Not Clear Why Archbishop Thinks Judge Must Unseal Priest List

By Brian Lambert
The Minnpost
November 12, 2013

http://www.minnpost.com/glean/2013/11/not-clear-why-archbishop-thinks-judge-must-unseal-priest-list

On Archbishop John Nienstedt’s conditions for releasing names of abusive priests, Madeleine Baran and Tom Scheck of MPR say: “It's unclear why Nienstedt believes he would need a judge to unseal the list of 33 priests before he could release his own list, and how many priests will be on the list the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis plans to release. St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson has been asking a judge to unseal the list for years. Anderson, who is suing the archdiocese on behalf of several victims, told MPR News that the archdiocese does not need permission from the court to release a list of names. He also said some offenders have died, and some may have moved out of the Twin Cities metro area that the archdiocese represents. … If a judge does not unseal the list — as was the case last month in a Ramsey County courtroom — the archdiocese would not release the names on it, Nienstedt said. Attorneys for the archdiocese did not respond to a request for clarification.” Talk about a case study in ham-fisted obfuscation ...

On Monday’s excitement at the U when a female student was robbed at gun point on campus, Matt McKinney and Mary Lynn Smith of the Strib say: “Some students said they weren’t surprised by the latest outbreak of violent crime on campus. The police issued a crime alert Nov. 1 after three separate off-campus robberies on the night of Halloween. ‘The robberies continue a trend that shows a rise in the number of crimes close to campus and an escalation in the bold and violent nature of the criminals,’ the alert warned. The criminals appear to be coming to campus with the intention of targeting students, the alert warned.”

And here’s a U-related story I bet you had forgotten about. Dave Chanen of the Strib reports: "Katie Brenny was just weeks into her new job as coach of the University of Minnesota women’s golf team when her role drastically changed. … She appealed to former athletic director Joel Maturi. But 58 days after she was hired, the university told her to resign or to go sell premium tickets and suites for campus events. She decided to quit. Now, three years later, Brenny’s lawsuit against the university’s regents, which claims she was pushed out because Harris and others learned she was a lesbian, is being heard in Hennepin County District Court. The verdict in the nonjury bench trial, now in its second week, is likely to depend on which side comes across as more credible, because several key university employees have testified that they didn’t know Brenny’s sexual orientation until she filed a lawsuit in late 2010."

And still more  … . We’re 19th … in international students. Stribber Maura Lerner writes: “It's probably no surprise that the U of M is the state's biggest magnet for foreign students: last year, the Twin Cities campus alone drew 6,178 international students, according to a new report from the Institute of International Education. But the next three schools with the largest influx of foreign students are outside the metro area:

St. Cloud State University: 1,215

Minnesota State University Mankato: 885

Minnesota State University Moorhead: 528

The University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul, rounded out the top five, with 448 international students.

In all, Minnesota ranked 19th in the nation, with 13,232 foreign students, an increase of 3.9 percent last year.”

MPR’s Catharine Richert says small business are getting in early on renewing health plans to avoid higher prices: “[Banker Brian] Nicklason joined the ranks of Minnesota's small group policy holders who are renewing their insurance early to avoid higher insurance rates designed to make insurance more affordable for companies with unhealthy workers.  According to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, the state has roughly 324,000 small group policy holders — organizations with fewer than 50 employees. No one has a precise count of how many are renewing their policies early to avoid inevitable cost increases stemming from the new federal health care law. But clearly there's demand.     Medica officials say about half of their 7,500 small group policies are renewing early in 2013.”

MPR’s Tim Nelson tips to the PiPress’s Charley “Shooter” Walters … “As the Vikings near the expected closing on their financing deal for a new stadium, the Pioneer Press’s Charley Walters is reporting they booked a naming rights consultant … . That’s the final piece to the $988 million stadium financing puzzle. The state has offered $348 million and the city of Minneapolis is chipping in $150 million, for a total of $498 million. As of right now, the Vikings have pledged a maximum of $490 million. (All those numbers are in present value and do not include financing costs.) … The Vikings have said privately that naming rights may not reach the league average, which includes $400 million deals in New Jersey and San Francisco.”  I can see it now … Wayzata Investment Partners Ball and Hedging Emporium …

BTW … there’ll be no “hold” on wrapping up the new Vikings stadium business because of the Washington team's nickname. Randy Furst of the Strib says: “The Minnesota budget commissioner has rejected a petition by American Indian activists to stop the state from issuing bonds for the new Vikings stadium until it can be assured that ...  the Washington football team’s nickname and logo will not appear anywhere in the new facility. Larry Leventhal, the activists’ attorney, said Monday that he would appeal the decision by James Showalter, head of Minnesota Management and Budget, to Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday.”

Still keeping the courts busy in Wisconsin … . Todd Richmond of the AP says: “Labor attorneys pushed the state Supreme Court on Monday to strike down portions of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's public union restrictions, arguing the prohibitions are designed to force school district and municipal workers to abandon their unions. The court's decision could bring to an end one of the last unresolved legal challenges to the contentious restrictions that stripped almost all public workers of nearly all their union rights. Union supporters face an uphill fight, though, because conservative justices control the court.”

Another space-filling list someone thought up at happy hour. The Twin Cities (well, Minneapolis anyway) made a Huffington Post list of “20 Awesome U.S. Cities You Need To Visit In Your 20s.” Said (most likely) a HuffPo intern: “When you think of American tourism, certain locations come to mind: the bright lights of New York City, the palm trees of Southern California, the nostalgia of Disney World. But for the cash-strapped, adventure-seeking, microbrewed-beer loving, locavore millennial, the old favorites of U.S. tourism don't hold much appeal. Instead, these twenty cities make perfect locations for an urban vacation or worthy spots along a road trip. … If you're a traveler that loves physical activity, Minneapolis is a great spot for you. Minneapolis is the most bike-friendly city in the country and one of the fittest cities in the U.S. The city is also 15 percent parkland, so there's ample space to explore. As a major metropolis, Minneapolis is also home to tons of restaurants, museums, performing arts and the University of Minnesota. Plus, everyone's really nice.” Somebody needs to card whoever wrote that .