Inside MinnPost

David Durenberger, Eric Black, Larry Jacobs at next MinnPost Asks

MinnPost staff — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:13:16 +0000

Please join us Monday, June 11, for the next edition of MinnPost Asks, presented by LearningLife.

Former U.S. Senator David Durenberger, MinnPost political reporter Eric Black and U of M political science professor Larry Jacobs will participate in a wide-ranging discussion of politics, health care, and more.

This June, the Supreme Court will announce its decision on the constitutionality of President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, adding yet another contentious issue to the 2012 election season.

The June 11 program, held at the Continuing Education and Conference Center, U of M St. Paul campus, will begin at 7 p.m. Dessert and coffee will be served.

Tickets are $15 for Headliners participants and MinnPost and Learning Circle members, $25 for others.

Purchase tickets online or call 612-624-4000.

MinnRoast 2012 show highlights

Corey Anderson — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:08:30 +0000

MinnRoast 2012 was another rousing success, thanks to the 976 attendees who flocked to the Pantages Theatre on Friday, Apr. 27 to watch Gov. Dayton, Sen. Franken, Don Shelby, Cyndy Brucato, Al Sicherman, Roxane Battle and more poke fun at politicians and the journalists who cover them. UpTake Media Services recorded the festivities, and Brad Baker edited the highlight video below.

Wrapping up MinnRoast 2012

By Laurie & Joel Kramer — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:45:38 +0000

If you've been waiting with bated breath for the MinnRoast 2012 wrap-up report, here are the numbers:

We sold 976 tickets this year. The Pantages Theatre has 990 seats. There were no-shows, of course, but we may soon need to look for a larger venue.
MinnRoast 2012 had 66 sponsors (64 cash plus 2 in-kind) compared to 56 last year and 28 for the first MinnRoast way back in 2008. The generous support of sponsors makes possible MinnPost's commitment to high-quality journalism for people who care about Minnesota.
Total revenues including Tech Appeal donations were $146,253. Total expenses were $34,842. The 2012 net of $111,401 is 11% higher than last year.

All this is great news. We thank the creators, performers, celebrity guests, sponsors and audience members for making the 5th anniversary of MinnRoast a very special evening.

One final plea for our Tech Appeal. We've already received 145 donations ranging from $10 to $1,000, and we're 75% of the way to meeting the $25,000 goal. Whether or not you came to MinnRoast, we need your support to keep improving MinnPost's technology.

Go here to donate, and heartfelt thanks for your help.

Marlys Harris joins MinnPost as Cityscape reporter

Roger Buoen — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:28:56 +0000

Beginning today, Steven Dornfeld is handing over to Marlys Harris the reporting and writing duties of our Cityscape blog.

Steve is taking on a new assignment: producing several stories a month examining important public policy issues on a range of topics from taxes to transit.

MinnPost readers are already familiar with Marlys’ work. She covered the Legislature for us this session, producing lively reports on the quarrels over the Vikings stadium and other issues. If a new stadium does get approved, she will continue to follow stadium developments as part of her coverage in Cityscape.

But she will be writing about a lot more, of course. Marlys has a master’s degree in urban planning from Hunter College Graduate School of the City University of New York, and we intend to take advantage of her background. Marlys will be reporting and writing about the joys and challenges of living in an urban area, a subject she knows something about having grown up in the Twin Cites before moving to New York City.

“What I've learned from living in towns ranging from Sumpango, Guatemala to New York is that cities, large and small, are no less complicated and fascinating than the human body,” Marlys says. “Each has its strengths and failings, and sometimes fixing one problem can make something else go kablooey.”

Like other MinnPost reporters, Marlys is an experienced journalist. She’s traveled to many big urban centers in the United States and elsewhere, often on assignment for major news organizations. She has worked for Money, Consumer Reports, Working Women and CBS Moneywatch.com. People, Woman’s Day, Fortune, Bloomberg’s Personal, Rebook and others have also published her work.

Check out Marlys’ first Cityscape report here.

MinnRoast 2012 party and performance slide show

Corey Anderson — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:08:49 +0000

Over 970 people attended the 5th annual MinnRoast Gridiron-style variety show. A special thank you to all of the politicians, members of the media, volunteers and guests for making this year's event the biggest and most successful to date.

MinnPost contributing photographer Jana Freiband was roaming the party and we've assembled dozens of photos from the Apr. 27 event. To read the captions, please be sure to click on the specific photograph.

2012 MinnPost Tech Appeal: 70 percent of the way

By Laurie Kramer — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:53:24 +0000

Thanks to 126 generous MinnRoast attendees, we're already more than 70% of the way to the $25,000 Tech Appeal goal.

Equally important, donations are starting to come in from people who were not at MinnRoast.

For those who weren’t at MinnRoast, Don Shelby and Roxane Battle presented the 2012 Tech Appeal on behalf of MinnPost. The goal of this campaign is $25,000 to help MinnPost continue to invest in technology, enhancing our new open source platform as technology changes.

We want to support more data-driven, interactive projects, like our recent map and chart about the political leanings of the new legislative districts; create better commenting features to support a higher level of discourse on the site; and add more server space so the site can continue to load lightning fast, as traffic grows.

With your help, we can reach the $25,000 goal in the next few days. Please make a donation in the amount of your choice. All contributions are welcome and greatly appreciated.

Tech Appeal donations can be made online here

Or you can mail a check payable to MinnPost Tech Appeal to our office at 900 Sixth Avenue SE, #220, Minneapolis 55414.

Just $7,174 to go. We're counting on you!

It’s politics tonight — at MinnRoast!

MinnPost staff — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:39:03 +0000

Ticket update: We still have a few $175 tickets that include the reception. $125 tickets are sold out. We also have a number of show-only tickets at $35.

But we will not be equipped to handle walk-ins.

So if you haven’t yet purchased tickets, do it right now online. You will not be able to buy tickets online after 1:30 today.

The check-in tables will be in the lobby of the Pantages Theatre, 710 Hennepin Ave. Reception-goers can check in starting at 5:30. Show Only ticketholders can check in starting at 6:30. Theatre doors will open at 7 and the show will start at 7:30.

See you tonight!

Director JoJo Liebeler talks MinnRoast with WCCO's Mike Binkley

Corey Anderson — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:51:10 +0000

MinnRoast director JoJo Liebeler was featured on WCCO-TV's noon broadcast on Monday promoting MinnRoast 2012. Liebeler and anchor Mike Binkley discussed future and past performers such as state Sen. Amy Koch, former MinnPoster and 'CCO anchor Don Shelby, Sen. Al Franken and more, as clips from last year's show were featured.

MinnRoast 2012 rehearsal: singing, shuffling and satirizing

Kaeti Hinck — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:52:16 +0000

Rehearsals are underway for MinnRoast 2012, which will be held on Apr. 27. The variety show will once again take place at the Pantages Theatre. See if you can spot MinnPosters Joel Kramer, Joe Kimball and Al Sicherman, as well as Buttercup Flowers and Cities 97's Brian 'BT' Turner hamming it up in the clip below.

April 13 deadline for MinnRoast tickets

MinnPost staff — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:15:08 +0000

Tomorrow, Apr. 13, is the last guaranteed date to buy tickets for MinnRoast 2012. Next week we’ll start closing out categories as they fill.

And we'll also start assigning specific seats by section, row and seat number. We're aiming for a full house of 990, and we're already past 800.

We still have 15 days until showtime — Friday, Apr. 27.

For event details, go here.

To buy tickets, go here

For a great time and a great cause, go to MinnRoast.

Join us April 12 for marriage amendment discussion

MinnPost staff — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:11:19 +0000

Supplementing our online coverage of the battle for and against the marriage amendment, MinnPost presents a face-to-face discussion of this important issue and an opportunity for audience members to ask questions.

Please join us Thursday, April 12, at 7 p.m. for The Marriage Amendment: The Meaning Behind the Messages. This is the inaugural event of MinnPost Asks Presented by LearningLife, a new discussion series produced in partnership with the College of Continuing Education.

The event features MinnPost journalist Beth Hawkins, University of Minnesota Communications Studies Professor Ed Schiappa, and Richard Carlbom, executive director of Minnesotans United for All Families.

The discussion will focus on messaging being used in Minnesota and elsewhere by groups fighting for and against the amendment. Video clips will be shown and analyzed.

An invitation to participate was extended to Minnesota for Marriage, the pro-amendment coalition, and to the Minnesota Catholic Conference. These invitations were declined but remain open. Other pro-amendment groups were invited to participate but did not respond.

The program will be held at the Continuing Education and Conference Center on the U of M St. Paul campus.

Tickets are $15 for MinnPost and Learning Circle members, $25 for others. Purchase tickets online or call 612-624-4000.

MinnPost's Kevin Schaul wins AP/Google scholarship

Kaeti Hinck — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:08:31 +0000

The Associated Press and Google today announced that MinnPost's Kevin Schaul is one of six students to receive a $20,000 national scholarship specifically for students doing innovative work in digital media.

Kevin is a programmer with MinnPost's interactive team, as well as a full-time student at the University of Minnesota, and has been a vital contributor in our growing focus on data journalism.

Fireworks, Team Edward and hotdish: Announcing the ‘amend the Constitution’ winner

Corey Anderson — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:14:13 +0000

Beginning March 28, MinnPost asked readers to join the Minnesota Legislature in amending the Minnesota Constitution, dangling a pair of Champions Club Twin tickets as incentive. We asked for a one-sentence amendment — funny or insightful or both. Over two-dozen commenters proposed new amendments.

MinnPost takes pride in our thoughtful and intelligent commenters, but a few got a little too long-winded. Of those who kept it short and sweet, a few highlights:

“All persons are equal before the law; corporations are not people; and all property shall be taxed at the same rate, regardless of use or religious affiliation.” — Dave Porter

“Replace ‘God’ with ‘Flying Spaghetti Monster.’” — Jack Pellinen

“Claiming to be on Team Edward or Team Jacob without irony should be a misdemeanor.” — Amanda Scheid

“All Elected Officials must pass a basic math skills test and also prove that they can balance a checkbook.” — Hudson Leighton

“In order to be a confirmed citizen of Minnesota, all Minnesotan's must present a favorite hotdish recipe on demand.” — Virginia Rudloff

"Minnesota law shall automatically conform with the most fun elements of Wisconsin liquor and fireworks laws." — Zachary Krogman

In defiance of numerous legislative gift bans, MinnPost is please to present a pair of Champions Club tickets to the April 14 Twins vs. Rangers game to Erik Hansen for his Minnesota Nice Amendment:

“All residents, natural or otherwise, shall respectfully excuse themselves and/or apologize to any other resident for each and any personal interaction regardless of content or fault, eye contact is not required.”

We here at MinnPost would like to apologize to Mr. Hansen for his winning this contest and causing a spotlight, however dim, to shine on him and his achievement. He never asked for this kind of attention, and is probably regretting this whole endeavor. Congratulations to Erik and thanks to all who participated in this contest.

Amend the Minnesota Constitution and win Champions Club Twins tickets!

Corey Anderson — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:13:15 +0000

mncourts.govMinnesota Constitution

Voter ID, the gay-marriage ban, and on and on — the Minnesota Legislature is proposing so many new amendments we’ll need to turn the Constitution over and start writing on the back side.

Here’s your chance to join in the fun. We want to hear your proposed amendment – Beer sold on Sundays? Cats claimed as legal dependents on tax forms? In the comments below, give us one sentence — be it humorous, insightful or both — on your proposed amendment. Wow us with your intellect, skewer us with your rapier wit.

MinnPost will give away a pair of tickets to the Champions Club at Target Field for the Saturday, April 14th game versus the Texas Rangers to one lucky entry. The winner, selected thoughtfully or capriciously (our discretion), will be announced on Wednesday, April 4.

With seven more sustainers MinnPost will hit 800

Stephanie Johnson — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:57:49 +0000

Sincere thanks to each and every one of you who answered the call and became a sustaining member during our spring drive. Our goal was 800, and right now we're at 793 sustainers. We also received 21 new one-time gifts during the drive and 24 additional gifts from current members.

Roger & Beverly Parks of Clitherall MN signed up over the weekend with this comment: "I have been reading for some time and find the stories informative and helpful to a fuller understanding of today's events. It is time to pay for what I read."

If you ever thought your gift didn't make a difference, consider this. Last June, MinnPost had only 40 sustaining members. Because each of you made the decision to make high-quality journalism possible, our donor base is deeper and our giving more consistent. We are grateful for your partnership and your belief in the work that we do and will continue to do in the future.

And if you haven't yet become a sustaining member, don't wait! Sign on today by clicking here. We hope to get to 1,000 sustaining member by the end of 2012. With your help, we know we can.

John Cowles Jr. was there at the founding of MinnPost

Joel Kramer — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:20:41 +0000

John Cowles Jr. in 1995

John Cowles Jr., who died Saturday evening at 82, was a civic leader and philanthropist — involved in the creation of the Guthrie Theater, the Metrodome, the Sculpture Garden and the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, among other Minneapolis landmarks.

On a much smaller scale, but close to my heart, he was there at the founding of MinnPost – as a major donor, an adviser and, briefly, as a member of our startup board of directors.

A serious philanthropist

I remember when I called John in mid-2007 and asked him to join a handful of others as founding donors. I knew there would be a hundred questions, because John always took his role as a philanthropist seriously, and there were.

He wanted to discuss, for example, how creating MinnPost would affect the Star Tribune, whose future he still cared deeply about even though he and his family had sold it years ago. He also wanted to understand our business model, so he could assess our chance of success.

In the end, he and his wife, Sage, decided to make a major financial contribution, becoming one of MinnPost’s four founding donor families. I think that they were convinced in part by the enthusiasm of the very persuasive Lee Lynch, MinnPost’s board chair. In fact, I first met Lee at Cowles Media board retreats, when his wife, Terry Saario, served on the Cowles board. Last night, Lee said, “Terry and I are very sad. A good friend. Amazing dedication to a better city and State.”

John also agreed to serve on MinnPost’s startup board of directors. He was always reserved, but he spoke forcefully at our board meetings, always from the perspective of the whole community, not just our enterprise. He firmly advised me to try to improve relations with Minnesota Public Radio, because he did not want to create divisions within the philanthropic community. (It took a while, but we have finally made progress toward the more positive relationship he hoped for.) And he urged strong coverage of the arts, which he felt were being neglected as the fortunes of newspapers declined.

After a few meetings, however, John said he was past the stage of life where he wanted to sit on boards, and he became emeritus. But every time Lee and I saw him since, he asked how we were doing and relished our progress. When he spoke at an event celebrating the groundbreaking for the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, he told the crowd that there were a number of innovative nonprofits in town that he was proud of, and he named about 10, including MinnPost.

Three decades of memories

I first met John Cowles Jr. more than 30 years ago, when I became editor of the Buffalo Courier-Express, which was owned by what was then known as the Star Tribune Co., before it changed its name to Cowles Media. My only powerful memory of him during that era was when the company shut down the Buffalo paper because of large financial losses. John decided to appear personally in Buffalo to announce the decision to the more than 1,000 employees who were losing their jobs. I remember how sad he looked, but how courageously and patiently he answered questions from equally sad, and sometimes angry, employees.

MinnPost photo by Joel KramerJohn Cowles Jr. at the 2011 ground-
breaking of the Cowles Center

Cowles followed his father as head of the Star and Tribune newspapers and, during the ’60s and ’70s, was a force for progressive, cosmopolitan journalism and beneficent family ownership. By the time I arrived at the Star Tribune as editor in 1983, John was no longer involved in running the business or even in board oversight, though he remained the largest shareholder in the closely held family company.

About once a year, he would invite me to lunch. He would ask how things were going at the Star Tribune, and where I was thinking about taking the journalism in the future, and he would express his enthusiasm for the news coverage. But not once in all those years did he even hint at trying to influence any news decisions.

