Vikings-Bears

Date: 12/27/2009 10:54 AM
Favre-Cutler falls short of prime-time hype
ANDREW SELIGMAN,AP Sports Writer

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — It certainly looked like a juicy prime-time pairing when the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears were scheduled for Monday night.

If the script didn't play out as expected, well, at least it had no shortage of twists.

There's Jay Cutler throwing about as many interceptions as completions for Chicago. And rampant speculation about the future of the coaching staff and general manager Jerry Angelo as one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory comes to an end.

On the other side, there's Brett Favre in the center of drama again, only this time it's not about retirement or a comeback. It's about conflict, with coach Brad Childress playing his antagonist.

So a showcase between gunslingers young and old that might have decided the NFC North instead will have an entirely different tone when these teams meet at Soldier Field.

"I think every team in the league wants to believe they're going to be in the run for the playoffs," Cutler said. "Bottom line, obviously, is this is not where we want to be."

The Bears (5-9) are simply trying to salvage something from this lost season. The Vikings (11-3) are trying to regain their momentum heading into the playoffs after dropping two of three, and put aside that sideline spat between their quarterback and coach last week.

"Well, they were resolved just by sitting down and talking about, as we should have done and ultimately did do," Favre said. "But really the differences, it's gotten blown way out of proportion."

The problem is the confrontation played out on national TV last Sunday night during a 26-7 loss to Carolina. Cameras caught Childress placing his right hand on Favre's left biceps, and Favre pulling his arm away after Childress said something.

It was far from the lovefest in which the coach chauffeured him from the airport to the team's headquarters to sign the contract last summer.

This time, Childress considered lifting Favre after watching him get sacked four times and hit numerous others even though the Vikings were leading 7-6 in the third quarter. Favre indicated after the game the decision was more performance-based. Either way, he was having none of it.

The league's all-time leading passer, he stayed in the game and finished 17 of 27 with 224 yards and an interception. Whether Childress wanted to lift him for preservation or performance, the notion seemed odd despite Favre's recent struggles.

Sure, he's not playing up to the level that drove a 10-1 start, with three touchdowns and four interceptions this month, but he is in the running for an unprecedented fourth MVP award. He's also in the center of drama again.

The conflict last week sparked reports of Favre and Childress clashing over the play-calling while raising questions about a relationship that — for what it's worth — the Vikings insist is fine.

"I think we're both on the same page," Childress said. "It hasn't been a distraction or divisive. ... I'm always animated when I speak. I don't know if it's because I've got Italian blood or what. I speak with my hands."

Cornerback Antoine Winfield said: "We have all the confidence in the world that No. 4 will get the job done for us and we're excited about having him out there."

More important, the Vikings need to win this game. If they do, they would get a first-round bye if Philadelphia loses.

It would help if Adrian Peterson emerged from a December snooze in which he managed 19 yards against Arizona and 35 against Carolina last week after going for 97 in a win over Cincinnati. It would help, too, if Favre played the way he did last month against the Bears and not the last time he visited Soldier Field.

On Nov. 29, he threw for a season-high 392 yards and three touchdowns, and the Vikings racked up 537 yards in a 36-10 win at the Metrodome. This time?

"I definitely think it'll be little bit of a different story because it's on our turf and they've got to come outside," Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer said.

Two years ago on a bone-chilling, windy and at times snowy afternoon at Soldier Field, Favre threw for just 153 yards for Green Bay in a 35-7 loss that wiped out the Packers' shot at the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

It was a nightmarish performance for him. For Cutler, this has been a nightmarish season.

His 25 interceptions are six shy of Sid Luckman's club record, and only Favre with 29 in 2005 has thrown more in a season this decade. Things were particularly bad for Cutler in last week's 31-7 loss at Baltimore, when he was 10 for 27 with a season-low 94 yards, got picked off threw times and had a 7.9 rating. The optimism that surrounded his arrival is a distant memory after eight losses in 10 games.

