Apr 19

Eden Prairie Driver Charged for Hitting Motorcyclist Head-On While Texting

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Police say it’s yet another case to show how dangerous it is to text while you’re driving…an Eden Prairie woman is being charged for smashing head-on into a motorcyclist last fall while she was allegedly texting.

Police say 20-year-old Amanda Manzanares sent the motorcyclist to the hospital with serious injuries after the accident around 8:00 a.m. on October 7th on Excelsior Boulevard in Minnetonka.   Manzanares two young children–a one-year-old and 3-year-old were with her, strapped into car seats in the car.

Manzanares and her children were not hurt.  Police say she told them she was not texting or using her cell phone at the time, but did say she heard the cell phone vibrate as it lay on the floor of the car when she received a text message.

The victim told police he was driving eastbound on Excelsior Boulevard when he saw a car coming at him cross the center line and head towards him.  He says he could see the driver’s head was down, and was not looking at the road.  He says he yelled at the driver and tried to get out of the way, but the car struck him.

Manzanares is being charged with using a wireless communications device while driving,for criminal vehicular operation, two counts of child endangerment. and for operating a motor vehicle without insurance and without a valid license.

According to the police complaint, officers took Manzanares’ cell phone, and when a digital forensic examiner studied it, they found Manzanares had received and sent “numerous” text messages, communicating with two people, from 7:39 a.m. to 7:58 a.m. on the morning of the crash.   

The examiner says she was also making cell phone calls.

Police say the motorcyclist had multiple broken bones and medical bills over $300,000.

 

    

Apr 19

Report: Sparks Probably Caused Minn. Mine Fire

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A report says sparks produced during maintenance probably caused last month’s fire at Soudan Underground Mine State Park near Tower.

The state fire marshal says the fire began in the shaft where the work was happening and didn’t spread beyond it. It’s considered accidental.

Damage to the mine was limited to charred timbers and melted PVC pipes and electrical wiring. The University of Minnesota physics laboratory was unharmed.

Park staff was replacing degraded steel sheeting in the lowest 600 feet of the mine shaft. The fire started after grinding tools caused pieces of wood to smolder. Experts will visit the mine in coming weeks to determine costs of repair and cleanup.

The park’s above-ground facilities have reopened, but public tours of the underground mine likely won’t be offered this season.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Apr 19

Thousands of West Metro Residents to Take ‘Step To It’ Challenge

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Think you should move more, walk more and be healthier?  In May, anyone who lives or works in 22 west metro communities can take the 2011 Step To It Challenge.  And some Twins tickets are even in the balance!

This is the event’s fourth year, and last year, more than 3,000 residents and 18 cities participated in the physical activity competition.  Participants count walking steps and convert other physical activities into steps. 

Plymouth won the Most Active City Award with more than 96 million steps reported and Hopkins got the Most Active Residents Award with the highest average steps per participant. 

Here are this year’s participating cities:

Brooklyn Center
Brooklyn Park
Champlin
Crystal
Dayton
Excelsior
Golden Valley
Hopkins
Independence
Maple Grove
Maple Plain
Minnetonka
Mound
New Hope
Plymouth
Orono
Osseo
Richfield
Robbinsdale
Rogers
Shorewood
St. Louis Park

The top stepper in each city will win a pair of Twins tickets and will be recognized at a Twins game at Target Field this summer.  Organizers are giving away other Twins tickets through random drawings for adults and kids who log steps all four weeks.

But it’s not just residents stepping “up to the plate” this year–the mayors and city council members of many of the cities will also be competing for the most steps. 

The Step To It Challenge is organized by Hennepin County and paid for through SHIP or Statewide Health Improvement Program funds to help Minnesotans live longer, healthier lives.    By the way, obesity rates were up to more than 20 percent among Hennepin County adults in a recent survey.

 

Apr 19

NFL, Players End Day 3 of Court Ordered Talks

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The NFL and its locked-out players have wrapped up a third day of court-ordered talks at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis.

The two sides met for about seven hours Tuesday and will resume talks Wednesday morning. They met for 13 hours over two days last week. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined the NFL contingent, along with Commissioner Roger Goodell and others, including Denver owner Pat Bowlen and Green Bay Packers CEO Mark Murphy. All declined comment.