We also talked about a wide range of other things he cared about, including national and regional politics, downtown development, the arts, women’s sports, agricultural economics and aerobics. I so looked forward to those lunches.

In every encounter we had over the last three decades, I found John Cowles Jr. thoughtful, provocative, courageous, humble and ethical. Who could ask for more from a colleague, friend and fellow citizen?

Support high-quality journalism by becoming a MinnPost sustaining member

MinnPost staff — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:15:29 +0000

Last June, MinnPost embarked on our first sustaining membership drive with a mere 40 sustainers.

By the end of 2011, 651 individuals had made the decision to support MinnPost by giving monthly or annually through their sustaining membership.

Our spring drive runs from March 13 – March 22 and we hope you’ll consider joining those supporters who make MinnPost possible. As a member supported organization, we rely heavily on those who believe in the work that we do and who want to see it continue. Our goal is to have 800 or more sustainers by the end of this drive.

We hope you’ll enjoy seeing the photos of some of our sustaining members and reading about what inspired them to give. Their testimonials will appear on the site for the duration of the drive. Please click here to join them and to ensure the future of non-profit journalism in Minnesota.

Become a MinnPost sustaining member today!

'The Marriage Amendment: Meaning Behind the Messages' kicks off new series

MinnPost staff — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:39:39 +0000

Thursday, April 12, marks the launch of MinnPost Asks Presented by LearningLife, a new series produced by MinnPost in partnership with the U of M's College of Continuing Education.

The bi-monthly series will focus on hot-button issues, addressed by one or two newsmakers, a MinnPost journalist, and a U of M faculty expert. A moderated public Q&A will follow each panel’s discussion.

For the April 12 kick-off event, The Marriage Amendment: The Meaning Behind the Messages, Richard Carlbom, executive director of Minnesotans United for All Families (the anti-amendment coalition), will be interviewed by MinnPost journalist Beth Hawkins and University of Minnesota Communications Studies Department Chair Ed Schiappa.

An invitation to participate was extended to Minnesota for Marriage, the pro-amendment coalition. The invitation was declined but remains open. Other pro-amendment groups were also invited to participate, but did not respond.

The discussion will focus on messaging being used in Minnesota and elsewhere by groups fighting for and against the amendment. Video clips will be shown and analyzed.

Said Margy Ligon, director for the College’s personal enrichment programs, “This format will allow people to hear about the issues from several angles. The newsmakers, obviously, and then the journalist and the faculty member who will be serving in the ‘interviewer’ roles. The reporter will typically tackle the issue from the ‘right now’ perspective -- he or she will have the latest information and breaking news on the topic. The professor offers a historical perspective and brings the academic insight.”

“The goal is to gather experts and newsmakers together for a real discussion, for a civil debate on the issues. We want to tackle those issues from a local level, and see how they are affecting our region and our lives.”

Joel Kramer, CEO and editor of MinnPost, said about the partnership with LearningLife: "We encourage civil discussion from many points of view -- as does LearningLife. Our audience cares about Minnesota -- as theirs does. Together, we’ll combine the resources of a high-quality news site and a great university, for the benefit of a wider community.”

Tickets are $25 ($15 for MinnPost and Learning Circle members). All events will begin at 7 p.m. and will be held at the Continuing Education and Conference Center on the U of M St. Paul campus. Seating is limited. Call (612) 624-4000 or click here to purchase tickets.

Dayton, Franken, Senjem, more in MinnRoast cast

MinnPost Staff — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:13:01 +0000

MinnPost proudly announces the cast of MinnRoast 2012, the fifth anniversary of our annual fundraiser.

This outstanding group will take the stage for one night only -- Friday, April 27, at the Pantages Theatre, 710 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis.

Performers from the worlds of politics and media include Gov. Mark Dayton and Press Secretary Katharine Tinucci, Sen. Al Franken, Senate Majority Leader David Senjem, Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis, Mayor Chris Coleman of St. Paul, governor candidates Tom Emmer (now of NewsTalk AM 1130) and Tom Horner, Jon McTaggart and Dave Kansas of Minnesota Public Radio, Brian 'BT' Turner of Cities 97 and Joe Schmit of KSTP-TV. MinnPost journalists include Don Shelby, Roxane Battle, Cyndy Brucato, Al Sicherman, Joe Kimball and Joel Kramer, plus Board chair Lee Lynch.

And of course the MinnRoast “Singers & Dancers" -- good friends of MinnPost who help carry the show with their talent. This year's on-stage team includes JoJo Liebeler (the show's director), DeAnne Sherman (the choreographer), Randy Atkins, Lynn Benson, Dustin Doepke, Dawn Gabriele, Debbie Irestone, Warren Kapsner, Barbro Koeleman, Jennifer Martin, Ashleigh Swenson, Debby Thomas and Suzu Thompson.

MinnRoast tickets are now on sale here

Proceeds benefit high-quality journalism for people who care about Minnesota.

Ticket purchase deadline is April 13. Unless we sell out before that.

Site redesign is generating more readership

Joel Kramer and Kaeti Hinck — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 15:31:19 +0000

Our redesigned website launched on Feb. 15, and the results so far are very gratifying.

As expected, we had a spike in traffic during the first 48 hours, as readers checked out the new design. But more important, traffic since then has remained significantly above pre-launch levels.

For the two weeks from Feb. 17 to March 1, visits by Minnesotans have run 10 to 20 percent above comparable periods earlier in 2012. And the average Minnesota visitor is looking at about 15 percent more pages per visit.

We’ve also seen a jump in mobile visits in response to our adaptive design that makes the site look a lot better on smartphones and tablets. Before we launched, about 12 percent of all our visits were on mobile platforms; now it’s 14 percent and growing.

And here is one final number that speaks to our readers’ experience: the average page load time on the site is now under 4 seconds, significantly less than half what it used to be.

In addition to the encouraging traffic numbers, we’ve received very helpful feedback from our readers — both positive and critical. Our commenters spoke up quickly that they didn’t like the new pagination for comments, or scrolling from newest to oldest entries; we were able to make those changes quickly and reach a happy middle ground. In response to reader feedback, we’ve also added a link on the homepage to the previous edition of the Glean.

We will continue to work on a number of projects in the coming months, including importing the two weeks of comments that weren’t migrated, adding navigation features like breadcrumbs, creating a better way to share stories and more. As always, we welcome your feedback at redesign@minnpost.com.

MinnPost seeks Office Manager

MinnPost staff — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:43:05 +0000

Mary Zweber, MinnPost's office manager, is leaving us for a new position. She did a great job keeping us organized and growing and we'll miss her. We've opened a job search to find her replacement. The posting is below.

Organization

MinnPost is a nonprofit, nonpartisan enterprise whose mission is to provide high-quality journalism for news-intense people who care about Minnesota.

The Office Manager position is responsible for office administration, member support, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and events. The position reports to the Business Manager and works closely with the Chief Revenue Officer, Director of Advertising, Membership Director, and Editor/CEO.

Duties

Membership/Events Support

Work in Giftworks database to maintain membership records
Generate membership reports
Send acknowledgements to new and renewing members
Register people for MinnPost events and check in attendees at events

Administration/Office Management

Work directly with all MinnPost personnel
Calendar management and travel arrangements for Editor/CEO
Supply ordering, inventory and equipment monitoring
Set up email addresses and distribution groups
Support Board and committees, attend meetings and take meeting minutes
Answer incoming calls
Basic software support for all employees
Work with outsourced IT vendor on system maintenance

Accounting/Benefits

Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable/Billing
Payroll
Manage health benefits
Manage 401(k) plan

Required Skills

Proficient in Excel, Word, and Quickbooks
Experience in Membership Database preferred
Excellent written & oral communication skills
Ability to balance many tasks at once
Organized and detailed
Self-motivated and independent problem solver
Ability to work under pressure and produce results
Have some knowledge of IT
3 years experience preferred

Salary commensurate with experience. Position open until filled.

Submit cover letter and resume to jobs2@minnpost.com. No phone calls please.

The new MinnPost

Kaeti Hinck — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:01:47 +0000

Welcome to MinnPost's new website. We're excited to share it and to hear what our readers think.

A few of the new features we are particularly excited about:

Articles now have related stories and "More Like This" to help you find stories that interest you
You can visit section pages, like Politics & Policy, to see more from our most popular topics. You can also subscribe to these sections.
It's easier than ever to find stories from your favorite authors — just click on their name to see their bio page and a list of all articles they've written
You'll find department pages, like our Data & Maps hub, and topic pages, like our collection of articles about the marriage amendment
Quickly find your favorite department on our Columns page
The site is built to be responsive, which means it will adjust to your tablets and mobile devices for easier reading and navigation.

We're still working on a number of features that we'll be rolling out over the next few months, including breadcrumbs, which will tell you where you are and how you got there; a "most viewed" module; expanded commenting options; and more. That's one of the great things about being on an open source system — the progress never stops. You may also notice that comments from the last two weeks have not been migrated to the new site yet; it's on our to-do list.

Of course none of this would have been possible without the hard work of many dedicated people. The MinnPost team has been working tirelessly over the last few weeks to get everything ready. The beautiful new logo is thanks to web editor/creative director Corey Anderson. Drew, Lynn, Ronan, Denise, Erika and the rest of the team at Gorton Studios built, designed, tested and launched the site. They have donated many hours to the cause beyond what we paid for, and we are thrilled to have them as a partner. The crew at Clockwork — with special thanks to Meghan and Whitney — has helped get us through the transition with ease. They have been a wonderful partner to us over the past four years, and we can't overstate how deeply thankful we are for Clockwork's role in our success.

We're also grateful for the support of our members and donors. Without you, none of this would be possible. If you'd like to help us fund continued development and innovation, please support our mission by becoming a sustaining member.

Click around, explore and let us know what you think by leaving a comment or emailing redesign@minnpost.com.

MinnPost prepares to launch its new website

Kaeti Hinck — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:30:35 +0000

It has been a busy few weeks at MinnPost headquarters. After some long hours and a more than a few late nights, I’m happy to report that we are on schedule to launch the new MinnPost.com next week.

Of course we couldn’t do it alone. The tireless team at Gorton Studios has been busy building, testing, breaking, and rebuilding the new site; the stellar folks at Clockwork have been making sure we have everything we need for the transition while keeping our current site running smoothly; and MinnPost’s volunteer beta testers have been scouring the site for bugs.

During these final stages of development and testing, we’ve grown more and more eager to share the site with our readers. Among many improvements, the site will feature a responsive design that adjusts to any screen size, better organization of the substantive journalism you've come to expect from MinnPost, and more ways to find stories that interest you.

One of the most exciting prospects of moving to an open source system is that our development doesn’t stop when we launch the site. We’ll continue to add features, make improvements and experiment in the rapidly evolving sandbox of online journalism.

The new site should be live next Wednesday, Feb. 15, and I'll write more about its features then. Afterwards, we hope you'll let us know what you think and how we can continue to improve.

Nieman Lab: MinnPost ends 2011 in the black

MinnPost staff — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:24:11 +0000

"The nonprofit news site — by now almost an online veteran — is showing it can support itself."

MinnPost's 2011 year-end report: Visits by Minnesotans up 32%

Joel Kramer and Laurie Kramer — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:01:00 +0000

Note: To see the full report including journalism highlights and donor list, click here [PDF].

Minnesota readers turned to MinnPost a lot more often in 2011.

Visits to the site by Minnesotans rose 32%, from 2.8 million to 3.7 million. Compared with our first full year, 2008, visits by Minnesotans are up 145%.

Those Minnesota visitors looked at 7.6 million pages, up 24% from 2010 and up 124% from 2008.

Including non-Minnesotans, we had more than 11 million page views in 2011, up 21% from 2010 and 103% from 2008.

And there are many other measures of the rapidly growing enthusiasm for MinnPost: More than 14,000 people follow our main Twitter feed, up 75% in one year, and 5,600 people have liked our main Facebook page, up 60%.

Why is MinnPost’s readership growing so rapidly? As one reader put it recently, “Other media tell you what happened. MinnPost tells you why.” Telling you the why, about Minnesota politics and policy — and also about arts, business, education, the environment, health, sports and other subjects — is central to our mission, and in 2011 we produced a lot of exciting journalism and added some terrific new players to our team.

Original reporting and analysis are expensive, and we’re happy to report that readers are also stepping up more with their dollars.

Revenue from individual and corporate donors and from MinnRoast rose a whopping 69%, to $815,252. Some of this increase came from 6% growth in annual membership revenue. Thanks to 690 first-time donors in 2011, our total donor base grew to 3,324. And 651 people, almost 20% of our total donor list, became sustaining members by the end of 2011.

The rest of the increase in individual donations was related to the first year of our four-year growth capital campaign to Take MinnPost to the Next Level. The campaign goal is $1 million, and we’ve received nearly $600,000 in commitments so far. Half the $600,000 pledged was paid in 2011.

We appreciate the continued generous support of Minnesota foundations. In 2011, $317,000 (20.8% of revenues) came from new grants from the Elmer L. and Eleanor J. Andersen, Bush, Carolyn, Central Corridor Funders Collaborative, McKnight, Pohlad Family and Saint Paul Foundations. Grants received in 2011 were for general operations and special projects. The 2011 grant total is lower — in dollars and percentage of revenues — than the $466,350 received in 2010. This fits with our long-range plan to reduce reliance on foundation dollars.

Revenue from advertising and sponsorship grew strongly for the third consecutive year. In 2011, ad/sponsorship revenue was $385,865, an increase of 25% from 2010.

With growing revenues, we invested $241,138 more in spending in 2011— on more reporting, developing a new website (which will debut in February) and a membership director. We ended 2011 with a surplus of $21,669. That’s two years in a row that MinnPost has been modestly in the black.

Heartfelt thanks to our hard-working editors, technology and business staff, contract and contributing journalists, advertisers and sponsors, Board of Directors, Advisory Council, Greater Minnesota Advisory Group, MinnRoast sponsors, volunteer comment moderators, MinnRoast and birthday party planners.

And an extra thanks to all our donors, from Copy Boys and Girls to Media Moguls. Donor names are listed in categories in the full report [PDF].

To readers who haven’t yet become donors, please consider this a personal invitation to join the MinnPost family. We cannot do this without you.

Introducing Weekend Best Bets, from Minnesota Monthly

By MinnPost Staff — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:31:00 +0000

Every Thursday starting today, MinnPost will be publishing Weekend Best Bets, compiled by Minnesota Monthly arts editor Tim Gihring. The feature highlights a number of area events that he recommends you consider attending in the next few days.

Gihring has worked at the magazine since 2003. He has spent more time at intermissions than most people have spent in theaters, and has interviewed everyone from Tom Brokaw to Cheech Marin to Ann-Margret. He also moonlights as a fine-art photographer and loves that he landed in a recent volume of "Best Food Writing" without knowing a demi-glace from Demi Moore.

You can find more of his work on Minnesota Monthly's website.

We thank Minnesota Monthly for making this feature available to our readers.

Weekend Best Bets rounds out our new arts coverage plan, in the wake of Max Sparber’s departure for Hollywood. We recently announced the other two legs of our new coverage: a twice-weekly arts roundup of arts news and commentary by Pamela Espeland, which will be called Artscape; and a weekly feature by Andy Sturdevant, called The Stroll, that will focus each time on the visual art-related sights in a specific area of town.

With Weekend Best Bets scheduled for Thursdays, Artscape will appear Tuesdays and Fridays, starting tomorrow, Feb. 20. The Stroll will begin next Wednesday, Feb. 25. We will continue to run occasional arts pieces by our team of free-lance arts writers as well.

We hope you enjoy our arts coverage.

Best of MinnPost 2011

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:05:42 +0000

The Best of MinnPost.com celebrates MinnPost's fourth anniversary. The stories and photos were selected from among the thousands we've published in the past 12 months.

