, formerly the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, includes papers like City Pages and the Village Voice among its members.

“We are thrilled to welcome the American Independent News Network as our first online-only member,” Tiffany Shackelford, the executive director of AAN, said in a statement. “Its independent voice is an excellent example of the tireless and compelling journalism other online news organizations should aspire to replicate.”

Shackelford added: “We look forward to accepting more online-only news outlets.”

AINN, with its eight state and national affiliates, enters the AAN fold after it received the two-thirds votes necessary to gain admission into the alternative press trade group formerly known as the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. The organization approved the name change the same day it accepted AINN. Only 30 percent of news outlets that apply for membership with AAN are selected.

Comprising 130 publications that report in every major metropolitan area of the United States, AAN maintains a combined weekly circulation of over 6.5 million as well as an active readership of nearly 17 million in the U.S. and Canada.

Several members of the AINN editorial team are alumnae of AAN publications, including its executive editor, Blake de Pastino, who reported for publications in the New Times network.

The Minnesota Independent and seven other local sites were included in The Fix‘s annual list of best political blogs.

The Fix, which is run by the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, relied on nominations from readers to compile the list.

Minnesota came out for special acclaim for its “very active political blog culture”; only Florida had more sites mentioned.

The following Minnesota blogs also won a place on the list: Bluestem Prairie, Capitol View, Dump Bachmann, Hot Dish Politics, MinnPotus, Smart Politics and True North.

Our sister site, the Iowa Independent, also made the list for Iowa.

Minnesota Independent reporter Sam Lane appeared on Your Call radio in San Francisco on July 8. Aired on KALW Public Radio in San Francisco, Your Call hosts a weekly Media Roundtable during which journalists comment on and discuss the coverage of some of the world’s biggest stories.

Lane discussed Minnesota’s government shutdown as well as the controversy surrounding Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World.

Listen to Lane’s interview here:

With a partisan stalemate in St. Paul over the lack of agreement over a state budget, the Minnesota government remains closed, except for essential services. Minnesota Independent Senior Reporter Andy Birkey discussed the latest developments Wednesday with Free Speech TV, including Republican claims that negotiations moved backwards, the GOP’s last-minute attempt to slip controversial issues like voter ID provisions (which DFLers said would increase the budget) and bans on certain forms of stem-cell research into a deal.

It’s Birkey’s second appearance on Free Speech TV. Last month, he discussed Tim Pawlenty’s presidential campaign and his donations from top executives of Morgan Stanley, a global financial services corporation linked to the recent financial crisis.

Watch it:

The Minnesota Independent’s Sam Lane discussed the budget impasse and government shutdown with nationally syndicated radio host Thom Hartmann on Friday. Lane discussed recent stories, including last night’s shutdown and the revelation that Republicans sought a bargain with Gov. Mark Dayton that would’ve put controversial social issues like a ban on funding for some forms of stem cell research and abortion limits back on the table.

Listen here:

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s ties to Morgan Stanley and some of its top executives was the topic of a Thursday Free Speech TV conversation featuring Minnesota Independent senior reporter Andy Birkey.

As Birkey reported Wednesday:

… Pawlenty’s Freedom First PAC got $79,500 from Morgan Stanley executives last year. Only Federated Insurance gave more to Pawlenty. Pawlenty has also tapped Morgan Stanley executive Bill Strong to co-chair his presidential campaign, and under Strong’s leadership, Pawlenty raised $800,000 in two events — one in Chicago and another in Texas.

The financial firm has been the target of several probes related to investing and the mortgage-backed securities crisis that eventually led to the nationwide economic recession.

While it’s not unusual for politicians, especially Republicans, to receive donations from the financial sector, Birkey posits that it might rankle some in the tea party movement.

“I think the unusual piece,” Birkey tells FSTV’s Jared Jacang Maher, “is that Pawlenty’s come out pretty strongly against bailouts, yet people helping him raise his money [including Morgan Stanley] have benefited from those bailouts.”

Watch it:

In that category, judges wrote that the Minnesota Independent is “easy to navigate” and offers “lots of supplemental information and good participation from readers.”

Also taking home a first was photographer Kathy Easthagen for her photo essay about President Barack Obama’s 2010 rally at the University of Minnesota with then-candidate and current governor Mark Dayton (who gave the keynote speech at last night’s banquet). As there’s no category for photographers working in online-only news settings, Easthagen competed with newspapers having circulations of 50,000 or more, a category that includes the Star Tribune and major state papers. Judges praised her shots as “good you-are-there photography.” It’s Easthagen’s second first place Page One prize for the Minnesota Independent: Last year she won the top news photo slot (also competing against large newspapers) for photos of Obama’s September 2009 health care rally.

MnIndy also took a third place Page One Award for “Best Website.”

Since its founding, the Minnesota Independent has won 18 Page One Awards, including three last year, eight at the 2009 ceremony, three in 2008 and one in 2007. The prize series “recognizes the best in Minnesota journalism each year.” View all 2011 Page One winners here.

