The Minnesota Independent

35w - Latest Stories

Pawlenty and Rybak agree on silence for bridge-collapse anniversary

By Chris Steller | 07.30.09 | 5:15 pm

rybak-pawlentyGov. Pawlenty and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak don’t agree on much these days, but plans for a simple moment of silence to commemorate the second anniversary of the I-35W bridge collapse have earned the endorsement of both men. 

Rybak touts Obamanomics: Will city get federal funds in return?

By Chris Steller | 01.12.09 | 1:21 pm

R.T. Rybak boasts of his access to the Obama administration, but can Minneapolis’ mayor really expect to bring more federal spending on transportation infrastructure to the Twin Cities?

Blago’s relationship with lieutenant gov recalls Minnesota’s 1962 recount rivals

By Chris Steller | 12.12.08 | 3:19 pm

Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn is calling for the resignation of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a man with whom he shared a ticket but apparently little else except antipathy. According to Quinn, the two men haven’t spoken since Aug. 2, 2007. That was the day after the I-35W bridge fell in Minneapolis, an event that did not trigger estrangement between Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau, who was then also Transportation Commissioner. But the distant relationship between Blagojevich and his second-in-command does have at least one parallel in Minnesota, from the time of the last great statewide election recount in 1962.

Coleman enlists 35W bridge tragedy in his campaign against Franken

By Tom Elko | 04.24.08 | 3:45 pm

Sen. Norm Coleman has a new weapon in his arsenal and it is intended for his anticipated opponent, Al Franken. The incumbent senator has recently suggested that if Franken had been in the U.S. Senate when the…

Citing ‘distortions,’ MNDOT closes St. Cloud bridge

By Chris Steller | 03.21.08 | 7:53 am

Two months after National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Mark Rosenker was himself accused of distortions (Daily Mole, Oberstar) over the role of gusset plates in the I-35W bridge collapse, the Minnesota Department of Transportation closed St. Cloud’s…

A post-ideological toll pax?

By Chris Steller | 03.20.08 | 7:35 pm


As commenters here have noted, devotees of congestion pricing — the concept behind toll lanes on Hwy. 394 and (soon) I-35W — come from both sides of the aisle. The…

Holy Highway: Evangelicals Pray to “Light” Interstate 35

By Andy Birkey | 11.29.07 | 5:29 pm

I351.jpgRunning right through the heart of the Twin Cities is a spiritual road that dozens of evangelical churches say is specifically mentioned in the Bible as the “Way of Holiness.” They call it the “Highway of…

The Hero with the Hand Sanitizer

By Paul Schmelzer | 08.24.07 | 11:00 am

First responder: You might remember Bonnie Bleskachek as the former Minneapolis fire chief who was demoted after she was accused of beating her lover and harassing subordinates. The city spent more than

Bridge Fix of the Week: Interstate 35W South of Franklin Avenue

By Andy Birkey | 08.22.07 | 10:24 am

The bridge over Highway 65 four blocks south of Franklin Avenue is a two-lane bridge built in 1967.  It is 433 feet long and accommodates an average of 48,500 vehicle trips per day over its structure.…

Watching Westboro: Does News Coverage of Phelps Help the Haters or Serve the Community?

By Paul Schmelzer | 08.10.07 | 3:44 pm

Fred Phelps is coming!

Fred Phelps is coming!

Fred Phelps… didn’t come.

After the collapse of Interstate 35W, the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., dashed off a pair of news releases announcing members of…