Stories featured in The Best of MinnPost.com:

I witnessed a dark side of Bachmann's character
By Eric Black

Flawed Iowa strategy doomed Pawlenty campaign
By Devin Henry

Bachmann and Perry have a lot of constitutional explaining to do
By Eric Black

From a state that works to shutdown, what changed in Minnesota politics?
By Eric Black

Who stands to gain by a near-total shutdown?
By Eric Black

MinnPost poll: Minnesotans blame GOP for shutdown
By Eric Black

Grover Norquist looms over Minnesota's budget impasse
By Eric Black

What if Obama gave FDR's 'I welcome their hatred' speech?
By Eric Black

Everyone is looking for something (different) in a debt ceiling deal
By Devin Henry

GOP legislators ready to go to 'war' with neighboring states in the battle for business
By Doug Grow

'Jobs' are back on the front burner for governor, legislators
By James Nord

Mayor's national post is perfect for longtime Obama advocate
By Doug Grow

Who Minnesota's GOP leaders like for president
By Cyndy Brucato

Long-running Vikings stadium debate could drag on for years yet
By Doug Grow

BP's Tony Hayward is trying to get his life back in northern Minnesota
By Don Shelby

County highway funding system supports roads to nowhere
By Steven Dornfeld

Lifelong activist proud that protests fought nation's 'war machine'
By Doug Grow

What Anders Breivik has in common with war criminals
By Nick Hayes

Census results: MSP grows (on the edge); experts see trouble ahead
By Steve Berg

Twin Cities' unique tax-base sharing law challenged by affluent suburbs
By Steven Dornfeld

'Blogger trial of century' produces pro-journalist ruling
By David Brauer

Why The Current's ratings are soaring
By David Brauer

She remade her life, now she's trying to build a business in North Minneapolis
By Cynthia Boyd

Proposed legislation stuns Minnesota's non-profits
By Cynthia Boyd

Exploring the Mississippi below St. Anthony Falls
By Steve Date

Demand better media? Not with Demand Media
By John Reinan

Signs of a rebound in Minnesota manufacturing?
By Brad Allen

Manufacturing comeback: Iconic Faribault Woolen Mill factory reopens
By Dave Beal

St. Paul ready to give Ranked Voting its first try
By Joe Kimball

As OccupyMN settles in, Tea Party comparisons surface
By Jeff Severns Guntzel

Viking tells legless legislator, 'Sit down n shut up'
By Brian Lambert

MLK monument sculptor 'discovered' in St. Paul
By Joe Kimball

Why forest fires are good — and amazing, even
By Jeff Severns Guntzel

What the polls really show about global warming
By Ron Meador

Involuntary transfer results in suit against MPS
By Beth Hawkins

Cheering dying: Psychology behind ghoulish outbursts at GOP debates
By Susan Perry

Somali immigrant has learned to appreciate life in Pelican Rapids
By Sharon Schmickle

Closing a divide in Minnesota's educational landscape
By Sharon Schmickle

Elected officials deny climate science as climate-related losses grow
By Shawn Lawrence Otto

Just why should we care about legal services for the poor?
By Judge Kevin S. Burke

Lessons of the debt deal — politics in the age of American decline
By David Schultz

What national crisis? Vikings, pro football are back
By Jim Klobuchar

Lynx doing well on the court — and in the stands, too
By Pat Borzi

The meaning of 'Moneyball' isn't about winning or losing
By Aaron Gleeman

Noteworthy Civil War novels
By Audra Otto

Young Professionals Network: 5 questions for Lars-Erik Leafblad

Special 'Time Capsule' years: 1961 and 1986
By Don Effenberger

A resurgence of Dakota language among native youth
By Jeff Severns Guntzel

Max About Town: On the death of Amy Winehouse
By Max Sparber

Why you can't trust a critic — with exceptions, of course
By Max Sparber

Max is moving on, but new arts features are coming

Susan Albright — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:18:55 +0000

As Max Sparber notes in "Adieu from Max" today, this marks the end of MinnPost's Max About Town feature. We will miss Max's take on Twin Cities arts and culture, from quirky arts history and properly made cocktails to the latest doings at the Walker. But he is off to warmer climes and an obviously vibrant arts scene in L.A., so we have made new plans we'd like to share.

Beginning Jan. 19, Pamela Espeland will broaden her writing for MinnPost, launching a newsy, twice-weekly arts column that will focus on arts institutions, personalities, performances, money and arts politics. It will encompass all manner of arts – theater, museums, music, film, festivals, dance, puppets, touring shows – you name it.

Pamela has been our jazz specialist since MinnPost's launch. But since then she has branched out, writing for us about dance, theater, music, arts personalities and more. We are excited about this new column, which will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.

On Wednesdays we'll feature a new writer to MinnPost: Andy Sturdevant, who has crafted a column called "The Stroll." In it he'll describe interesting, newsworthy or otherwise notable visual art-related objects or events around the Twin Cities, with each piece focused on one geographic area — a part of town, a neighborhood, or even a few blocks within a neighborhood.

He'll draw readers' attention not only to traditional works of visual art contained within this geographic area, but also to craft, architecture, design, street art, public art, advertising, fashion, or furniture design — anything a person could walk by and have a look at. Each column will include a hand-drawn map.

Not long ago, Andy was the subject of a Max About Town piece. He is a painter and arts journalist who also works at Springboard Arts, writes beautifully — and really gets around the arts scene. He hosts the "Salon Saloon" at Bryant-Lake Bowl, an event Max described as "an eclectic, themed night in which Sturdevant brings a series of guests onto the BLB stage either to interview them or to have them present something. ... you can never be certain what will be on the bill at 'Salon Saloon,' except that it will be unexpected and fascinating."

We expect "The Stroll" to be likewise unexpected and fascinating. Look for it on Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 25.

And, of course, we will continue to publish the work of our current arts writers, including Jim Walsh, Michael Anthony, Britt Robson — even Max, on occasion, as he promises to pen the now-and-then post from our new "Hollywood Bureau."

Max is moving on, but new arts features are coming

By Susan Albright — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:23:00 +0000

Photo by Coco Mault

Max Sparber

Illustration by Hugh Bennewitz

Pamela Espeland

Photo by Coco Mault

Max Sparber and Andy Sturdevant

We expect "The Stroll" to be likewise unexpected and fascinating. Look for it on Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 25.

MinnPost seeks ad salesperson

By Sally Waterman — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:52:00 +0000

MinnPost is looking for an advertising salesperson to help us continue to grow. Now in its fifth year, MinnPost is a nonprofit, nonpartisan enterprise whose mission is to provide high-quality journalism for news-intense people who care about Minnesota.

This is an entry-level sales position with a small salary base and draw against commission. Online advertising sales experience is a plus, but we will train the right person. This position is open until filled.

Please send résumés to jobs@minnpost.com. No phone calls, please.

Liz Fedor joins MinnPost

By Roger Buoen — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:30:00 +0000

With the new year MinnPost is making some changes to enhance our news and business coverage.

First, business: We are delighted to announce that Liz Fedor, an experienced journalist who has covered Minnesota business and politics for years, will be joining MinnPost. Beginning Thursday, Liz will report and write a weekly post that will examine the intersection between business and government, policy and politics.

MinnPost illustration by Hugh Bennewitz

Liz Fedor

It's a subject Liz knows well. While at the Star Tribune, she reported on the airline industry and manufacturing sector and oversaw the newspaper's coverage of agriculture, consumer issues and the housing market. Before that she was the Grand Forks Herald's editorial page editor and covered Minnesota politics for the Herald. She has also been a columnist and radio show co-host. Liz currently works for a Twin Cities foundation.

And we are making other changes in our business coverage. We are dropping the short news items of Business Agenda and MedCity News, but we will continue to do occasional in-depth business stories by such well-sourced and informed journalists as Dave Beal and Brad Allen.

In the area of general news, we are pleased to announce that Beth Hawkins will be expanding her duties at MinnPost as a full-time staff writer. MinnPost readers are familiar with Beth's work. She recently wrote for us a compelling account of the bullying of gay and lesbian children in the Anoka-Hennepin schools.

Beth has also reported for other publications and news organizations — including More, Mother Jones and Bloomberg news — and has been writing our Learning Curve feature that focuses on the world of education. She will continue to write Learning Curve, but will be expanding to other topic areas, doing articles that provide insight and analysis of day-to-day developments in the news.

Roger Buoen is MinnPost co-managing editor.

MinnPost reaches 75,000 comments -- a good time to review the rules

By Don Effenberger — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:27:00 +0000

MinnPost has just reached another milestone.

Last week, we surpassed the 75,000 mark in comments submitted by MinnPost readers since our beginning in November 2007.

Over that time, we’ve been credited with developing and maintaining one of the most civil environments in the nation for online commenters at a news site.

It hasn’t always been easy.

In fact, we’re unveiling one policy change now that we hope will make the comment site even better in terms of promoting civility (details below).

In large part, our success in the contentious field of online commenting has depended on a two-step process.

First, we put together a clear, concise policy that outlines our rules and requires commenters to use their real names.

Second, we use a dedicated group of volunteer moderators and MinnPost editors who review comments throughout the day (and much of the night) before they’re posted.

For more than a year, I’ve been coordinating those efforts, among my other duties, and I want to thank our comment moderators for all the work they do to maintain the quality of our forum.

A year-end report
At year’s end, I wanted to report to you on how we’re doing and review again some of the basics that will continue to make our comment section a place for a spirited but respectful exchange of ideas, political views and social philosophies.

To that end, we want the comment section to engage, not outrage, those who visit it regularly.

That, of course, does not always happen.

Of those 75,000-plus submitted comments, just more than 4,200 have been rejected. Roughly, that’s about 5 percent of them.

Among the frequent reasons for rejection is the use of incomplete or false names. Also common are spam comments touting commercial products or those unrelated to the subject at hand.

The biggest reason, though, for rejecting comments is the violation of our policy promoting civility, which basically boils down to: no personal attacks, no foul language, no libelous statements and no wording that “incites” hate or sexual harassment.

Too often, commenters appear more interested in “winning an argument” than in contributing to a meaningful, respectful conversation.

And things appear to be getting worse on that score, just as rhetoric everywhere has heated up over the nation’s divisive political and economic situations.

We’ve seen it reflected in submitted comments containing more personal attacks, more name-calling, more snark and more outright insults.

All signs point to an even more contentious 2012 nationally and locally — with controversial issues and events ahead: a presidential election year, continued congressional battles, a new session of the Legislature, political in-fighting at all levels, and competing campaigns for and against a proposed Minnesota constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

All, of course, are worthy subjects for MinnPost news coverage — and the subsequent discussions they may invoke.

And we encourage more readers to take part in the discussion — respectfully.

A policy change
In recent weeks, we’ve been rejecting more comments in cases where folks are not being respectful, and we’re prepared to reject even more if necessary. Several months ago, we banned the use of several derogatory terms some used to refer to the Tea Party.

Now, we’re going to try one other policy change to see if it helps a bit:

From here on, we are banning the use of “nicknames” and “invented” names in comments.

In our experience, they are almost always used to dismiss, denigrate or taunt others. So, we’re saying farewell to the likes of “Bri,” “Swiftee,” “Ronnie Raygun,” “ALGORE” and others that regularly show up.

I’ll end with a quick review of our basic guidelines outlined in our Terms of Use policy:

• MinnPost welcomes user comments on our stories and posts. MinnPost's mission is to engage the public in news analysis of issues in their community and to encourage interaction with our editors, writers and other posters.

• We intend for this area to be used by our readers as a place for civil, thought-provoking and high-quality public discussion.

• In order to achieve this, MinnPost requires that all commenters register and post comments with their actual names.

• MinnPost reserves the right to remove postings that include the use of foul language, personal attacks or the use of language that may be libelous or interpreted as inciting hate or sexual harassment; however we are under no obligation to do so.

• User comments may be included or excluded at our discretion.

Enforcing this policy, we hope, will produce a lively, but civil, informative discussion that’s welcoming to a wide variety of views.

We all can benefit from such a forum.

New foundation grants and a year-end plea

By Laurie and Joel Kramer — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:50:00 +0000

With just 24 days left in 2011, MinnPost has some good news to share on the financial front.

We’ve heard from quite a few foundations recently:

The Carolyn Foundation just awarded us a $20,000 grant to support the new Two Cities blog, joining The Saint Paul Foundation which gave $25,000 a year for two years.
The McKnight Foundation decided to continue supporting MinnPost with a new two-year grant of $65,000 per year.
The Blandin Foundation, which gave us a three-year grant in 2008, awarded a new two-year grant of $50,000 followed by $30,000.
And the Pohlad Family Foundation, which offered us up to $10,000 to match new and increased donations received through November, reviewed our membership records and sent the full $10,000.

On the individual donor front, we’ve started sending out end-of-year requests, mainly to people who’ve already supported MinnPost in one way or another. The first of several mailings went out last week and we’ve already received 42 donations ranging from $10 to $250.

Our year-end campaign goal is just under $50,000, which is the amount we need to raise to balance our budget for 2011. We have a Board match of $10,000 to help us get there.

It’s a very ambitious goal, and we need your help to reach it.

MinnPost is a serious, independent, professionally reported and edited journalism voice that serves the needs of news-intense people who care about Minnesota. With support from individuals, foundations, sponsors and advertisers, we will continue to be a strong part of the media landscape serving our state now and into the future.

Thank you from our hearts, and happy holidays to all.

Holiday gift ideas from MinnPost

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:28:00 +0000

Thanks to generous friends, MinnPost has some holiday gift ideas to offer. All proceeds support high-quality journalism for people who care about Minnesota.

There are a few spots available at "An Extra-Virgin Evening" -- a special event for friends of MinnPost on Thursday, March 8, 5:30-7:30 pm, at Vinaigrette. You'll taste and learn about oils from extra virgin to herb infused, and vinegars from white wine to aged balsamic. And enjoy light appetizers, wine, and delicious oil and vinegar based desserts. And go home with a bottle of oil, vinegar or blend of the two. Vinaigrette is at 50th & Xerxes in South Minneapolis. Event is $30 per person payable to MinnPost.
We have two tickets to three different concerts by Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus. Dates are in December, March and June. You can bid for tickets to one, two or all three concerts.
We have a set of Alpine ski lessons -- women teaching women at Ski-Away. One full tuition includes six all-day ski lessons on consecutive Thursdays starting Jan. 5.

Contact lkramer [at] minnpost [dot] com for more information.

Thank you for Giving to the Max!

By MinnPost staff — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:12:00 +0000

Yesterday was a beautiful day for Minnesota philanthropy.

The third annual Give to the Max Day sponsored by GiveMN.org spurred 47,537 Minnesotans to donate $13,559,530 to 3,978 nonprofits in a 24-hour period.

Dana Nelson, Executive Director of GiveMN.org, said the total donated represented a $3.5 million increase over last year’s Give to the Max Day. There were 4,943 more donors and 342 more nonprofits involved this year.

MinnPost received 407 donations totaling $49,377, more than double the amount received in 2010. We finished at #17 on GiveMN’s Main Leaderboard for total donations received. With our Board match of $20,000, almost $70,000 was raised to support high-quality journalism for people who care about Minnesota.

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supports MinnPost -- yesterday and all year long. We couldn't do this without you.

Join the crowd distributing The Best of MinnPost.com, from Ely to Bryn Mawr

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:00:00 +0000

We sent an email yesterday to 3,000 MinnPost donors asking for help distributing our 4th anniversary commemorative print edition, The Best of MinnPost.com.

BOMP-4, as we call it, is a 48-page tabloid with some of our best stories and photos from the last 12 months.

The responses are coming from all over Minnesota. Our favorite subject line so far: Ely wants MinnPost.

We’ve also heard from Duluth and Rochester, and from fans all over the metro. They’re helping distribute to offices and condos in both downtowns, plus locations in north Minneapolis and Bryn Mawr, St. Louis Park, Excelsior, Stillwater, even Hudson and River Falls. And to colleges and schools including Metro State, the U and South High School.