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow made note of Rep. Michele Bachmann’s upcoming September appearance at the Freedom Jamboree, a tea party presidential nominating conference that will also feature Bradlee Dean of the religious group You Can Run But You Cannot Hide. Dean repeatedly has called for the incarceration of gays and lesbians, while Bachmann has frequently helped the group with fundraising.

Maddow noted that many Republican contenders have aligned themselves with religious right groups that have called for Christians to give their lives for the anti-abortion rights cause and have appeared alongside anti-gay leaders, including Dean. Maddow notes that Dean once told radio audiences that Muslim countries are “more moral” than American Christians for executing homosexuals.

“Muslims are calling for the executions of homosexuals in America,” Dean said on YCR’s May 15, 2010, radio show on AM 1280. “This just shows you they themselves are upholding the laws that are even in the Bible of the Judeo-Christian God, but they seem to be more moral than even the American Christians do, because these people are livid about enforcing their laws. They know homosexuality is an abomination.”

“If America won’t enforce the laws, God will raise up a foreign enemy to do just that,” Dean continued. “That is what you are seeing in America.”

It’s not Dean’s first mention on Maddow’s show. In Aug. 2008, his comments about Muslims and homosexuality made the show. Maddow noted the link between Dean’s group and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, who following Dean’s comments about the execution of gays called the group “nice people.”

Maddow cites the Minnesota Independent’s reporting on the Freedom Jubilee at the 7:25 mark:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

While journalistic accolades can come in many forms — awards, peer recognition, a paycheck — here’s a new one to us: A bull calf born during Tuesday’s snowstorm was named after Minnesota Independent Senior Reporter Andy Birkey. According to rancher Barbra Peterson, who has a 92-head herd in Sandstone, Birkey’s reporting on reproductive health and social justice issues prompted the move. But his cattle counterpart isn’t alone: Peterson’s other cows are named after progressives, too, including the new calf’s mom, Barbara Jordan.

Young Andy Birkey, a Hereford Red Angus cross, was calved Tuesday, weighing in at 70 pounds, Peterson says. He’s part of a herd that likewise has familiar names: Tom Bakk, Paul Thissen, John Marty and most recently John Lesch. In addition to running the ranch with her husband, Peterson is vice president of Minnesota NOW, chair of DFL Senate District 8 and vice president of the DFL Feminist Caucus.

Birkey is “just so phenomenal,” she says, citing his reporting on bills that would ban certain kids of stem cell research and that would ban abortion in Minnesota after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. “The Minnesota Independent is the only ‘paper’ talking about some of this.”

Also getting cows named after them: bloggers Rachel Nygaard and Robin Marty (founding editor of the Minnesota Independent). Both have been participating in the Pro-Choice Resources Bowl-a-Thon, which ends today; the rules state that whoever raises the most gets naming rights for cows in Peterson’s herd. But regardless of who wins, both will be commemorated on the farm.

“They’re both going to get one named after them,” Peterson said. “They just don’t know that yet.”

Meet Andy:

The watchdog group Americans United for the Separation of Church and State sent a letter to Minnesota Senate leadership Monday warning the chamber that Pastor Dennis Campbell‘s prayer last week was unconstitutional. Addressed to Senate President Michelle Fischbach, Majority Leader Amy Koch and Minority Leader Tom Bakk, the letter also urged the leaders to either refrain from allowing prayers in the Senate or to ensure that if it continues to do so it does in a way that respects other traditions.

The letter — which was signed by Ayesha N. Khan, Americans United’s legal director; Gregory M. Lipper, the group’s litigation counsel; and staff attorney Ian Smith — stated that numerous courts have ruled the type of prayer that Campbell gave, one that quotes Christian scripture and invokes Jesus Christ, unconstitutional.

“Pastor’s Campbell’s prayer was unconstitutional because it was sectarian and proselytizing,” the letter states. “The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the Constitution permits prayers at the beginning of legislative sessions if those prayers do not contain language or symbols specific to one religion.”

The letter, which cites reporting by the Minnesota Independent, goes on to state that several lower courts have allowed even broader leeway than the Supreme Court, and the type of prayer given by Campbell was of the sort that those lower courts have ruled against.

“Pastor Campbell’s prayer was unconstitutional even under the more permissive standard adopted by” other courts, wrote the attorneys.

The letter concluded, “Because the Senate is designed to represent all Minnesota citizens, regardless of faith, we urge you to refrain from opening future sessions with any type of prayer. If the Senate does continue open meetings with prayers, however, the Constitution requires you to ensure that they do not advance any particular religion.”

The prayer raised the ire of non-Christian senators and departed from longstanding tradition that allowed clergy from different faiths to offer prayer so long as the prayer is inclusive of all senators’ beliefs. Over the weekend, Campbell addressed those concerns, especially by Jewish lawmakers who commented, stating that he wasn’t “seeking to offend anybody but seeking to show respect for Jesus Christ, the creator, redeemer, savior and one day our judge, and we know the founders of the constitution were very supportive of Jesus Christ and the Bible.”

The letter, which appears below, echoes sentiments shared with the Minnesota Independent last week by Rob Boston, senior policy analyst at Americans United:

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