Hall of Fame defensive end Carl Eller was among the players on hand. He said only that it was a “tough day” before walking away. The lockout is now in its second month. A federal judge is expected to decide soon on the players’ request to halt the NFL’s first work stoppage since 1987.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Apr 19

Morneau (Flu) Out Again

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In each of their 16 games, the Twins have yet to score more than five runs. And that trend could very well continue Tuesday night in Baltimore.

1B Justin Morneau will miss his third straight game because of the flu. In addition, outfielder Delmon Young is out with flu-like symptoms.

The Twins are going for a third consecutive win, which would be a season-high.

Apr 19

Be Warned, Police Are Cracking Down on Distracted Drivers

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Starting Thursday, police officers across the state will crack down on distracted drivers here in Minnesota. 400 agencies will increase patrols and ticket drivers who are not paying attention to the road.

Officers will be especially looking for people texting which is illegal even while waiting at a light. Police say they see many drivers who eat, read, and put on make up while driving.

Driver distraction is a leading crash factor in Minnesota, accounting for around 20% of all crashes every year, resulting in at least 70 deaths and 350 injuries.

Apr 19

Obama ignores congress

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Definition of TYRANT

a: an absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution
b: a usurper of sovereignty
c: Barack Obama

If the shoe fits…

Barack Obama is a tyrant. Actions speak louder than words. He ordered a drilling moratorium, the court ruled that unconstitutional and that drilling be reinstated. He ignored it. The court ordered him to open up drilling a second time, once again, he ignored it.

He has decided what business will survive and which won’t. He has singled out citizens for retribution (Joe The Plumber ring a bell?), he decides who will be CEO’s and who won’t (GM). And now, he is ignoring congress. All of the items I have stated are true and factual, and can be verified. All of his actions fall under the definition of a tyrant. Now this:

President Obama “is planning to ignore language in the 2011 spending package that would ban several top White House advisory posts,” signing a statement in which he says has no obligation to comply, Politico reports.

“The anti-czar language in the spending bill marked a victory for Republicans and conservative pundits, who accused the administration of giving unelected bureaucrats too much power within the White House.

I am not at all opposed to impeachment. And I’m beginning to entertain the thought of a lynching. That’s even more appealing to me than impeachment.

Apr 19

RASMUSSEN: Most Voters Like A Presidential Candidate With Both Public and Private Experience

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Looks like voters have come to their common senses after two years worth of the Obama experiment. And that experiment went horribly awry.

Voters strongly prefer a presidential candidate with both government and private sector experience. They also like a candidate who thinks like they do over one who can more surely win.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 77% of Likely U.S. Voters say a candidate’s experience in government is at least somewhat important to them when it comes to deciding how they will vote. That includes 32% who say it is Very Important. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Seventy-seven percent (77%) also say a candidate’s experience in the private sector is at least somewhat important in determining their vote, with 34% who say it’s Very Important.

Apr 19

Oddly enough, I agree with Barney Frank

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Ol’ Barney! He’s kind of being incognito since his party assumed its rightful place as the minority party. He used to be on the news quite a bit, usually pissing me off. And now, oddly enough, I find myself in total agreement with him on this particular subject:

The Obama administration is wasting time and resources by targeting online poker sites, according to Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.), the senior Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee.

“What an incredible waste of resources,” Frank said in an interview with The Hill regarding last Friday’s crackdown, which saw the FBI and Justice Department shut down the three largest online poker sites in what appears to be the largest sting to date on illegal online gambling.

He’s right on the money (pun not intended). It is an incredible waste of resources.

Remember how Barn used to mock the GOP and the right? That really got under my skin. Well, he’s doing it to the administration. Go figure!

Frank mocked the seizures as the administration “protecting the public from the scourge of inside straights,” and lamented that the Justice Department is more focused on prosecuting online poker sites than those responsible for the mortgage crisis and financial meltdown.

Ooo! Well Barn, you may want to keep quiet about that. You were a big part of that cause.

“Go after the people responsible for empty houses, not full houses,” Frank added. “I’m not saying violate the law, but to give this priority in law enforcement over some other things I think is a terrible idea and I think the administration is wrong on this.”

As Financial Services chairman in the last Congress, Frank moved legislation to legalize online gambling through his committee. He has re-introduced the same legislation this year in partnership with Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.).

Frank is right. We do have far more pressing and serious law enforcement/terrorism issues facing this country than to worry about John Doe placing a 10 dollar wager on a flush.