Of the 7,500 copies we printed, we have about 2,500 left to distribute. If you can help by picking up 5, 10, 25, or 50 copies in the next few days, please email members [at] minnpost [dot] com. We’ll send you directions to our SE Minneapolis office.

You can decide where to distribute — we’d love to have copies available in workplace lobbies and cafeterias, schools and colleges, libraries, coffee shops, gyms, doctors’ offices and other places where reading material is welcome.

For more details about BOMP go here.

Thanks for your help!

MinnPost's 4th birthday party slide shows

By Corey Anderson — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:49:00 +0000

MinnPost celebrated its fourth birthday at Solera on Monday, Nov. 7, 2011. Over 300 attendees enjoyed carnival games, music by The Smarts, a silent auction and a trivia challenge by Al Sicherman. Party-goers hammed it up in photographs with Don Shelby and chatted with MinnPost editors and contributing journalists.

Director of news technology Kaeti Hinck also unveiled a preliminary site redesign which we hope to launch in early 2012. MinnPost photographer Jana Freiband worked the room and filed the party photos below.

What if you could help MinnPost win $1,000 or $10,000 just by giving 10 bucks?

By MinnPost staff — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:30:00 +0000

On November 16, 2011 — Give to the Max Day — you can.

Give to the Max Day is a day for Minnesotans to come together to raise as much money as possible for nonprofits in 24 hours — starting at midnight on November 16 through midnight on November 17. GiveMN is a collaborative venture to transform philanthropy in Minnesota by growing overall giving and moving more of it online. Last year, more than 42,000 donors logged on to GiveMN.org and gave over $10 million to Minnesota charities in 24 hours during Give to the Max Day. More than 300 of them gave to MinnPost.

Why is your gift so important?
First, a MinnPost board member has generously provided a matching gift so every contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to a maximum of $20,000 — doubling the impact of your gift. In addition, for the first time, $15,000, $10,000 and $7,500 prize grants will be awarded to the top three nonprofit organizations which receive the most dollars in 24 hours during Give to the Max Day and $5,000 prize grants will be awarded to nonprofits in 4th through 10th place on the main leaderboard. So, if you haven’t made your annual gift to MinnPost this year, now is a great time to do so. If you have already made your gift, we encourage you to give again. Please help us extend our outreach by forwarding this along to three friends and help us claim our position on the leader board.

In addition, each hour, one donation to a nonprofit will be randomly selected and that nonprofit will get an additional $1,000 from Give to the Max. So, everyone who makes a gift to MinnPost could get lucky and magnify their donation. At the end of the day, one more donor will be randomly selected from among all contributions that day and that donor’s organization will receive a $10,000 grand Golden Ticket prize. So, if you’re a night owl, feel free to sign on between 12:01 AM and 5:00 AM, when your odds will improve.

Gifts of all sizes are significant and can start at just $10. Mark your calendars for November 16, 2011 and don’t miss out on this important opportunity.

MinnPost shows off a new logo on its 4th birthday

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:35:00 +0000

MinnPost photo by Kaeti Hinck

A thoughtful approach to cake: The new MinnPost logo adorning the 4th birthday cake.

At its 4th birthday party Monday night at Solera, MinnPost gave the 300-plus guests a sneak peak of what our home page might look like starting in February.

Kaeti Hinck, MinnPost's news technology director, explained that we'll be moving MinnPost onto an open-source Drupal platform and redesigning the site at the same time. For the redesign, being developed with Gorton Studios, Kaeti said, "we kept a few main goals in mind: make content more discoverable, make future changes to the site easier and less expensive, and finally, make it attractive. In conjunction with those goals, we also chose three words to inspire the design: bold, nimble, and open."

We're not going to publish the page we showed the partiers Monday night, because it's an early-stage work in progress. But our new logo, designed by MinnPost's web editor, Corey Anderson, is pretty much set. So here it is:

Also at the party, the fourth annual edition of the Best of MinnPost.com made its debut.

The 48-page publication highlights many of our biggest and best stories published during 2011, including coverage of Minnesota's state government shutdown and our Washington bureau coverage of the budget fights in Congress.

There's also extensive coverage of the GOP presidential race, focusing on the two candidates from Minnesota, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Michele Bachmann.

Copies of BOMP are available during business hours at the MinnPost office at 900 Sixth Ave. SE, #220, Minneapolis. You can get copies for individual use, or take bundles for your workplace or high-traffic locations where you hang out.

This edition of Best of MinnPost also includes a crossword puzzle by MinnPost CEO and Editor Joel Kramer. If you solve it correctly and mail it in by Nov. 30, you'll be entered in a drawing for two $100 vouchers for Minnesota Opera tickets.

Online versions of BOMP stories can be viewed here.

Louis D. Johnston joins MinnPost to report on the economy

By Roger Buoen — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:29:00 +0000

It's the economy, stupid.

We all know by now that when it comes to running for office during hard times, James Carville's advice has become Rule No. 1 for developing a campaign message. This election season's presidential campaigns are certainly following that rule by putting the economy front and center, and the same will be true in congressional and statewide campaigns next year.

But what about the rest of us who aren't political strategists or politicians? What does the economy mean to those who aren't running a political campaign, to average people who live and work in Minnesota?

MinnPost has enlisted economist Louis D. Johnston to answer that question in a new weekly feature we're calling "Macro, Micro, Minnesota."

Every Wednesday Louis will explore economic developments in the news, sort out what the developments mean for Minnesotans and help us better understand the sometimes puzzling world of economics in general.

We're delighted to add such a talented economist to MinnPost's regular contributors. Louis is associate professor and chair of the Department of Economics at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in Collegeville, and he has researched and written extensively about Minnesota's economic history. He has also been a commentator and featured expert on economic issues for Minnesota Public Radio.

So take a look at Louis' engaging first installment of "Macro, Micro, Minnesota." His weekly feature will help all of us better understand the economic news swirling these days.

Roger Buoen is MinnPost co-managing editor.

'Silent Night' panel to focus on dissent in war

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:08:00 +0000

MinnPost is a promotional partner for “Silent Night: A Policy Discussion on Dissent in a Time of War,” a public conversation to be held Wednesday at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The event will focus on issues raised in “Silent Night,” a new opera to receive its world premiere next month by Minnesota Opera.

Panelists will be Gary DeCramer, director of the Master of Public Affairs program at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs; Col. Jon Jensen, chief of staff, Minnesota National Guard; and “Silent Night” librettist Mark Campbell. Susan Albright, a MinnPost co-managing editor, will moderate.

The free event will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Cowles Auditorium in the Humphrey school, University of Minnesota, 301 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis. Registration for the event is online.

“Silent Night” is based on Christian Carion’s screenplay for the 2005 French film “Joyeux Noël,” which in turn depicted a brief soldiers’ Christmas truce in 1914 during World War I. The film's story captured what actually were many impromptu, intermittent truces that took place along the trench lines in Belgium and France. Accounts of the ad hoc truces were told by surprised soldiers in letters home and in accounts in the New York Times and in British newspapers.

As “Silent Night” stage director Eric Simonson said during an informational Minnesota Opera event on Monday, the soldiers had gone into war just a few months earlier, “expecting glory ... four months later they were losing their minds.” Those who took part in the truces — some of which involved carol singing, handshakes and even a reported soccer match in “no man’s land” between the trenches — met with ramifications when military commanders learned of what had happened. The panel will explore military discipline, the “contract” soldiers have with their commanders, and what happens when soldiers meet the enemy face to face as fellow humans on Christmas Day.

“Silent Night” was commissioned by Minnesota Opera as part of its New Works Initiative. You can read a synopsis of the opera here, and background information about the impromptu Christmas 1914 truces here. Performances run Nov. 12, 15, 17, 19 and 20. For tickets or more information, click here.

Fall membership campaign ends with 615 sustainers and 3,155 total donors

By Joel and Laurie Kramer — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:30:00 +0000

MinnPost’s fall sustaining membership drive wrapped up last week with significant growth in membership.

We had 453 sustaining members at the end of our June campaign, and 615 by the end of this drive. Sustainers represent almost 20% of our full donor list, which now totals 3,155.

Many of our new sustainers explained why they decided to join. Just a few examples: “Great writers and great, fact-based reporting deserves our attention and resources.” “I’ve been reading your work for too long without contributing — it’s high time.” And “MinnPost is my go-to source of political news every day. Best coverage in the Twin Cities!”

Sixty percent of new sustainers chose to give monthly while 40 percent became annual sustainers. Monthly gifts ranged from $5 to $60, with $10 per month the most common. Twenty new one-time donors made gifts ranging up to $1,000.

We are grateful to all MinnPost supporters. Whether you choose to become a sustainer or make a one-time gift, you make the work we do possible.

Our sincere thanks to Stephanie Johnson, our membership director, and Corey Anderson, our web editor, for their work on this membership drive.

The campaign may officially be over, but you won't be surprised to hear us say that you can still sign up as a sustaining member, any day, any time, here.

MinnPost won't try to take advantage when other publishers charge readers

By Joel Kramer — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:00:00 +0000

In a report on MinnPost Friday about the Star Tribune’s upcoming metering system to charge some readers to read online, David Brauer asks:

The question for competitors is how they take advantage of the Strib's new reader hurdle. Will there be a meaningful number of disgruntled readers to snatch? Can smaller but staunchly free local news operations like the Pioneer Press, MPR, MinnPost or TV successfully market themselves as "all free all the time"?

Here’s MinnPost’s answer: We absolutely will NOT try to capitalize on the Star Tribune’s move by promoting ourselves as “all free all the time.” And here’s why.

MinnPost is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt, purpose-driven enterprise. Our purpose is to increase the quantity and quality of reporting and analysis about public affairs for people who care about Minnesota.

For us, it’s all about the total news and analysis that concerned Minnesotans have available to them, not just the part we play. Sure, we believe it will serve democracy well and improve quality of life if MinnPost has more success so it can invest more resources in reporting and analysis. But we also believe that having a healthy Star Tribune serves democracy and our quality of life, as well. We want the Star Tribune – and the Pioneer Press, and Minnesota Public Radio, and every other enterprise that is paying professional journalists – to figure out how to be sustainable, too.

The Internet has made it much harder for publishers of original reporting and analysis to convert readership into advertising revenue than it was in the era of print and broadcast only. Thus, the publishers are putting more emphasis on capturing a greater share of revenue from readers. For nonprofits like MinnPost and Minnesota Public Radio, the reader revenue comes from voluntary donations. We need many more of our readers to donate to be confident of our long-term sustainability.

For for-profits like the Star Tribune and the New York Times, metering is one way to capture more revenue from a certain group of readers – heavy users who don’t subscribe to the print edition. We wish the publishers luck. We hope readers will support all the serious newsgatherers whose work they believe in. It’s not just about a consumer good, it’s about a public good – a better informed citizenry.

Last call for tickets: Steve Berg asks Susan Haigh and Michael Langley 'What Lies Ahead' for the Twin Cities

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:47:00 +0000

Susan Haigh, Michael Langley

The MinnPost Asks live interview series wraps up for 2011 on Monday, October 24, with a program called “Twin Cities 2041 -- What Lies Ahead?”

Please buy your tickets here by Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Steve Berg will interview Susan Haigh, Metropolitan Council Chair, and Michael Langley, CEO of the new organization Greater MSP. Envision Minnesota is co-sponsor of this event.

Steve Berg founded and wrote MinnPost’s Cityscape urban affairs blog until recently. (Cityscape is now written by Steve Dornfeld.)

The MinnPost Asks series features newsmaker interviews in an informal setting with audience interaction, with a hearty appetizer buffet, dessert and coffee, and cash bar. Events are 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Hell’s Kitchen (80 South 9th St., Minneapolis). Series sponsors are Dorsey & Whitney and Padilla Speer Beardsley.

Tickets are $15 for current MinnPost donors, $15 for young professionals, $25 for others. Buy tickets here.

MinnPost expands coverage to Minneapolis and St. Paul city halls

By Roger Buoen — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:16:00 +0000

MinnPost is significantly expanding its coverage of Minneapolis and St. Paul government with the launch today of a new daily feature we're calling Two Cities.

Two Cities, reported by Karen Boros and Joe Kimball, will focus on developments in Minneapolis and St. Paul City Halls. Karen will report on the people and issues in Minneapolis City Hall, and Joe will do the same across the river in St. Paul.

And both reporters know their way around city government.

Joe, familiar to MinnPost readers, is a former reporter and columnist for the Star Tribune and has covered St. Paul City Hall for many years.

Karen has just joined MinnPost's team of journalists. Karen started her journalism career covering Minneapolis politics for the Sun Newspapers and later became the City Hall reporter for WCCO-TV. She also worked as a reporter in the Chicago bureau of CBS News and has reported for Minnesota Public Radio and Twin Cities Public Television. (You can read Karen's engaging essay introducing herself to MinnPost readers here.)

We've asked Joe and Karen to dig into what's going on in city government, whether it's purely city-level activities or how the cities are affected by county, state or even federal action.

On occasion, Two Cities will also include neighborhood-level stories, if they are of interest beyond that neighborhood. Stories about city government matter most, of course, to the citizens of that city, who use local services, pay local taxes and elect local officials. But our goal for Two Cities is to report stories that will appeal to a broader audience.

Two Cities will have fresh, brief and newsy reports every Monday through Friday about what's going on in the two city halls. In addition, each week Two Cities will feature an in-depth article, often focusing on how Minneapolis and St. Paul compare, how they compete and how they cooperate.

Two Cities coverage is made possible in part by a grant from the Saint Paul Foundation.

If you have news tips or other suggestions for our City Hall reporters, you can contact Karen at kboros@minnpost.com and Joe at jkimball@minnpost.com.

In the meantime, check out the first installment of Two Cities here.

Roger Buoen is co-managing editor of MinnPost.

Meet our sustaining members and become one yourself

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:40:00 +0000

By the end of our first sustaining membership drive this past June, MinnPost had 453 sustainers. Today begins our fall membership campaign and our goal is that by October 20, we will have 700 sustainers. To have some fun with this over the next ten days, we will showcase the responses to a survey we conducted of our sustaining members. We hope they will inspire you to become a sustainer yourself.

Sustainers are donors who commit to donating monthly or annually, until they cancel or modify their commitment. Sustainers at all levels are critically important to MinnPost’s future, because they provide a dependable, ongoing source of funding while reducing administrative costs. That makes every contribution a full investment in the unique and outstanding reporting and analysis you expect from MinnPost. In our first campaign, gifts ranged from $5 per month to $100 per month; the most common gift was $10 monthly. You can also give annually. All donations to MinnPost are fully tax-deductible.

In addition, the Pohlad Family Foundation recently awarded MinnPost a $10,000 challenge grant to match contributions from new donors and increased giving by current donors. So if you haven’t donated before and are thinking about it -- or if you’re able to give more than you gave last year -- now's a great time because you can help us earn that match, whether you make a one-time gift or -- even better -- become a sustaining member.

If you value the high quality journalism we provide for people who care about Minnesota, please consider becoming a sustainer today by clicking here.

When you donate, we encourage you to include a comment on why you support MinnPost. We will publish some of them at the end of this campaign.

Many thanks for your consideration.

MinnPost Job Opening: Web Producer

By Kaeti Hinck — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:49:00 +0000

***THE POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED***

MinnPost continues to grow, and we're looking for an awesome web producer to join our team. Ideally, you have a passion for Minnesota news and are excited to help forge the future of online journalism. This is an entry-level position with significant opportunity for growth in the future.

Web producer skills

• You've loaded content in content management systems (CMS) before, and understand the fundamental components — from headlines and bylines, to tagging, asset management, embedding video, and laying out tables with data.

• A mean eye for detail, whether you're editing wire stories or finalizing the homepage layout.

• You can crop, edit and resize images in Photoshop with your eyes closed. You also know your way around the Creative Commons.

• You enjoy working with writers and editors to help conceptualize and enhance content with available images, video, etc.

• You have composed daily/weekly e-mail newsletters (MinnPost uses MailChimp).

