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State court: No need for warrants in drunk-driving blood test

By Anna Pratt | 06.03.08 | 1:04 pm


When a drunk driver is believed to be responsible for a death or injury, law enforcement officials are allowed to order blood tests without a warrant, the state Supreme Court ruled on May 30. Bucking a…

Depression-era cash box found in Wisconsin as Minnesota bank fails

By Chris Steller | 06.03.08 | 8:38 am

When a Minnesota bank becomes the nation’s fourth since December to fail (as happened Friday), and a Minnesota credit union gets hit with a cease-and-desist order from the state for being in the red (as…

No more free ride for Ramsey County cops

By Anna Pratt | 06.02.08 | 1:17 pm

Looking for a way to cut expenses, Ramsey County is no longer footing the gas bill for officers with take-home cars, as of June 1. The nearly 100 cops who commute to work in department-provided…

Ron Paul confirms plan for “big rally” at RNC

By Tom Elko | 06.02.08 | 10:42 am

Newsweek conducted a brief Q&A session with Rep. Ron Paul, R- Tex., and directly asked him about his plans for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul:

“We’ll have a big rally there one of the…

Minneapolis politicians and activists at odds over ‘neighborhood revitalization’

By Anna Pratt | 06.02.08 | 9:12 am

While some politicians tout a piece of recent legislation as one way to continue Minneapolis’ Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) beyond its original 2009 end date, critics see flaws in its vague terminology, and question how dollars will…

MPD: Off-duty cops allegedly fired up to 10 gunshots while partying

By Anna Pratt | 05.30.08 | 8:00 am

When police responded to a 911 call about a noisy South Minneapolis party in the wee morning hours Thursday, a few guests turned out to be fellow cops. Authorities are looking into…

St. Paul police academy: Congrats K-9 graduates!

By Anna Pratt | 05.30.08 | 2:40 am

On Thursday, the St. Paul Dog Training Unit celebrated the graduation of a class of 12 new K-9 cops. The German shepherds traveled from abroad to undergo the specialized training and are now bound…

What will become of all those holes downtown? Minneapolis takes on growing problem of condo-cide

By Molly Priesmeyer | 05.29.08 | 2:49 pm

Spend some time in downtown Minneapolis and the truth starts to reveal itself: Underneath all that shiny beauty, nestled between the giant trophies of art and commerce, are holes and pockmarks — acres of empty land that…

Hatch’s lack of concern for charitable trusts predated WCAL dustup

By Chris Steller | 05.29.08 | 1:11 pm

Two independent radio stations at colleges in two separate states, both sought by one buyer: Minnesota Public Radio.

Advocates for both stations ask their state attorneys general to investigate whether the prospective sales violate laws governing charitable…

Latest MPD legal scuffle pits Chief Tim Dolan against the police union

By Anna Pratt | 05.29.08 | 10:18 am

Last Wednesday, The Star Tribune reported that an attorney has asked the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office to investigate Minneapolis Police Chief Timothy Dolan for a data practices violation. What the story failed to make clear,…