"I don't worry about anybody's observations, except for the people in this building," he said. "I can't get wrapped up in what's going on outside of this building."

Minnesota stimulus-broadband

Date: 12/27/2009 5:00 AM
Minn. gets $1.7 million for broadband initiatives

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota is getting $1.7 million from the federal stimulus to map broadband Internet access and plan for service improvements.

The money comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

It will go to Connect Minnesota, a nonprofit collaboration between the state Department of Commerce and Connected Nation, a national nonprofit that promotes increased broadband access.

Connect Minnesota will use $1.2 million for mapping and data collection and another $500,000 for planning over five years. The group will feed the state mapping data into a national broadband map, set for release in 2011.

Connect Minnesota says it also plans to start a new mapping tool called BroadbandStat to help plan broadband expansions.

Holiday storm

Date: 25/12/2009 18:28
White Christmas turns into a headache for some
DINESH RAMDE,Associated Press Writer

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Residents across the Midwest and the Plains who made it home for Christmas were digging out on Friday after a fierce snowstorm while those who spent the night in airports and shelters tried to resume their journeys. Meteorologists warned that roads across the region remained dangerous.

The National Weather Service said blizzards would hit parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin through Saturday. The storm had already dumped significant snow across the region, including a record 14 inches in Oklahoma City and 11 inches in Duluth, Minn., on Thursday.

Slippery roads have been blamed for at least 20 deaths this week as the storm lumbered across the country from the Southwest. Ice storm warnings and winter weather advisories had been issued for parts of the East Coast on Friday, but the region was largely spared.

Paul Mews, who drove from Faribault, Minn., to a relative's home in Plum City, Wis., on Friday morning, said the first 15 minutes of the 80-mile trip were clear, but a sudden surge of heavy snowfall produced a stretch of near-whiteout conditions.

"It was snow-pocalypse. It was wicked," said Mews, 25. "We thought about turning around and going back."

He and his wife decided to continue when the surge passed minutes later, noting that plows were doing a good job of keeping roads clear.

"Spending Christmas day with family was more important than the weather," Mews said.

Others weren't as lucky.

Army Sgt. Mark Matthey was spending Friday night at the Flying J Travel Plaza in Sioux Falls, S.D., after Interstate 90 closed. Matthey, 26, had left Fort Bragg, N.C., on Wednesday for his hometown of Spokane, Wash., in hopes of making it by late Friday or early Saturday.

Instead, he spent the afternoon drinking coffee, watching TV and making friends at the truck stop. He planned to find a spot to sleep on the floor or in the cab of his truck.

Matthey said he and his fellow stranded travelers were in decent spirits.

"Everybody has the attitude that you have to play the cards you were dealt," he said. "No use in getting upset about something you can't control."

Interstates also were closed in North Dakota and Nebraska. Meteorologists warned that massive snow drifts and blustery winds could cause whiteouts across the northern Plains. They urged travelers to stay home and pack emergency kits if they had to set out.

Since Tuesday, icy roads have been blamed for accidents that killed at least seven people in Nebraska, five people in Oklahoma, four in Kansas, two in Minnesota and one each in North Dakota and near Albuquerque, N.M.

Winds were gusting from 45 mph to 60 mph across the Dakotas and Nebraska on Friday. Crews were working to restore power to thousands of customers in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa.

About 200 people were stuck overnight at Oklahoma's largest airport, which closed Thursday afternoon after several inches of snow clogged runways, said Mark Kranenburg, director of the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. The airport reopened Friday morning, but only one of three runways was operational.

Most of the stranded passengers were gone by Friday afternoon. While some were able to catch flights, many simply went home. Kranenburg predicted it would be two or three days before all runways were open and flights resumed as scheduled.

The 14 inches of snow in Oklahoma City broke a record of 2.5 inches set back in 1914.