• Understanding and implementing basic HTML would be a plus. A desire to learn is an even bigger plus.

Additional requirements

• Experience working for a journalistic organization preferred.

• Strong writing, copy editing and communication skills.

• Detail oriented. The newsroom is busy, chaotic at times, and a ton of fun. We need someone who can juggle skillfully and thrive in this environment.

• Passion for journalism and new media. We like people who look forward and have big ideas.

• Demonstrated interest and skill with social networking.

• We're looking for a generalist — a jack or jill of many trades. The job requires a wide range of skills, and we're a small team, so there's a lot of room for the job to grow around your interests. If you want to be a writer, though, this is not the gig for you.

This is a full-time salaried position with benefits. You'll also get perks like sane hours, free coffee, and collaborative coworkers. Please send an e-mail with your cover letter, resume and any links to your online portfolio to: jobs@minnpost.com, attention Kaeti Hinck. (No phone calls.)

Celebrate MinnPost's 4th birthday with us

By MinnPost staff — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 18:15:00 +0000

On Monday, Nov. 7, supporters, fans, writers and editors will gather at Solera from 5:30 to 8 pm to celebrate MinnPost's 4th birthday.

Please put the date on your calendar, and buy your tickets here.

Since it’s our 4th birthday, we’ve come up with the top four reasons you should come. The graphic above has the basics. A few extra details:

Our silent auction will have lots of unique items, appealing holiday gifts for all ages, and a wide range of minimum bids. Window shop online here.
We're planning other MinnPost-style carnival games and activities, like Get Your Photo Taken with Don Shelby. Could be the beginning of a great holiday card.
In addition to the sneak preview of our site redesign, there will be an opportunity to apply to be a beta tester.

All this for just $20 per person for current MinnPost member-donors and any number of guests.

Plus, if you buy six tickets, you’ll get two extra tickets free!

Not a current member? Pay $30 per person -- or become a member here.

The biggest reason to come, of course, is to show support for serious news and analysis for people who care about Minnesota. That’s why we launched on Nov. 8, 2007. And why, thanks to all of you, we’re continuing to grow.

Steve Berg asks Susan Haigh and Michael Langley: 'Twin Cities 2041 -- What Lies Ahead?'

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:37:00 +0000

The MinnPost Asks live interview series wraps up for 2011 on Monday, October 24, with a program called “Twin Cities 2041 -- What Lies Ahead?”

Steve Berg will interview Susan Haigh, Metropolitan Council Chair, and Michael Langley, CEO of the new organization Greater MSP. Envision Minnesota is co-sponsor of this event.

Susan Haigh, Michael Langley

Steve Berg founded and wrote MinnPost’s Cityscape urban affairs blog until recently. (Cityscape is now written by Steve Dornfeld.)

Tickets are $15 for current MinnPost donors, $15 for young professionals, $25 for others. Buy tickets here.

'MinnPost Asks' Eric Kaler Oct. 3, Susan Haigh and Michael Langley Oct. 24

By MinnPost staff — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:10:00 +0000

Eric Kaler

The MinnPost Asks live interview series wraps up for 2011 with two programs in October.

On Monday, Oct. 3, education reporter Beth Hawkins will interview Eric Kaler, new president of the University of Minnesota.

And on Monday, Oct. 24, Steve Berg will interview Susan Haigh, Metropolitan Council Chair, and Michael Langley, CEO of the new organization Greater MSP. Envision Minnesota is co-sponsor of this event, on the topic “Twin Cities 2041: What Lies Ahead?”

Susan Haigh, Michael Langley

Beth Hawkins writes MinnPost’s Learning Curve blog. Steve Berg founded and wrote MinnPost’s Cityscape urban affairs blog until recently. (Cityscape is now written by Steve Dornfeld.)

Tickets for each event are $15 for current MinnPost donors, $15 for young professionals, $25 for others. Buy Oct. 3 tickets here and Oct. 24 tickets here.

MinnPost begins long-awaited site redesign

By Kaeti Hinck — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:30:00 +0000

MinnPost photo by Brian Perry

The MinnPost team brainstorms goals and vision for the redesign.

MinnPost’s mission has always centered on providing quality, in-depth coverage of the issues that are most important to Minnesotans. But we also know that the way you read, find and interact with that content is just as important. And we all know that MinnPost.com is in dire need of an update.

Now, after four years of focusing our resources on quality reporting, we are finally in a position to funnel some resources toward the design and functionality of the site itself.

Our team is committed to exploring innovative ways of doing journalism on the web. To make that easier, we will be moving to an open source platform, which will allow us to contribute to and learn from a growing community of online news organizations working toward the same goal. MinnPost has had a fantastic technology partner in Clockwork over the past four years, a company and team that worked long and hard to build our site from scratch and to get MinnPost up and running (not to mention that they keep us running on a day-to-day basis). Now we feel it’s time to jump into the world of open source journalism.

We are very excited to be working with the award-winning Gorton Studios to build and design our new site. We expect to launch the new MinnPost.com — along with a much-improved mobile presence — in the first quarter of 2012.

So, why announce a redesign without a shiny, new site to parade around at the same time? Well, we don’t think it’s particularly transparent — or fun, for that matter — to wait until the day you launch to clue readers in to the process. In fact, we think it’s more helpful to include our readers throughout the whole process, from planning to beta testing.

Here are some of the ways you can get involved and follow our progress:

• Sign up to be a member. In addition to supporting nonprofit journalism, members will get the added benefit of helping us choose MinnPost’s new logo, assisting as a beta tester for the new site, and receiving exclusive updates on project milestones.

• Not able to support us financially at this time? That’s OK, you can still follow along. We’ll be posting updates at our Tumblr and to this blog, as well as keeping our Twitter and Facebook friends in the loop. For the nerds out there, we’ll also be sending out regular emails with more information about the technical questions we tackle. You can sign up for email updates using the form below.

• Have burning thoughts and comments that you need to share with us? Send me an email at khinck AT minnpost [dot] com. We know we have a lot of work to do, and truly appreciate your feedback.

We are grateful for the support of our readers and members over these last few years — this wouldn’t be possible without you. And at the risk of sounding too much like a pledge drive, your continued support will help us build the kind of site that reflects MinnPost’s commitment to quality and innovation.

New MinnPost blog, View Finder, focuses on what's visually captivating

By Roger Buoen — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:36:00 +0000

MinnPost introduces a new feature today that will mainly use images – with a few words – to tell the story.

We’re calling the photo-driven blog “View Finder” and it will be produced by Steve Date, a familiar name to MinnPost readers. For several years Steve has been shooting videos for MinnPost about a variety of topics and people. His latest video stories explore the lives of young people growing up in Greater Minnesota.

But readers may not be aware that Steve is also a skilled photographer. (That’s not all: He’s also a 5^th-grade teacher at Andersen School in Minneapolis.)

MinnPost plans to take advantage of Steve’s photo talents to show us some of the visually interesting things going on around us.

Beginning today, each week Steve will put up a collection of photos that display what’s interesting, important or quirky in the Twin Cities and around the state.

His goal is to remind us to pause and take notice.

“As a sometimes inattentive and forgetful person, I take pictures to make myself stop and notice — ordinary things as well as the extraordinary — and preserve that moment,” Steve says. “My hope for this blog is to use my camera to share some of these things that I find interesting."

Steve’s first installment of View Finder features photos from a visit to the Monarch Festival in Minneapolis last weekend. Check it out here.

Roger Buoen is MinnPost co-managing editor.

Introducing Earth Journal, by Ron Meador

By Susan Albright — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 14:34:00 +0000

Today we're pleased to introduce Earth Journal, a new MinnPost blog by Ron Meador.

In Earth Journal, Ron will clarify environmental issues in the news, lend proportion and perspective to competing claims, and engage MinnPost readers in exploring subjects that lie beyond the headlines — with a special emphasis on the people, businesses and organizations that are finding solutions to environmental problems. We are delighted to welcome Ron to the MinnPost team.

"And I am delighted to be returning to journalism at MinnPost," Ron says. "I'll be writing about the subjects that matter most to me, in collaboration with longtime colleagues I treasure, and for a loyal readership that clearly values substance."

MinnPost illustration by Hugh Bennewitz

Ron comes to MinnPost with authoritative credentials in journalism — and environment writing in particular. During his 25-year stint at the Star Tribune his work included supervision of the paper's investigative projects and of the Washington Bureau — and in his last decade at the Strib he wrote editorials and columns with environment, energy and science subjects as his major concentration. After leaving the paper in 2007 he became executive director of Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and later worked at Fresh Energy, where he founded Midwest Energy News, a daily guide to news and comment on energy issues of regional importance.

Ron's writing is elegant, fair-minded and solidly reported. His awards include the national Wilderness Society's Aldo Leopold Award for Editorial Writing, in 2000, and the Frank Premack Public Affairs Journalism Award for editorials, in 2006.

You can read Ron's first Earth Journal piece here.

Ron can be reached at rmeador[at]minnpost[dot]com.

Susan Albright is co-managing editor of MinnPost.

Steven Dornfeld joins MinnPost

By Roger Buoen — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:27:00 +0000

MinnPost’s Cityscape is losing one Steve but gaining another.

Steve Berg, who developed our Cityscape blog as a place for readers to learn about and debate topics related to urban life in our metro areas, is leaving MinnPost to develop his own consulting business. We’re going to miss Steve, not only because he’s a terrific person but because his deep knowledge of urban affairs, combined with strong reporting skills and an elegant and engaging writing style, has made Cityscape a must-read for people interested in urban-planning issues in this community.

We wish Steve all the best, and thank him for his important contribution to MinnPost’s success and the outstanding journalism he produced for Cityscape.

Steve may be leaving MinnPost, but Cityscape isn’t. We are pleased to announce that another experienced journalist with a strong background in urban affairs will be taking over Cityscape. Beginning today, Steven Dornfeld will be reporting and writing Cityscape articles every Monday and Thursday.

Cityscape’s new Steve has been a government reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, covering everything from political developments in the Legislature to brick-and-mortar developments in the Twin Cities and suburbs. He has also worked as a Washington, D.C., correspondent for the Pioneer Press, as well as an editorial page writer and editor for the paper. From 2003 to earlier this year, Steve experienced a close-up view of the challenges of urban planning in a major metro area as the Metropolitan Council’s director of public affairs.

Check out Steve Dornfeld’s first Cityscape article here. Steve can reached at sdornfeld[at]minnpost[dot]com.

Roger Buoen is MinnPost co-managing editor.

Videos of the entertainment highlights from MinnPost's Day at the State Fair

By Don Effenberger — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 05:03:00 +0000

Earlier this week, we shared some of the highlights of last Saturday’s third annual MinnPost Day at the State Fair.

In that post, we focused on the four “MinnPost Asks” newsmaker segments and the Minnesota Community Pride Awards Showcase events.

Today, we offer a look at some of the day’s many entertainment highlights, so enjoy:

• J.D. Steele and the MacPhail Community Youth Choir.

Watch live streaming video from theuptake2 at livestream.com

• The Willie Murphy Band.

Watch live streaming video from theuptake2 at livestream.com

• A performance by Charlie Maguire, "Centennial Troubadour" for Minnesota State Parks.

theuptake2 on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

• Ragamala Dance advanced students.

theuptake2 on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

• Twin Cities rap artist Desdamona.

Watch live streaming video from theuptake2 at livestream.com

• Improv and comedy from members of the Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre.

Watch live streaming video from theuptake2 at livestream.com

• And music from the Tom Hunter Band.

theuptake2 on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Missed our State Fair Day? Check out some of the highlights

By Don Effenberger — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:33:00 +0000

Courtesy of The UpTake

Rep. Keith Ellison being interviewed by MinnPost Washington Correspondent Devin Henry.

If you missed Saturday’s third annual MinnPost Day at the State Fair, you missed a good time.

But fear not — you can check out many of the day’s events below, courtesy of The UpTake.

Here are the four “MinnPost Asks” newsmaker segments — sponsored by Dorsey & Whitney and Padilla Speer Beardsley — and the Minnesota Community Pride Awards Showcase events.

Visit again later this week for some of the day’s entertainment highlights.

Here’s the first batch of the day’s events:

• “MinnPost Asks” newsmaker interview with Steven Rosenstone, new chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU). He was interviewed by MinnPost “Learning Curve” writer Beth Hawkins.

Watch live streaming video from theuptake2 at livestream.com

• “MinnPost Asks” newsmaker interview with 5th District Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison. He was interviewed by MinnPost Washington Correspondent Devin Henry.

theuptake2 on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

• “MinnPost Asks” newsmaker panel on “The Future of the News,” moderated by MinnPost CEO/Editor Joel Kramer with MinnPost media writer David Brauer and Nora Paul, director of the Minnesota Journalism Center at the University of Minnesota.

Watch live streaming video from theuptake2 at livestream.com

• “MinnPost Asks” youth panel, moderated by MinnPost writer Joe Kimball.

Watch live streaming video from theuptake2 at livestream.com

And here are the Minnesota Commuty Pride Awards, sponsored by InCommons, the State Fair and MinnPost.

Watch live streaming video from theuptake2 at livestream.com

Afterward, MinnPost’s Sharon Schmickle talked with some of the Community Pride winners.

theuptake2 on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Join us for 'Manufacturing Matters' -- Sept. 20 at Solera

By MinnPost staff — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:10:00 +0000

You name it -- from sandpaper and sticky paper to heart pacemakers and supercomputers, with a whole lot of cars, trucks, boats, snowmobiles, 3D printers, hearing aids, wheel chairs, specialty glass, windows, semiconductors and thermostats in between, Minnesota is a state where stuff gets made.

What does the future hold for Minnesota manufacturers -- and for the state’s economic well-being? Which are the new up and coming companies that get investors excited? What are the issues top of mind with business leaders?

Join us on Tuesday, Sept. 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, at Solera, 9th and Hennepin, for hearty appetizers, cash bar, and a lively panel discussion on the future of manufacturing in Minnesota, moderated by Brad Allen, MinnPost business and economics reporter.

Panelists will include Tom Stinson, Minnesota State Economist; Ben Marks, Chief Investment Officer of Marks Group Wealth Management; and manufacturing executive Lawrence Doerr, Senior Vice President of R&D and Operations for Stratasys. This program is co-sponsored by MinnPost and Marks Group Wealth Management.

Tickets are $15 for MinnPost members and young professionals, $25 for others. Click here to reserve your space.

Devin Henry named MinnPost's Washington correspondent

By Roger Buoen — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:48:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce that Devin Henry will be MinnPost’s Washington correspondent.

Devin has been working as our interim Washington reporter since June, when Derek Wallbank left the job to work for Bloomberg News.

Courtesy of Devin Henry

Devin Henry

Since then, Devin has done a terrific job covering many of the important stories out of Washington, including, mostly recently, the bitter debate over raising the debt ceiling.

Devin has demonstrated that he has the skills and background to provide high-quality coverage of issues that are important to Minnesota readers. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, and while at the university he was editor-in-chief of the Minnesota Daily. The Daily was named the best daily student newspaper in the United States by the Society of Professional Journalists under his leadership.

Devin has been an intern at Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and MinnPost.com. He can be reached at dhenry[at]minnpost [dot]com. You can also follow him on Twitter.

Roger Buoen is MinnPost co-managing editor.

MinnPost's first poll and how you can help

By Joel Kramer — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:29:00 +0000

MinnPost today is publishing its first scientific-sample poll, capturing Minnesotans’ attitudes about the recent state government shutdown and who is to blame.

News polling is expensive, and not something MinnPost can routinely afford. But we decided to do this post-shutdown poll because we thought it was important to know how the public views this major event in retrospect, which could have a lot of impact on the next round of legislative elections.

And no other news organization did it, so we decided to fill the gap.

Our pollster, Rob Daves of Daves & Associates Research, donated his professional services and we are sincerely grateful for his contribution to help us get this story out. But we still incurred nearly $10,000 in expenses to field the survey.

