Red River Valley discuss flood plans

As Red River Valley communities prepare sandbags and supplies for spring flooding, forecasters are warning they could face another significant storm.

National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Frazier said a major storm system tapping into moisture from the Indian Ocean is expected to hit the Northern Plains late this week. Forecasters are still determining its track and whether it will be rain or snow, he said.

Star Tribune

Sandbagging operations shift into high gear

The race to fill 1.5 million sandbags to fight what could be record flooding has shifted into high gear with the addition of 225 National Guard soldiers and more cutting-edge equipment.

Volunteers were being bused in to Fargo’s “Sandbag Central,” a city utility building the size of a football field normally used for housing garbage trucks. About 130,000 sandbags were produced on Friday, and the operation went into 24-hour mode on Saturday.

MPR

Coleman attorney Joe Friedberg: We’ll lose this round

Joe Friedberg, the star attorney who gave the closing arguments for Norm Coleman last week in Minnesota’s Senate trial, predicts his client won’t prevail in the election contest without appealing to the state Supreme Court. When the current three-judge panel rules, Friedberg told a local radio audience, ”Franken will still be ahead and probably by a little bit more (than his 225-vote margin in the recount).”

Minnesota Independent

Did Coleman attorney ‘concede defeat’ or ‘eye appeal’?

Thursday’s statement by Norm Coleman attorney Joe Friedberg has generated plenty of interest at local blogs and national news sites alike, mainly for his opinion that it’s “probably correct” that Al Franken will come out on top when the three-judge panel hearing Coleman’s Senate election contest rules. USA Today responded by asking, ““When can we call him ‘Sen. Franken?’” And while local media have run matter-of-fact heads for the story — like MinnPost: “Norm’s lawyer: We’ll lose” — one outlet launched its story with a bold proclamation, only to replace it with a blander version within the hour.

Minnesota Independent

Michele Bachmann: I Want People “Armed And Dangerous” Over Obama Tax Plan

Asked about the White House-backed cap-and-trade proposal to reduce carbon emissions, Bachmann told WWTC 1280 AM, “I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us ‘having a revolution every now and then is a good thing,’ and the people — we the people — are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of freedom forever in the United States.”

Huffington Post

Obama’s green plan: lessons from Minnesota

Minnesota and other Midwestern states are several steps ahead of the federal government in addressing the emissions, which scientists blame for climate change. Their experience suggests that real gains can be made.

MinnPost

PalMD is talking at WhiteCoat Underground about his trip to Honduras to provide medical care after Hurricane Mitch. I’ve always hoped he would, at least briefly, and he’s not doing this briefly. It’s an ongoing series, which currently starts here and continues here.

On the topic of medicine, you do know that chiropractic manipulation can lead to an increased risk of stroke, don’t you? Actually, you probably didn’t, because the chiropractors are doing everything they can to muddy the waters on the topic.

Coturnix at A Blog Around the Clock is talking about the locus of political power, traditional ways that power has been concentrated and how that power is shifting in the electronic age.

Locally, the MinnPost has a couple of great articles up, on The Myth of Voter Fraud and what the stock market tumble has done to local arts funding.

And the Minnesota Independent is keeping an eye on the influence of religion on politics, with a look at why the religious right dislikes the stimulus package and reporting that Norm Coleman is following Michele Bachmann in claiming divine endorsement.