The previous record for Christmas Eve in Duluth, which has gotten more than 22 inches in two days, was a "paltry" 3 inches in 1893, said Kevin Kraujalis, a National Weather Service meteorologist. By the time the storm is over, it could be one of the 10 worst in Duluth's recorded history.

With heavy winds producing snow drifts as deep as 5 feet, "it's awful, it's just awful," Kraujalis said. "It's a big workout just walking outside to check my weather equipment."

Still, he acknowledged that not everyone was turned off by the fresh powder.

"I'm sure kids with new sleds, skis, any outdoor sports equipment that Santa brought them, I'm sure it's exciting for them," Kraujalis said. "The snow is wet and heavy, so it's good for packing, for making snowmen or whatever."

In central Iowa, a sheriff's deputy in Guthrie County, where about a foot of snow had fallen by Friday evening over two days, said he saw only snowplows on his way to work.

"It's going to be one of them days," Deputy Jesse Swenson said. "Everybody wanted a white Christmas — and they got it."

Since Tuesday, icy roads have been blamed for accidents that killed at least seven people in Nebraska, five people in Oklahoma, four in Kansas, two in Minnesota and one each in North Dakota and near Albuquerque, N.M.

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Associated Press writers Patrick Condon in Minneapolis, Eric Olson in Omaha, Neb., Melanie Welte in Des Moines, Iowa, John Hanna in Topeka, Kan., and Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov

Hunting death

Date: 25/12/2009 18:12

Minn. man found dead in apparent hunting accident

AUSTIN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota deputies say an Austin man has died in an apparent hunting accident.

KIMT-TV in Mason City, Iowa, says authorities found the body of 44-year-old Bernard Olson on Thursday evening.

Fillmore County deputies were investigating a report of a missing person when they found Olson's parked vehicle. They followed tracks in the snow to his body.

An initial investigation suggests Olson might have fallen on an arrow, injuring himself too severely to make it back to his vehicle.

Fillmore County is in the southeast corner of the state.

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Information from: KIMT-TV, http://www.kimt.com

Train wreck rescue

Copyright 2009, The Associated Press

John Zimmer, right, and his nephew Justin Widell, both of Lake City, Minn., are pictured at the rail crossing over West Lakewood Avenue, Lake City on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009. Zimmer and Widell pulled Emery Henn, 87, of Lake City out of his minivan minutes before a train hit the stuck vehicle. (AP Photo/ Rochester Post-Bulletin, Michele Jokinen)

Train/car wreck

This van, owned and driven by Emery Henn, of Lake City, Minn. stalled and was hit by a train Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009 in Lake City, Minn. Henn was rescued by John Zimmer and Justin Widell.(AP Photo/Rochester Post-Bulletin, Michele Jokinen)

Virginia fatal stabbing

Date: 24/12/2009 13:15
Man charged in stabbing death of Minnesota man

VIRGINIA, Minn. (AP) — A 33-year-old man accused of stabbing a Minnesota man to death has been charged with second-degree murder.

A judge on Thursday set Robert Russell's bail at $1 million after prosecutors said the Duluth man was a flight risk.

Defense attorney Bruce Williams had asked that bail be set at $250,000. He didn't immediately return a message Thursday afternoon seeking comment.

The Mesabi Daily News of Virginia says Russell is accused in the stabbing of 33-year-old Jamie John Drumm of Virginia on Saturday.

Police say Drumm and another man were walking down a street when a vehicle with two men and a woman drove by. Words were exchanged and a fight ensued.

Russell's next court appearance is Jan. 4.

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Information from: Mesabi Daily News, http://www.virginiamn.com

Army deployment

Date: 24/12/2009 11:50
Minn. Army Reserve unit to head to southwest Asia

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — A U.S. Army Reserve unit based in St. Cloud is scheduled for deployment to southwest Asia.

Command Sgt. Maj. Ty Emmans told the St. Cloud Times on Wednesday he couldn't be specific about which unit was involved, how many soldiers will go and when the unit would leave.

He says more information would be released Monday.