Now here is how you, the reader, can contribute, too. If you believe this kind of polling is important to our state, please make a donation to MinnPost to help cover the costs of this work, so we don’t have to take the money away from other news spending. Any amount from $5 to $500 or more is greatly appreciated.

Joel Kramer is CEO and editor of MinnPost.com.

MinnPost fares well in Pew study of nonprofit digital news sites

By Joel Kramer — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:16:00 +0000

There's a study out today of 46 new national and state-level nonprofit news enterprises, conducted by the Pew Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. It found that about half of them had a distinctly ideological slant, and that as a group they did a mediocre job of being transparent about their funding sources and mission.

MinnPost, however, scored high on both ideological balance and transparency, as well as on a third category, productivity – which basically means volume of original content produced.

Rick Edmonds of the Poynter Institute wrote an article providing a good summary and analysis of the report.

You can also check out the study itself, which includes numerous charts comparing MinnPost with the other sites on each measure.

Pohlad Foundation gives MinnPost a challenge grant

By Joel and Laurie Kramer — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:25:00 +0000

On the heels of the success of our first sustaining member campaign, MinnPost has received a new momentum booster.

The Pohlad Family Foundation has awarded MinnPost a $10,000 challenge grant, to match contributions from new donors and increased giving by current donors.

We have until the end of November to raise the $10,000.

So if you haven’t donated before and are thinking about it, now's a great time, because your contribution will be matched, whether you make a one-time gift or -- even better -- become a sustaining member.

And if you have been donating but step up to a higher level, the Pohlad grant will match the difference. For example, if you gave MinnPost $50 last year, and you sign on now as a sustaining member at $10 a month, that will trigger a $70 match from the challenge grant.

Sincere thanks to the Pohlad Family Foundation for this show of support for MinnPost’s membership efforts, and to all of you who help us reach the goal.

Note to all: The list of Founding Sustainers, who donated by June 28, is now posted here. Please contact Stephanie Johnson at sjohnson [at] minnpost [dot] com or 612-455-6954 if we have inadvertently omitted or misspelled your name.

There's still time to enter Community Pride Showcase for State Fair Day

By MinnPost staff — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:26:00 +0000

Mark your calendars for MinnPost’s third annual Day at the State Fair.

This year, MinnPost is partnering with the Bush Foundation, InCommons and the State Fair for a day of newsmaker interviews, entertainment and, most especially, the Minnesota Community Pride Showcase.

The date is Saturday, Sept. 3, and we’ll have all sorts of programming details in the weeks ahead.

First up, though, is the Showcase, which will recognize communities throughout the state that are working collaboratively to move beyond the current economic challenges with creative and proactive community and economic development innovations.

The Showcase is open to nonprofit organizations, community groups and schools, so be sure to encourage any qualifying group you know to consider taking part. All the details are available here. (PDF)

Time to enter is running out, though.

Entries for the program are being accepted through 5 p.m. Monday, July 11.

Check back here for more State Fair updates in the weeks ahead.

Thanks to MinnPost's first 450 sustainers

By MinnPost staff — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:05:00 +0000

The books are closed on MinnPost's first sustaining member campaign.

Today we're publishing the list [xls] of MinnPost's 450 founding sustainers, in alphabetical order. The list will be featured on our site permanently, along with our list of founding donors from 2007.

On Friday, after the campaign ended, we announced that we had 435 sustainers, but some trickled in over the weekend, and since they came in before we assembled the list, we're counting them, too. Sustainers are donors who commit to donating monthly or annually, until they cancel or modify their commitment.

Please let us know if we have inadvertently omitted or misspelled your name by contacting Stephanie Johnson, Membership Director, at sjohnson@minnpost.com.

A big, sincere thank you to all our sustainers.

Thank you, sustaining members: We beat our goal by 74 percent

By Joel and Laurie Kramer — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:07:00 +0000

MinnPost photo by Joel Kramer

Corey Anderson, Kaeti Hinck, Brian Perry and Stephanie Johnson enjoy a well-deserved crazy-cat video after an exhaustive membership campaign.

The payments kept pouring in all day yesterday, the 10th and final day of MinnPost's first sustaining member campaign.

There were well known community leaders, and there were people we never heard of. One supporter committed to $2,500 a year, renewable each June. Others signed up for $5 or $10 a month.

Together, they made sure we didn't just beat our campaign goal of having 250 sustainers, we annihilated it — we finished the campaign at midnight last night with 435 donors, or 74% above goal.

As the proverb says, it takes a village to pull off a sustaining membership drive. Our deepest appreciation to our new membership director, Stephanie Johnson, for overseeing and driving the project; to web editor Corey Anderson for designing and editing the testimonials and pumping out messages on social media; to advertising operations director Brian Perry for the supportive advertising and emails; and news technology director Kaeti Hinck for overseeing the videos and also promoting the campaign on social media — and to all of them together for their outstanding teamwork.

The most important thank you, of course, is to all of you who made the commitment to be a sustaining member of MinnPost. You have made a statement that you're in for the long haul, as are we.

Next week, we’ll post a draft list of everyone who became a sustainer during this drive, and ask you to check that we haven’t omitted or misspelled any names. This list of Founding Sustainers will remain on our Members page, right next to the Founding Members list from 2007.

The campaign may officially be over, but you won't be surprised to hear us say that you can still sign up as a sustaining member, any day, any time, here.

We're well ahead of our sustainer goal, but why stop now?

By Joel and Laurie Kramer — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:05:00 +0000

Since this was our first sustaining member campaign, we had no idea what goal to set. We discussed 500 or 300 or 250, and finally selected 250, to minimize the risk of missing the goal.

Well, with two days to go, we're at 310 sustainers. Of course, we want more — lots more — and you can help finance our journalism here. But the results so far have left us speechless.

Speaking of speechless, watch the video of B.T. (Brian Turner) of Cities 97 explaining why he's a sustaining member of MinnPost, and why he hopes you will be, too.

Thanks, MinnPost sustainers, for your tremendous response so far

By Joel and Laurie Kramer — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 05:01:00 +0000

In the first two days of our inaugural drive for sustaining members, 87 people have signed on, bringing our total sustainer number to 117.

The contributions have ranged from $5 a month to $50 a month. Some people have chosen to give annually, and those contributions have ranged from $60 to $600 (a $300 gift with a $300 employer match).

Our goal is to have at least 250 sustainers by June 23. Whether you’ve never donated to MinnPost before, or you’re a regular supporter, please help us make and then beat the goal.

In addition to the testimonials we’ve been featuring on our site, many more contributors have told us why they’ve become sustaining members, and we’d like to share some of what they’ve said.

Thanks, all, for your enthusiasm, and for backing up your words with meaningful financial support.

Doug Hoverson, Minneapolis: MinnPost has become an essential part of my day. I use it to teach, write, and navigate through the wilds of regional politics. The blend of topics and coverage is unmatched.

Barbara Luikens, Long Lake: I have been an annually renewing member since shortly after MinnPost was founded. I have come to really appreciate the intelligent, professional journalism on this site. I'm happy to support it on an ongoing basis.

David Koller, Minneapolis: I use MinnPost as my home page.

Benjamin Ashley-Wurtmann, St. Paul: MinnPost's coverage helps me do my job better.

Stuart Braman, Port Washington, NY: As a long-time member of the Minnesota diaspora it’s a treat to get an intelligent picture of what’s happening in Minnesota every day, and when I want thoughtful analysis and commentary on national topics (politics and healthcare especially) I turn to MinnPost regularly.

Teresa Fishel, St. Paul: I want MinnPost to succeed.

Randi Reitan, Eden Prairie: There is not a day that goes by that I don't read MinnPost. I am grateful and I want to support the important work they do.

Sylvia Burgos Toftness, Amery, WI: I'm a sustaining member because of MinnPost's high professional standards and ethics, up-to-date, interesting columns (REALLY miss Braublog), accessible wherever there's WiFi -- including my barn.

Luke Ferguson, Minneapolis: MinnPost provides me with in depth reporting for Minnesota politics and news that I just can't find anywhere else. I love the Daily Glean and read it every morning.

Penelope Hillemann, Northfield: I find consistent value in the skilled reporting and daily email updates from MinnPost and am happy to become a sustaining member, just as I subscribe to a daily print paper and to MPR.

Pam Neary, Afton: MinnPost is such a great resource, not only for local news, but for commentary and context. And, it often makes me laugh...a wonderful combination! Having witty, well-composed news and information seems like such a small thing, but MinnPost has taken a leap beyond the usual sources by creating a community of writers, thinkers and readers who care deeply about the world in which we live and, by doing so, seems to make the world a better place. Thanks for the morning pick-me-up every day.

Thomas O’Donnell, Burnsville: You have convinced me of your commitment to providing worthwhile news reporting. I am trying to show you my commitment as well to that endeavor.

John Bristow, Columbia Heights: Having recently discovered MinnPost, it is refreshing to find coverage digs beyond the claims of politicians. If something is untrue, MinnPost says so which is a relief from journalistic 'even handedness' which treats all opinions as equal no matter how false. Also, the general quality is superior.

Drs. David Griffin and Marjorie Hogan, St. Paul: We know that we can find insightful analysis with a local flavor here. And, MinnPost is the home of many of our longtime favorites along with new favorites!!

Welcome to MinnPost's first sustaining member campaign

By Laurie and Joel Kramer — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 05:01:00 +0000

Roxane Battle talks about why she chose to become a sustaining member of MinnPost.com.

Got an extra $5 (or more) a month? Then welcome to MinnPost’s first sustaining member campaign.

We’re asking readers like you to sign up as sustaining members. Our goal: to get at least 250 new or existing donors to become sustainers by June 23.

All you need to do is register here to make an automatic, recurring donation to MinnPost of $5 or more every month until you cancel or modify.

Over the next 10 days, our site will showcase video and text messages from well-known and not-so-well-known Minnesotans who’ve made the decision to become sustainers. We encourage you to join them.

And, if you have time, you’re invited to email your own video or text message and headshot to membership director Stephanie Johnson at sjohnson [at] minnpost [dot] com. We’ll continue to post messages from new sustaining members throughout the year.

Sustainers at all levels are critically important to MinnPost’s future. By cutting down on staff time, paper, ink and postage used in the renewal process, we can free up revenues to devote to news and analysis. And all donations to MinnPost are fully tax-deductible.

Just check it out here. And call Stephanie with any questions: 612-455-6954.

At least 250 by June 23. With your help, we’ll do it.

Derek Wallbank leaving MinnPost

By Roger Buoen — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:03:00 +0000

Derek Wallbank, MinnPost’s Washington correspondent, is leaving to take on a new job for Bloomberg News.

We’ll miss Derek’s strong reporting skills and thoughtful insights into what’s going in Congress and on the national political scene.

Since joining MinnPost in 2009, Derek has covered many important news developments — from passage of major health care legislation to Al Franken’s first year in the Senate to the GOP takeover in Congress. Most recently, he’s been on the campaign trail covering Minnesota’s two presidential candidates.

Derek Wallbank

Under his leadership, MinnPost’s Washington bureau has developed into an important and reliable source for news about our congressional delegation and Minnesota-related developments in Washington. Derek enlisted MinnPost as the first online-only member of the Regional Reporters Association and worked to obtain a position for MinnPost in the White House press pool.

In his new job, Derek will be part of Bloomberg Government’s congressional team, scrutinizing legislation and contributing to its real-time coverage of Capitol Hill.

Derek’s last day at MinnPost is June 17; we will announce his replacement in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, MinnPost will continue to provide high-quality coverage from Washington. We are delighted to have Devin Henry in our bureau covering Minnesota’s congressional delegation and developments out of Washington

Devin knows and understands Minnesota and its politics. Before graduating from the University of Minnesota, he was editor-in-chief of the Minnesota Daily, named the best daily student newspaper in the United States by the Society of Professional Journalists under his leadership.

Devin has been an intern at Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and MinnPost.com. He can be reached at dhenry[at]minnpost [dot]com.

Roger Buoen is MinnPost co-managing editor.

Joe Dowling, Kaywin Feldman, James Sewell at next MinnPost Asks

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:00:00 +0000

What kind of future do the arts have in Minnesota?

On Monday, June 20, MinnPost journalist Max Sparber will raise this question with arts leaders Joe Dowling of the Guthrie Theater, Kaywin Feldman of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and James Sewell of the James Sewell Ballet.

The discussion, third in the MinnPost Asks series of live interviews, will take place at Hell’s Kitchen, 80 S. 9th Street, Minneapolis, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event also includes a hearty appetizer buffet, dessert and coffee, audience Q&A and time for mingling. A cash bar will be open throughout the program.

A performer, playwright and long-time arts and culture journalist, Sparber has served as a theater critic, arts/entertainment editor, editor in chief and feature writer at a variety of publications. In 2007 he won a Frank Premack Award for Public Affairs Journalism.

Recently, he wrote in MinnPost about the death of American theater. But the discussion on June 20 will go well beyond the theater to consider the future vitality of a broad range of arts.

Ticket purchase deadline is Wednesday June 15, 2011. Tickets — $15 for MinnPost donors, $15 for young professionals, and $25 for others — can be purchased here.

The MinnPost Asks live series features newsmaker interviews by MinnPost journalists in an informal setting with audience interaction. Six live interviews will take place this year. Series sponsors are Dorsey & Whitney, Padilla Speer Beardsley and Marks Group Wealth Management.

Devin Henry joins MinnPost's Washington bureau as an intern

By Derek Wallbank — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:54:00 +0000

WASHINGTON — Starting today, MinnPost readers will see a second byline coming out of our D.C. bureau, and we couldn't be more excited.

Devin Henry, a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota who was editor-in-chief of the award-winning Minnesota Daily student newspaper, will join MinnPost as an intern in Washington. Under Devin's leadership, the Minnesota Daily was named the best daily student newspaper in America by the Society of Professional Journalists, the second consecutive year the Daily took that honor.

Courtesy of Devin Henry

Devin Henry

Frankly speaking, Devin was my absolute No. 1 one choice for this position, and if I could have hired any college graduate from anywhere in America, it would have been him. He comes to Washington with a deep knowledge of Minnesota politics, having covered the state Legislature for the Daily and as an intern on the politics desk of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Devin also completed an internship with the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal.

Devin comes highly recommended, both inside MinnPost and out. He is an outstanding young journalist already, and we have no doubt he'll transition seamlessly to Capitol Hill.

You can follow him on Twitter at @dhenry, and his articles will primarily run in MinnPost's D.C. Dispatches space. He will also be a contributor to our MinnPOTUS blog.

Welcoming a new assistant web editor to our team

By Kaeti Hinck — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:32:00 +0000

Jordan Hansen

After receiving more than a hundred applications from an incredibly talented pool of candidates, we are pleased to welcome our new assistant web editor, Jordan Hansen, to the MinnPost team.

Jordan has been interested in journalism since his grandmother told him about Edward R. Murrow. He joins us from the Minnesota Environmental Initiative, and has worked with Americorps as well as on his college newspaper. At MEI, he worked as an environmental project associate, helping to create and maintain web content. Jordan lives in Saint Paul with his wife, Cassi, and enjoys playing music in his spare time with his band, Theeves.

Please join us in welcoming our newest staff member.

MinnPost launches presidential campaign blog

By Roger Buoen — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:01:00 +0000

We think we have some of the best political reporters in journalism, and we will be making good use of their talents in covering next year’s elections. As part of that effort, we’re introducing a new feature on the site today called MinnPOTUS: Bachmann, Pawlenty and the 2012 presidential campaign.

We’re planning extensive coverage and analysis of the presidential campaigns of Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, and MinnPost journalists have already been on the campaign trail — from Iowa to New Hampshire to Florida — with the candidates. In addition to in-depth campaign articles elsewhere on the site, each weekday MinnPOTUS will offer brief news items and insights about the Bachmann and Pawlenty campaigns, as well as reports on what the candidates’ competitors are doing and saying.

