Over 1,300 guns were … reported … lost or stolen in Minnesota last year. Brandt Williams of MPR says: “Last year, 1,353 firearms in Minnesota were reported lost or stolen and logged into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. … Minnesota law doesn’t require citizens to report lost or stolen firearms. A bill to add that requirement was proposed at the Capitol during this year’s legislative session but died in committee.… According to the report, the state with the most reported lost or stolen guns in the NCIC database was Texas: 18,874 ... To see an interactive map showing each state’s numbers, click here. Of the 1,353 guns reported lost or stolen in the NCIC database from Minnesota, 1,303 were reported stolen.” The only way to stop bad guys stealing guns is for good guys to steal guns.
Maybe this is what all that stolen firepower is protecting …Mike Creger of the Duluth News Tribune reports: “Lt. Eric Rish said it’s obvious to anyone in Canal Park lately that things have changed when it comes to security at Grandma’s Marathon. The Duluth Police Department community officer said there will be many more visual cues that safety for runners and spectators has been turned up since the bombings at the Boston Marathon in April. … More officers will be seen. More cameras, with live monitoring, will be on the course. Fans in stands at the finish line won’t be allowed to have any bags. Racers will need to show photo identification and sign for racing packets today.” Just like the ancient Greeks did it …
Or the Duluth PD could just deputizeJohn Hinderaker at Power Line:“I have been obsessed with immigration lately, because our country’s future hangs in the balance. But let’s take a break and focus on something more cheerful: firearms. Fun things have been getting delivered to my house lately. First, 1,000 rounds of 9 mm ammo from a source in another state, whom I was hooked up with via a Power Line reader. Then another 1,000 rounds of 9 mm, and I’m expecting 1,500 rounds of 22LR in the next day or two. No more standing in line in hopes of scoring a box of 50! Flush with ammo, my son and I went shooting at our local haunt last weekend. … But that isn’t all: Today an extended magazine arrived for my SIG P938 Nightmare. … Whether all of that was of great interest to our readers, I have no idea. But it certainly made me feel better!” … Some things are beyond parody.
More is always better … even if a lot of them are “hospitality industry” … The Strib’s Adam Belz relays the latest employment stats: “Minnesota employers added 8,400 jobs in May, a sharp upturn after two months of job losses, and credit goes to the belated arrival of spring. … The state’s largest monthly gain came in leisure and hospitality, which added 2,900 jobs. … In May, heavy and civil projects drove the gains in construction, as road and bridge work finally got some much-needed momentum. Homebuilding employment, however, has not recovered, despite a nearly 13 percent year-over-year rise in home prices in Minnesota. Residential construction jobs are actually down 2.9 percent, compared with a year ago, and the industry employs a little more than half the people it did in 2005.”
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How about a doughnut-chicken-burger-sub fusion chain … ? Celia Ampel of the Strib reports: “Jersey Mike’s, a chain of East-Coast-style sandwich shops, plans to open about 10 new stores in the Twin Cities in the next year and a half. Eventually, the plan is to have 50 locations here, area franchisee John Griparis said. Those numbers might sound ambitious for a store that has only four locations in the area so far, one of which opened last week in Blaine. But Jersey Mike’s is following a long line of restaurants — Chipotle, Panera, Noodles & Company — that have found success in the Twin Cities by advertising themselves as a cut above fast food.” Deep-fry 'em, dip 'em in chocolate, wrap 'em in bacon and sell 'em at the fair.
It just seemed like a thunderstorm over here … But Tim Harlow of the Strib says: “Severe storms that rolled through the Twin Cities and central Minnesota early Friday morning unleashed violent winds, hail and heavy rains, felling trees, knocking out power and even sparking house fires, authorities said. About 146,000 customers were without power across the metro area and elsewhere in the southern third of the state as of 8:40 a.m., according to Xcel Energy. That’s down slightly from more than 150,000 less than an hour earlier. Winds of 55 miles per hour were reported at Lake Elmo Airport in Washington County and in Eden Prairie. In Buffalo, winds topped out at 73 miles per hour.”
The Cedar Avenue BRT begins running Saturday. Stribber Laurie Blake says: “It is touted as light rail on rubber tires, a bus service with all the perks of rail — fast, predictable and easy to board, with nice stations and fewer stops — at a fraction of the price. But as Minnesota’s first line of bus rapid transit (BRT) begins service Saturday on Cedar Avenue S. between Apple Valley and the Mall of America, officials will be watching the $112 million project closely to see if it attracts riders, with hopes of expanding it to other parts of the metro area.”
Well, what do you expect? A guy works up a sweat stealing a car, flipping it and running from the cops. Tad Vezner of the PiPress writes:“A regular customer at a St. Paul auto repair shop stole one of the cars that was in for repairs, which he then crashed and flipped before fleeing the scene, police said. Police said they arrested Mario Zacate, 20, of Brooklyn Park, after he ran to a friend's house nearby and submerged himself, naked, in a bathtub of cold water. Police believe Zacate was attempting to hide his recent exertions.” Officer, could you hand me the loofa?
“Mr. D” at the conservative site“Mr. Dilettante’s Neighborhood” isn’t so sure about GOP Rep. Jim Abeler’s “independent streak”:“Abeler has confused the Star Tribune. What kind of streak was that again? A libertarian streak or an independent streak? And does Abeler have a strong independent streak, or does Anoka? And can Anoka run for the Senate? Fortunately, my friend and ace radio host Brad Carlson is able to translate:
In my opinion, Abeler would be a tough sale amongst Republicans. Despite endorsing Ron Paul for President in 2012, Abeler is notorious for supporting bigger government in the form of mass transit subsidies, the new Vikings stadium and the MN Health Exchange. However, Abeler may appeal to some social conservatives since he voted "yes" on the MN Marriage Amendment two years ago and then, in one of the more passionate defenses of traditional marriage, voted "no" to legalize same-sex marriage last month.
... Franken would chew this guy to bits.”