He says the soldiers will be providing protection and helping to stabilize the local areas. He says he couldn't immediately provide more detail out of concern for the safety of the soldiers' families.

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Information from: St. Cloud Times, http://www.sctimes.com

Snow removal - holidays

Date: 24/12/2009 06:01
Minn. cities see hefty snowstorm bills at holiday

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The winter storm forecast to hit Minnesota over the Christmas holiday could prove costly for cities that have to dole out holiday pay to snow plow drivers and other city workers.

The city of St. Paul's street maintenance engineer tells Minnesota Public Radio News that the city budgets about $500,000 for an average snow emergency. He says the timing of the storm could add an additional $250,000 in expenses.

St. Paul budgeted for four snow emergencies in calendar year 2009, and those funds have already been exhausted as the city declared three snow emergencies last winter and one already this December.

The city of Minneapolis is also expecting greater snow-removal costs than usual. So is the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where some workers will be paid double time-and-a-half for working Christmas Day.

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Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mpr.org

Conservation grants

Date: 12/23/2009 6:46 AM
$3.7 million given for Minn. conservation projects

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' new conservation grant program is awarding more than $3.7 million for 35 fish and wildlife projects.

One hundred and 27 applications totaling $16.5 million were received for the Conservation Partners Legacy grants.

Local, state and federal nonprofit organizations, along with governmental entities, were eligible to apply for grants ranging from $5,000 to $400,000.

The money comes from a voter-approved sales tax increase to pay for the outdoors and the arts. The amendment to Minnesota's constitution passed in the 2008 election, raising the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent starting in July.

Kline-governor

Date: 12/22/2009 10:47 AM

Kline: No favorite in Minn. governor's race

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. John Kline isn't picking favorites among the seven Republicans running for governor.

Kline says he will support the candidate who wins the state GOP endorsement in April.

The four-term member of Congress says more candidates may get into the race while others will probably drop out.

Minnesota has a wide-open governor's race, with 11 Democrats also in the running.

Midwest home sales

12/22/2009 3:09 PM

Midwest home sales surge 58 percent in November
JOSH FUNK,AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Home sales in the Midwest jumped 58 percent last month over year-ago levels, the strongest showing of any region, as first-time buyers rushed to claim a temporary federal tax credit.

There were 106,000 completed sales in the 11-state region, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. The median home price was flat at $140,800.

Nationally, existing home sales jumped almost 47 percent from November of last year, without adjusting for seasonal factors. The median sales price fell 4 percent to $172,600.

About half of all buyers in November were first-time home buyers, NAR said. Many hurried to get under a deadline to qualify for an $8,000 tax credit that was set to expire at the end of the month, though Congress then extended and expanded the program through April.

Buyers who have owned their current homes for at least five years are eligible for a tax credit of up to $6,500, while first-time home buyers — or anyone who hasn't owned a home in the last three years — can still get up to $8,000.

The tax credit deadline drove sales across most of the Midwest.

"It got everybody moving," said Don Godwin, owner of the Re/Max Real Estate Group in Des Moines.

But economic problems in some areas outweighed the tax credit's benefit.

"Our problem is the unemployment," said Realtor Ken Gentile with Re/Max Home Sales Service in Detroit.

All 12 major Midwestern cities tracked in the Associated Press-Re/Max Monthly Housing Report, also released Tuesday, showed double-digit annual sales increases. The sales gains ranged from a 19 percent jump in Detroit to a 94 percent increase in Omaha.

Seven of the cities reported median sale price gains over November last year, including increases of roughly 30 percent in Cleveland and Detroit.

The report analyzed sales transactions in the metropolitan statistical areas recorded by all real estate agents, regardless of company affiliation.

Here are some of the highlights from the region:

—Biggest price gains: Cleveland's median sales prices jumped 31 percent to $112,500 in November to lead the region.

Realtor Al Stasek with Re/Max Crossroads in the Cleveland suburb of Rocky River said autumn sales activity was unseasonably strong in the area.