MinnPost Washington correspondent Derek Wallbank is the blog’s lead reporter. Other MinnPost political reporters — including Eric Black, Jay Weiner, Doug Grow and Joe Kimball — will also contribute to MinnPOTUS as well as continue their excellent coverage of state politics.

Check out the first installment of MinnPOTUS.

Roger Buoen is co-managing editor.

Farewell to Gin Kujawa; MinnPost looks for an office manager

By MinnPost staff — Fri, 13 May 2011 21:40:00 +0000

MinnPost/Jana Freiband

Gin Kujawa

Gin Kujawa, who has been MinnPost's office manager since we launched in 2007, is leaving us to take the position of Office Administrator at Buell Consulting in St. Paul.

Gin organized MinnPost's office to be an efficient and effective machine, and has played a big part in the success of MinnRoast and other events. We'll miss her.

So we are now looking for a new office manager. Read the job description and directions for applying here. The position is open until filled.

Job description: MinnPost office manager

By Joel Kramer — Fri, 13 May 2011 21:36:00 +0000

Organization
MinnPost is a nonprofit, nonpartisan enterprise whose mission is to provide high-quality journalism for news-intense people who care about Minnesota.

The Office Manager position is responsible for office administration, member support and the payroll, accounts payables, billings within the accounting area. The position reports to the Business Manager.

Duties
Membership/Events Support
• Work in Giftworks database to maintain membership records
• Generate membership reports
• Send acknowledgements to new and renewing members
• Register people for MinnPost events and check in attendees at events
Administration/Office Management
• Work directly with all MinnPost personnel
• Calendar management and travel arrangements for Editor/CEO
• Supply ordering, inventory and equipment monitoring
• Set up email addresses and distribution groups
• Support Board and committees, attend meetings and take meeting minutes
• Answer incoming calls
• Basic software support for all employees
• Work with outsourced IT vendor on system maintenance
Accounting/Benefits
• Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and Billing in Quickbooks
• Weekly Deposit
• Payroll
• Manage all health benefits
• Manage 401(k) plan

Required Skills
• Proficient in Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Quickbooks
• Excellent written & oral communication skills
• Ability to balance many tasks at once
• Organized and detailed
• Self-motivated and independent problem solver
• Ability to work under pressure and produce results
• Have some knowledge of IT
• Minimum 3 years experience

Salary commensurate with experience.
Position open until filled.
Submit cover letter and resume to jobs2@minnpost.com. No phone calls please.

MinnPost offers selected stories to Minnesota newspapers

By Joel Kramer — Tue, 10 May 2011 18:00:00 +0000

MinnPost has begun a partnership with the Minnesota Newspaper Association, making MinnPost stories from the state capitol and our Washington correspondent available to MNA member newspapers at no charge.

MNA has 25 daily newspapers and 322 weeklies among its members, and all of them will have the right to sign up for this partnership. In return, they agree to credit MinnPost appropriately each time they publish one of our stories, and link back to MinnPost if posting our story online. There is a fee only if a publisher wants a higher-resolution photo for their print edition.

“We’re excited about this new partnership with MinnPost,” said Lisa Hills, Executive Director of the Minnesota Newspaper Association. “We’re pleased to be able to offer state capitol and Washington bureau coverage to our members through this program.”

All of us at MinnPost are proud of our in-depth and insightful coverage of state government by a team of correspondents, and our coverage of Washington from a Minnesota perspective by our Washington correspondent, Derek Wallbank. This kind of reporting and analysis is central to our mission to give people the information and understanding they need to be more knowledgeable and engaged citizens. We know that most of the state’s newspapers cannot afford to do this kind of reporting on their own, so we’re excited to provide this to their readers.

Two days left to buy MinnPost Asks tickets

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 10 May 2011 13:14:00 +0000

Why are stadium debates like Minnesota winters? Because they're both "unpredictable, painful, never-ending, tough to navigate and filled with the shoveling of lots of stuff," says MinnPost's Jay Weiner.

Jay should know. He has covered sports facilities issues in the Twin Cities since 1993, and is the author of "Stadium Games: Fifty Years of Big League Greed and Bush League Boondoggles" (University of Minnesota Press, 2000).

Sports fans, policy wonks and people with strong opinions about the issue are invited to join Jay next Monday, May 16, as he asks Ted Mondale, Gov. Mark Dayton's stadium point person, "Is there a future for the Vikings in Minnesota?"

The program will take place at Hell’s Kitchen, 80 S. 9th Street, Minneapolis, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. In addition to the interview and audience Q&A, the event includes a hearty appetizer buffet, dessert and coffee, and time for mingling. A cash bar will be open throughout the program.

Ticket purchase deadline is Wednesday May 11, 2011. Tickets -- $15 for MinnPost donors, $15 for young professionals, and $25 for others -- can be purchased here.

MinnPost traffic continues to grow at a very nice pace

By Joel Kramer — Thu, 05 May 2011 11:00:00 +0000

For January through April, 2011, the number of visits to MinnPost.com by Minnesotans (our most important metric) rose 30% compared with the same period a year ago. We're currently averaging about 288,000 Minnesota visits a month.

Overall (including non-Minnesotans), visits rose 27%, compared with January through April of 2010; we're now averaging 483,000 total visits a month.

Page views by Minnesotans have grown about 28%, to an average of 605,000 a month, and overall page views are up 25% to an average of 875,000. (About 60% of the visits to MinnPost come from Minnesota, but they account for 69% of the page views, because Minnesotans look at more pages per visit than non-Minnesotans.)

MinnPost/Hugh Bennewitz

Joel Kramer

Our growth this year continues — and even accelerates — the traffic growth we reported in our 2010 end-of-year report. In the second half of 2010, visits by Minnesotans grew 18% over the same period in 2009.

We don't expect to sustain 30% growth in Minnesota visits all year, because we'll soon be running against those stronger second-half results. But I can say this to you, our readers: We're pleased and grateful that you're relying more and more on MinnPost to keep you informed about what matters to Minnesotans.

You're also engaging more with us through social media.

We had just over 8,000 followers on Twitter at the end of 2010. We now have more than 10,500. We had about 3,500 likers on our main Facebook page, and we now have more than 4,350. So our social media presence has grown about 25% in four months. Our new Tumblr blog, which started late last year, has also shown substantial growth on a much smaller base.

Thanks for reading, talking about, sharing and linking to our stories. And if you've taken the next step to becoming a donor, thanks for that, as well. If not, please join the more than 2,500 people helping us pay the bills for the journalism you enjoy reading. Click to donate.

MinnPost reorganizes tech team

By Joel Kramer — Tue, 03 May 2011 14:32:00 +0000

MinnPost photo by Joel Kramer

Corey Anderson (left), Kaeti Hinck and Brian Perry

Kaeti Hinck, who has been MinnPost’s associate web editor, has been named director of news technology. In addition, Brian Perry will become director of advertising operations, responsible for technology on the advertising side of the enterprise. Corey Anderson, who is MinnPost’s web editor, will take on the additional title of promotion creative director.

The reorganization comes after the departure last week of Karl Pearson-Cater.

As part of the reorganization, two new positions will be created: a part-time or contract programmer, and a full-time, entry-level assistant web editor. Job descriptions for those positions are posted at the links above and we encourage you to share them with your network.

Among Kaeti’s responsibilities as news technology director, she will lead MinnPost’s upcoming conversion to a new open-source content management system. That conversion, along with implementation of a new site design by Corey, will take place later this year. Kaeti will report to me. Before joining MinnPost in November, she was an editor and interim web lead with Experience Life magazine.

Brian, who has been working in advertising operations for MinnPost since 2008, will take on Karl’s responsibilities for advertising technology. He will have a dual report to me and to Advertising Director Sally Waterman.

Corey, who has been web editor of MinnPost since its inception, has already been active in promoting MinnPost both online and off and in our brand management, and our goal is to enable him to have more time to devote to that work.

I’m excited about these changes. We’re entering a critical phase of technology growth and change, and I’m pleased that we have the talent inside the organization to lead the way.

MinnPost Job Opening: Assistant Web Editor

By Kaeti Hinck — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:59:00 +0000

**This position has been filled.**

MinnPost.com is growing, and we need a person with content production skills. We hope you have a passion for news and are excited about helping forge the future of online journalism. This is an entry-level position with significant opportunity for growth in the future.

Assistant Web Editor skills

• You've loaded content in content management systems (CMS) before, and understand the fundamental components — from headlines and bylines, to tagging, asset management, embedding video, and laying out tables with data

• You can crop, edit and resize images in Photoshop with your eyes closed

• You enjoy working with writers and editors to help conceptualize and enhance content with available images, video, etc.

• You have composed daily/weekly e-mail newsletters (MinnPost uses MailChimp)

• Understanding and implementing basic HTML would be a plus

Additional requirements

• Experience working for a journalistic organization a plus

• Strong writing, copy editing and communication skills

• Detail oriented

• Interest in journalism and new media

• Demonstrated interest and savvy with social networking

This is a full-time salaried position with benefits. Please send an e-mail as your cover letter and attach your resume and any links to your online portfolio to: jobs@minnpost.com, attention Kaeti Hinck. (No phone calls.)

UPDATE: Position has been filled.

MinnPost is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, online news site providing public affairs news and analysis for people who care about Minnesota. It is a leader among the new breed of nonprofit online news enterprises in establishing a business model for sustainability, with a budget of more than $1.3 million, about 50,000 regular readers and more than 2,400 donors. Read more about MinnPost here.

MinnPost Job Opening: Programmer/Developer (part time or contract)

By Kaeti Hinck — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:58:00 +0000

MinnPost is looking for an innovative part-time web developer/programmer

This candidate should have a background in web development, preferably — though not necessarily — in a journalistic context. We are looking for someone with a passion for clean, efficient programming to help us move MinnPost through a site redesign and CMS migration. Experience customizing and maintaining content management systems is a plus; knowledge and expertise with Drupal administration would be a big plus.

This is a part-time position. You will be expected to work in the office at least part of the time, but hours will be flexible.

The ideal candidate will thrive in a collaborative, quickly evolving organization. Because MinnPost is a growing start-up, the individual we hire will help shape the future vision, content and function of MinnPost.com. Whoever we hire should be plugged into development and emerging media trends, and be able to research, recommend and apply new technologies as necessary.

Skills and experience:
• Experience customizing, maintaining content management systems
• Knowledge of Drupal administration highly desirable (CMS Framework, Themes, Modules, Core, etc.)
• Well versed in HTML, CSS, XML , PHP, MySQL and web standards
• Programming knowledge of JavaScript, jQuery
• Some knowledge of Ruby on Rails a plus
• Interest in data visualization and interactive, user-generated content
• Familiarity with open source software a plus
• Familiarity with SEO best practices a plus
• Understanding of browser compatibility

Additional requirements
• Strong communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative environment
• College graduate or equivalent experience
• Professional experience, or portfolio that demonstrates skill
• Office network administration understanding a plus (Windows Business Server with Exchange Server, and Windows Vista and Macintosh workstations)

Please send an e-mail as your cover letter with any relevant links and attach your resume to: jobs@minnpost.com, attention Kaeti Hinck. No phone calls, please.

Job open until filled.

MinnRoast: closing the books on 2011, announcing the date for 2012

By Laurie and Joel Kramer — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:15:00 +0000

Scenes from MinnRoast 2011

Update on MinnRoast 2011: $6,870 in last-minute donations plus a $2,138 match added $9,008 to the Challenge Fund, bringing this year's Challenge Fund total to $17,443. Thank you for your generous support.

MinnPost’s Event Committee met yesterday to evaluate MinnRoast 2011 and start planning for 2012. The big decisions:

Friday, April 27 is the date for MinnRoast 2012. Snow birds and spring vacationers should be back by then. 2012 will be the fifth anniversary production.

We will return to the same venues that were so successful this year: Pantages Theatre and SEVEN The Steakhouse. We’ll work creatively to reduce crowding at the reception, while trying to fill all 990 seats for the show.

In other MinnRoast news, we are closing the books on MinnRoast 2011 on Saturday night, April 30. We need $4,526 in post-event donations to beat last year’s Challenge Fund results.

If you came to MinnRoast 2011 as a guest, please make a donation here to thank your hosts for inviting you.

We’ll send you a thank you letter for your fully tax-deductible donation. AND we’ll send an email to your hosts letting them know of your generosity. Donations in any amount are welcome, and the amount will not be disclosed to your hosts.

A win for you, a win for your hosts, a win for MinnRoast 2011, a win for high-quality journalism for people who care about Minnesota.

One donation, four wins. Do it now.

'MinnPost Asks' Ted Mondale: Is there a future for the Vikings in Minnesota?

By MinnPost staff — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:10:00 +0000

Is there a future for the Vikings in Minnesota?

Now that’s a question that elicits strong opinions around here.

On Monday, May 16, MinnPost’s Jay Weiner will get some answers from Ted Mondale, Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission Chair, as part of the 2011 MinnPost Asks live interview series.

The program will take place at Hell’s Kitchen, 80 S. 9th Street, Minneapolis, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. In addition to what promises to be a lively discussion, the event includes a hearty appetizer buffet, dessert and coffee, and time for mingling. A cash bar will be open throughout the program.

Ticket purchase deadline is Wednesday May 11, 2011. Tickets -- $15 for MinnPost donors, $15 for young professionals, and $25 for others -- can be purchased here.

Sparber to read from 'Bunny and Coco Get Smashed'

By MinnPost staff — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:24:00 +0000

MinnPost arts columnist Max "Bunny" Sparber will read from his new ebook, "Bunny and Coco Get Smashed," at Kieran's Irish Pub on Saturday, April 30, 1-3 p.m.

He will be joined by co-author Coco Mault, writer for City Pages' Dressing Room blog.

Also reading will be Susan Marks, author of “In the Mood for Munsingwear,” published this month by Minnesota Historical Society Press, and music journalist Steve McPherson.

"Bunny and Coco Get Smashed" is a cultural history of alcohol. The co-authors are founders of Daily Lush and The Bottle Gang, two online magazines about the history and culture of the cocktail. They also perform in the pop punk band The Ultramods.

Sparber, who writes Max About Town for MinnPost, is a longtime arts and culture journalist. In 2007 he won a Frank Premack Award for Public Affairs Journalism.

Kieran's is at 601 1st Avenue North, Minneapolis. The reading is co-sponsored by MinnPost.

MinnRoast video highlights -- enjoy, then donate!

By Laurie Kramer — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:48:00 +0000

If you need a laugh -- or a groan -- check out this highlights video from MinnRoast 2011.

It’s five minutes of excerpts from the shenanigans presented April 1st on the Pantages stage before an audience of about 900.

Whether or not you came to the event, we need your help now.

Last year, the MinnRoast Challenge raised $12,860 after the event, to support high-quality journalism for people who care about Minnesota.

So far, we’ve raised $4,845. We need $8,016 to beat last year’s number.

Please help us reach this goal by April 30. No amount’s too small, or too large.

To play your part, just click here.

MinnPost's operations director leaving, so we're looking for a director of technology

By Joel Kramer — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:30:00 +0000

MinnPost's director of operations, Karl Pearson-Cater, is leaving us after leading our technology efforts for three years.

So today, MinnPost is posting an opening for a director of technology, a title which we think better describes the work. You can read the job description here. Applications should be emailed to jobs@minnpost.com, no later than April 18.

Karl is taking a newly created position at Ciceron, a leading local digital marketing firm. Karl says he will be doing what he did at MinnPost -- developing and implementing content publishing strategy and workflow, but for multiple clients instead of one publication.

"I will miss MinnPost," Karl said. "It's been my work family for three years -- it's a great group of people with an enormous amount of talent. I love what MinnPost is doing, and I hope to remain involved in some way in the future."

