Grant Hart, cats okay following house fire
Elizabeth Flores
Since sifting through dull newspapers, hyperbolic blogs, and overflowing RSS feeds for meaningful news can be an arduous process, News Net catches and compiles both the amusing and the significant reports that were overlooked throughout the week. Here are some things to think about as the weekend begins.
• Friends of Grant Hart report that the onetime Hüsker Dü drummer and singer is out of the hospital and recuperating after a fire raged through two rooms in his South St. Paul home. Though the extent of the damage is unknown, Hart has reportedly lost some valued musical gear, and First Avenue and the Turf Club have already offered to host fundraisers if needed. But here’s some good news: Hart’s two cats survived the blaze.
• Your city may be less green than you think. A study of the most polluting cities in the world, from the International Institute For Environment And Development, places Minneapolis among Denver, Sidney, and Washington, D.C. as the worst offenders. According to the study, Minneapolis emits 17 tons of carbon dioxide per person each year—twice New York City’s output. The IIED cites Minneapolis’ comparatively low population and its over-reliance on private transportation among the factors contributing to our poor showing.
• Hey Uptown, are you ready for the MoZaic? The city of Minneapolis has issued $9.3 million in tax-exempt stimulus bonds to support the $45-million project, which will occupy a portion of the parking lots behind the Lagoon Theater and the old Walker Library. The building, which supporters claim will bring daytime business to the neighborhood, will house two restaurants, “high-end speculative offices,” and parking ramps. Well, if it’s half as successful as Calhoun Square, it’ll be... um, twice the failure?
• The title of Most Controversial Former State Governor may not be quite within his grasp, but Jesse Ventura is making a strong showing as runner-up. This week, Ventura sued both the Department Of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, on the grounds that full-body scans and pat-downs constitute unreasonable searches and seizures. The incident at issue occurred when Ventura’s titanium hip replacement set off a metal detector during a November trip. And unlike some former governors, Ventura’s TV show, Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura, is still on the air.