"Our inventory is down and demand increased because of the first-time homebuyer credit," Stasek said.

Detroit's median home price jumped 29 percent to $74,900. But Gentile says he thinks the price gain figures might be a bit misleading because many homeowners have been pulling their homes off the market because they don't want to compete with bank-owned foreclosure sales.

"The amount of equity lost is just ridiculous," Gentile said.

—Biggest sales gain: Omaha home sales jumped 94 percent to 927 in November.

Realtor Kelly Rasmussen with Keller Williams Greater Omaha said she has been surprised with how busy the last couple months have been even leading up to Christmas this week.

Omaha's median sales price remained relatively unchanged in November at $147,825, and Rasmussen said she thinks many homes in the area are still underpriced.

—Biggest price decline: Median home prices in Des Moines declined nearly 9 percent to $140,000 in November. But Des Moines still saw a 74 percent jump in sales thanks to the tax credits.

"The interest rate is excellent, and there are some good buys," Godwin said.

Vick dog in St. Paul

Date: 12/22/2009 5:00 AM

Former Vick dog at St. Paul elementary school

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Students at a St. Paul elementary school will get a visit from a pit bull rescued from NFL quarterback Michael Vick's dogfighting operation.

Hector now lives in Rochester, Minn. He's scheduled to visit third-grade students at Barack and Michelle Obama Service Learning Elementary School on Tuesday.

The group A Rotta Love Plus is teaming up with third-grade teachers and staff at the school this school year to help teach students about the care and responsibility of dogs.

Hector is now a registered therapy dog. Vick has since been reinstated to the NFL following an 18-month prison sentence for his involvement in a dogfighting ring.

Sippy cup law

12/22/2009 5:00 AM
Minn. sippy cup law starts a phase-in Jan. 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota's pioneering law to keep a controversial chemical out of plastic baby bottles and sippy cups will be phased in starting next week.

Starting Jan. 1, Minnesota manufacturers or wholesalers won't be able to sell cups and bottles for use by children 3 and younger if the products contain BPA. That's short for bisphenol-A, which is a chemical used to line food cans and harden plastic to make it shatterproof.

Consumer saftey groups argue that long-term exposure to the chemical can disrupt hormones and lead to other health problems. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration previously said the chemical is safe, but it is reviewing that conclusion.

Step two of Minnesota's law kicks in Jan. 1, 2011, when retailers will be prohibited from selling children's products with BPA.

Duluth student - Obama

12/22/2009 8:14 AM

Duluth girl's Flat Stanley spends day with Obama

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — A third-grader from Duluth has a friend in common with President Barack Obama.

Anna Chelseth sent her drawing of the storybook character Flat Stanley to Obama for a school project and he sent her photos and a typed letter saying the pair spent Nov. 23 together.

He said he took him on a walk in the West Wing and to a meeting in the Oval Office. He even visited Obama's wife, Michelle, and his two daughters and played catch with Bo on the South Lawn.

The 9-year-old tells The Duluth News Tribune she really liked Obama's advice. He urged her to remember the importance of reading, writing, math and science.

Anna says she couldn't believe she received a response and it made her think that she could be president one day.

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Information from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com

Minn. exports fall

12/22/2009 6:36 AM
Minnesota's manufactured exports fall

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A new state report indicates that Minnesota's manufactured exports fell 17 percent during the third quarter of 2009 to $3.7 billion.

But according to the report by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, exports are beginning to show signs of improvement.

The report said exports to Minnesota's largest trading partner, Canada, were down about 24 percent to $988 million from the same quarter a year ago. Sales to China, Minnesota's second-largest partner, were flat from a year ago at $333 million.

But the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that third-quarter exports to Japan grew 3 percent to $195 million, while sales to Korea and Australia each grew 7 percent to a respective $141 million and $112 million.

U.S. exports fell 21 percent from third quarter of 2008 to 2009.

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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com