And we will miss Karl. Among his many accomplishments at MinnPost:

Substantially modifying our content management system to add functionality and improve efficiency
Creating RealTimeAds, a new advertising platform that makes it easy for advertisers to update their marketing message using social media or their own publishing platforms
Developing a Twitter strategy for @MinnPost -- we just passed 10,000 followers.
Developing interactive projects, like the 'You Fix the MN Budget' page

We're excited about the technology plans we have for MinnPost's future, including migrating to an open-source platform and redesigning our site later this year. Read the job description for director of technology, and if you're qualified and interested, apply to jobs@minnpost.com.

MinnPost Job Posting: Technology director

By Joel Kramer — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:30:00 +0000

MinnPost is looking for a hybrid 'information architect / project manager / web developer / web strategist' -- a director of technology, a title which we think best describes the work.

We are in the early stages of transitioning MinnPost.com to a new Drupal publishing platform, with an accompanying redesign directed by our web editor, so we need someone on board quickly to guide us through that journey.

Long term responsibilities involve ongoing development of MinnPost’s publishing initiatives with innovative and strategic improvements within the Drupal platform, in collaboration with the MinnPost team and our peer community.

The ideal candidate will have a background in web-based project management, preferably in a publishing environment. He or she should:

Understand the ins and the outs of Content Management Systems, including application set up, maintenance, customizations, optimizations
Have web-site development/architecture experience
Understand newsletter lists administration and management as well as newsletter template building and sending
Have experience negotiating contracts with vendors
Collaborate well with others, both in a leadership and support capacity.

Specific Skills:

Knowledge of Drupal administration highly desirable (CMS Framework, Themes, Modules, Core, etc.)
Well versed in HTML, CSS, XML
Programming knowledge of PHP, SQL, and JavaScript
Some knowledge of Ruby on Rails a plus
Strong communication skills
Web design skills a plus
Knowledge of web advertising systems desirable
Office network administration (Windows Business Server with Exchange Server, and Windows Vista and Macintosh workstations)

Please send an e-mail as your cover letter and attach your resume no later than April 18 to: jobs@minnpost.com, attention Joel Kramer. No phone calls, please.

MinnRoast 2011 party pix

By MinnPost staff — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:06:00 +0000

About 900 MinnPost members and guests attended MinnRoast 2011 on April 1, 2011. MinnPost contributing photographer Jana Freiband captured the evening's highlights.

A few MinnRoast auction items still available

By MinnPost staff — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:13:00 +0000

If you weren’t able to come to MinnRoast –- or were too busy having a great time to check out the silent auction –- you can still buy or bid on a few things.

The first two items listed below are fixed price. Call Stephanie at 612-455-6954 to make payment arrangements.

The next three items will go to the highest bidder. Email your best offer to lkramer [at] minnpost [dot] com. Deadline for bids: Tuesday April 5 at 2 p.m. The winners will be notified shortly.

Fixed price items

Five spots for GROW ON DAYTON @ $75 per person (or $125 for 2). MinnPost journalist Doug Grow and his wife will be featured guests for an outdoor dinner at a lakeside home in Golden Valley. Doug, former longtime metro columnist for the Star Tribune, will talk about insights derived from covering Gov. Dayton for MinnPost. Date TBD.
Nine spots for MUSICAL MINNEAPOLIS @ $45 per person. A behind-the-scenes bus tour led by MinnPost arts blogger Max (Bunny) Sparber will take you to sites connected with Dylan, Prince, The Replacements, Husker Du, etc. Enjoy finger food, wine, beer and Sparber-style commentary while you ride. Date TBD.

Make a bid by tomorrow at 2 p.m.

Two tickets for Daniel O’Donnell concert with Mary Duff. Wed May 18 at the Orpheum. Country music, ballads, 60’s pop and Irish standards. Value $177.
Two tickets for Moody Blues concert. Thurs June 9 at the Orpheum. History before your eyes. 2011 band includes one musician from the original 1964 band, two from 1967. Value $207.
Two tickets to Jim Gaffigan stand-up comedy. Sat Oct 8 at State Theatre. Frequent guest on Letterman & Conan. Value $100

Thanks for making MinnPost's 4th annual MinnRoast the best ever

By Laurie and Joel Kramer — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:55:00 +0000

It’s a challenge to host a party with 900 guests.

So if we didn’t have a chance to say a personal hello Friday night, please forgive us.

We hope everyone enjoyed the shenanigans of our cast, as well as the talents of our political guests: Gov. Dayton and his press secretary Katie Tinucci, Sens. Klobuchar and Franken, Sens. Koch and Marty, Mayor Chris Coleman, Peter Bell and Tarryl Clark.

Huge thanks to all 56 MinnRoast sponsors, and to event co-chairs Jill Field and Kim Kieves, silent auction donors and bidders, and raffle prize donor Motoprimo Motorsports.

Over the next few days we’ll be posting a highlights video and lots of photos. While you wait, we have two requests.

If you attended, please take a few minutes to complete a brief survey about the event.

And whether or not you attended, please make a donation in the amount of your choice to the 2011 MinnRoast Challenge Fund.

Challenge Fund donations will help strengthen MinnPost’s coverage of the 2012 presidential campaign. As two Minnesotans make serious runs for the Republican presidential nomination, we’re in a unique position to provide context and background about their policies, their teams and their tactics –- to Minnesotans and readers around the nation.

Notwithstanding Sen. Franken’s joke about MinnPost’s business model, there won’t be another MinnRoast in two weeks.

Last-minute MinnRoast checklist

By Laurie Kramer — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:24:00 +0000

There’s a feeling of calm today at MinnPost.

On Saturday, Don Shelby, Rick Kupchella, Roxane Battle and Paul Douglas rehearsed together for the first time, along with a stand-in for Cyndy Brucato who’s due back in town Thursday. Luckily they are all pros.

The other skits and songs are getting better with every rehearsal. If you saw the rehearsal video from two weeks ago, you know that’s good news. The last rehearsal is Wednesday night.

Emails are flying between MinnRoast director JoJo Liebeler and the staffs of Gov. Dayton, Sens. Klobuchar and Franken, Mayor Coleman and Sen. Amy Koch. We know the pols are working on their material, and we’re hoping it’s funny.

We had 817 people on our check-in list this morning and the phone keeps ringing with last-minute requests. At this point, Show Only tix @ $25 are just about all that’s left.

Housekeeping details:

There are no physical tickets. If you’ve registered and paid in advance, your name will be on the check-in list.
Check-in for the pre-show reception starts at 5:30 in the Pantages Theatre lobby.
Once you check in at the Pantages, you’ll receive an envelope with your name tag, event program and a seating map.
Seating sections are marked on name tags. Seats within sections are not reserved, so you can choose any available seat within your section.
The doors to the Pantages Theatre will open at 7 p.m. Show Only ticketholders should arrive between 7 and 7:20.
Raffle tickets will be sold in the Pantages lobby until 7:20. The prize is a sassy red Kymco scooter, and the winning ticket will be drawn right after the show. To buy tickets before the event (using cash, check or debit card only), call Stephanie at 612-455-6954.

Calm? Yes, like the eye of a hurricane. We’ll see you Friday night.

MinnRoast rehearsal video now on YouTube

By MinnPost staff — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:10:00 +0000

MinnPost's multimedia guru Kaeti Hinck stopped by the MinnRoast rehearsal this week and captured some of the "work" in progress.

The resulting video is posted below. Enjoy the sneak peek.

Note to procrastinators: MinnRoast tickets are available here at prices ranging from $25 to $175. The official deadline for buying reception-plus-show tickets is tomorrow -- Friday, Mar. 18. After that you’ll have to beg.

MinnPost writers Doug Grow and Jay Weiner speaking Friday at Book Awards event

By MinnPost staff — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:29:00 +0000

MinnPost writers Doug Grow and Jay Weiner will be among the many finalists for the Minnesota Book Awards taking part in an author chat program Friday at the Open Book Literary Arts Center in Minneapolis.

Both men are finalists in the Minnesota category for books published by the University of Minnesota Press.

Grow is the author of “We’re Gonna Win, Twins! 50 Years of Minnesota’s Hometown Team.” Weiner is the author of “This Is Not Florida: How Al Franken Won the Minnesota Senate Recount."

The free 7 p.m. “Readers’ Choice Event” is sponsored by the Friends of the St. Paul Library, the Loft Literary Center and the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Throughout March, the public can vote here for the Readers’ Choice Award, sponsored by the Pioneer Press.

Dayton will appear at MinnRoast

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:28:00 +0000

The pace is picking up at MinnRoast Central and we have a few pieces of news to announce.

Most important: Gov. Mark Dayton has agreed to make closing remarks at the show. We hope this is the start of a tradition, similar to the one at the Gridiron dinner in Washington, where the president almost always speaks at the end of the show.

We did invite Gov. Tim Pawlenty to speak at MinnRoast 2008, 2009 and 2010 but he declined to join in the festivities.

In other news: We've sold more than 500 tix at a range of prices. Buy tickets here.

Rehearsals are going great, so far, at least by MinnRoast standards. Only one dancer has fallen flat on the floor, and she was a sub.

Scene and substance at MinnPost Asks debut

By MinnPost staff — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:56:00 +0000

A full house mingled, munched and sipped as MinnPost Asks, MinnPost's new Q&A event series, debuted Monday night at Hell's Kitchen with an as-promised lively interview featuring leaders of the Minnesota House.

Majority Leader Matt Dean (filling in for an ailing Kurt Zellers) and Minority Leader Paul Thissen debated, quipped and otherwise responded to both interviewer Doug Grow and attendees, addressing all manner of legislative issues — from the newly lowered budget deficit to prospects for a Vikings stadium and plans for engaging Minnesotans in the session.

The MinnPost Asks series is sponsored by Dorsey & Whitney, Marks Group Wealth Management, and Padilla Speer Beardsley.

Here is a brief look at both the scene and the substance, filmed by Ken Ronnan and edited by Kaeti Hinck:

MinnRoast silent auction -- check out the sneak preview

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:40:00 +0000

With MinnRoast 2011 only a month away, it’s time to start planning your silent auction strategy.

Check out our sneak preview here.

We’re offering five different prix fixe events with a designated number of spots available for each. You can sign up for one or more spots at the price listed -- depending on the event, from $30 to $75 per person. These are a great way to enjoy a unique experience in the company of other MinnPost fans.

We also have 20 other items and packages divided into two categories: YOU NEED TO GET OUT MORE and STAY HOME IN STYLE. Pick out your favorites and plan to bid wildly -- either with a group or on your own. The money goes to a great cause.

And, of course, buy your ticket to MinnRoast. We’ve sold 463 to date. The Pantages has 900-plus seats. We’d love to fill every one.

MinnPost thanks Community Voices writers

By MinnPost staff — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:40:00 +0000

MinnPost and the Greater Twin Cities United Way co-hosted a reception Tuesday, Feb. 22, for writers who contributed to the Community Voices section in the past year. United Way sponsors this section of the MinnPost site.

About 60 people enjoyed refreshments, mingling with other writers, and the opportunity to hear from United Way’s Sarah Caruso and MinnPost’s Joel Kramer about what’s going on at both organizations.

Susan Albright, MinnPost co-managing editor who oversees Community Voices, thanked the authors for their excellent opinion pieces, and Joel encouraged them to continue writing and to spread the word to their colleagues about this opportunity to write for our audience.

We welcome submissions on current topics of broad interest in Minnesota. If you'd like to join the discussion by writing a Community Voices article, email Susan Albright at salbright [at] minnpost [dot] com. We suggest a limit of about 800 words.

Slide show pictures are by MinnPost photographer Jana Freiband.

'MinnPost Asks' Zellers and Thissen -- and you can too

By MinnPost staff — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:23:00 +0000

Next Monday, Feb. 28, MinnPost’s Doug Grow will interview House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Minority Leader Paul Thissen at the first program in a new event series called MinnPost Asks.

There will be time for audience Q&A afterward, but here’s your chance to feed Doug a question you’d like to see put to one or both of the leaders. Send your question by Friday to dgrow [at] minnpost [dot] com. Include your name and address with your question, and indicate whether it’s for Zellers or Thissen, or both. Doug will select a couple of questions and will ask them on behalf of MinnPost readers.

The program will take place at Hell’s Kitchen, 80 S. 9th Street, Minneapolis, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets — $15 for MinnPost donors, $25 for others — can be purchased here.

In addition to what promises to be a lively discussion, the event includes a hearty appetizer buffet, dessert and coffee, and time for mingling. A cash bar will be open throughout the program.

The series is sponsored by Dorsey & Whitney, Marks Group Wealth Management, and Padilla Speer Beardsley.

MinnRoast invitations are in the mail

By MinnPost staff — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:27:00 +0000

Special thanks to MinnPost cartoonist Hugh Bennewitz for creating this year’s cartoon, and to Warren Kapsner and Rapid Graphics for printing in color. And to web editor Corey Anderson for inspiration and design.

Enjoy the invite. Then buy your tickets. April 1st is coming soon.

MinnPost Asks goes live -- with Zellers, Thissen and Grow

By MinnPost staff — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:21:00 +0000

MinnPost announces a new event series featuring newsmaker interviews by MinnPost journalists in an informal setting with audience interaction. Six live interviews will be scheduled over the course of the year.

The first live event will be Monday, Feb. 28, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Hell’s Kitchen in downtown Minneapolis.

House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Minority Leader Paul Thissen will answer questions asked by MinnPost journalist Doug Grow as well as the audience.

Series sponsors are Dorsey & Whitney law firm and Marks Group Wealth Management.

The event includes a hearty appetizer buffet, coffee and dessert, and a cash bar, with time for mingling before and after the interview segment.

Tickets at $15 for MinnPost member-donors and $25 for others are available here. Reservation deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 23. For more information contact Gin Kujawa at vkujawa (at) minnpost (dot) com or 612 455-6950.

Special incentive for new donors: We’ve set aside 25 FREE tickets to this event to encourage people who have never donated before to become part of the MinnPost community. First-time donors who contribute $50 by Feb. 23 are eligible for one free ticket; first-timers who donate $100 are eligible for two free tickets. To claim your free tickets, contact membership director Stephanie Johnson at sjohnson (at) minnpost (dot) com.

Don Shelby begins weekly column for MinnPost

By Joel Kramer — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 06:03:00 +0000

During the roast in November of Don Shelby, which poked gentle fun at the local broadcasting legend upon his retirement from WCCO, I told Don that I hoped he would now write for MinnPost. He said he needed some time to sort through his options and plans, so I waited.

A few weeks ago, Don called and said he had decided that he wanted a writing platform and MinnPost was his choice, if we wanted him. We did, and today we proudly introduce Don Shelby as the newest member of our outstanding team of journalists reporting and analyzing the news for people who care about Minnesota.

“Choosing to write for MinnPost was easy for me,” Don said. “The audience of MinnPost is serious about news and wants to read reporters who find facts. I’m honored to be working alongside some of the best journalists ever to practice the craft in our community. And, perhaps most important, I will get to cover stories that are important, not simply popular."

Don will write about many subjects, but as he describes in his first piece today, he has a special interest in scientific issues, including ecology and environment. Like others at MinnPost, his posts will mix reporting, analysis and commentary by an experienced professional, who knows what’s happening and what it means. Don’s pieces will appear on MinnPost most Tuesdays.

Before retiring in 2010, Don worked for 32 years as anchor, investigative reporter and environmental correspondent for WCCO-TV. He also worked for 10 years as a radio personality for WCCO-AM. He has captured many national and international journalism awards, including twice winning a Peabody, the nation’s top broadcast news prize.

Don reported from the scene of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the terrorist attack in Oklahoma City, and he has covered stories in Romania, Egypt, Iraq, Venezuela, Australia and the Arctic Circle. He is a member of the Climate Science Rapid Response Team roundtable, serves on the boards of Minnesota GreenStar and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, and is the capital campaign chair for the Washburn Center for Children. He can be reached at dshelby [at] minnpost [dot] com.

We’re thrilled to welcome Don Shelby to the MinnPost team.