Leebrick-Stryker Blog 3101

In my analysis of obituaries, I looked at CNN's obit of Fats Domino, a famous, piano-playing, rock-n'-roller. The interesting thing about this obit was that the author chose to almost solely focus on his music and on his influence to other artists. There wasn't too much on who he was as a person. To me, that makes sense. When you think of Fats Domino, you think of songs like "Ain't that a shame" or "Walking to New Orleans." If I were working on this obit, I probably would have done the same thing. This might be a sophomoric comparison, but if you were writing an obituary for Hitler, you probably wouldn't care to mention how much he loved his grandmother or his love of bratwurst. You would mention and focus on all of the pain and death he spread. In the same sense, people will remember Domino's music more than his love for Italian food. It just makes sense to have a singular focus in an obit.

Thousands attended a rally for unity in Barcelona after Catalonia was stripped of its autonomy for declaring independence, according to the BBC.  This rally happened days after  Spain's government took control of Catalan institutions. The event’s slogan was “We are all Catalonia. Common sense for coexistence” according to the Guardian. 

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker St. Paul School District cafeteria workers voted to approve a new, two-year contract Thursday, according to WCCO.  The contract is from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2019. This includes a 2 percent increase to wages, and employees making less that $15 an hour will make $15 an hour starting on June 22, 2019, the Star Tribune said.  Additionally, workers with 10 years of service will make 5 cents more than the normal hourly pay on Jan. 6, 2019. This will increase to 15 cents and 35 cents in the coming months of 2019.

A grand jury in Washington has approved the first charges in the investigation led by Robert Mueller, according to CNN.  Mueller's Special Counsel's Office will make public an indictment on Monday, NBC News reported.  President Trump has denied collusion with Russia, calling the investigation a "witch hunt." 

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker Two brothers were killed in a fire in northern Minnesota Saturday morning, authorities said. The two men were camping in a trailer in Leon Township that they used for hunting when the fire started around 7 a.m. according to WCCO.  Firefighters were able to put out the fire and found two bodies inside, the Star Tribune  reported. The names of the victims have not been released by police.

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker A St. Paul school district leader who sent threatening text messages to his coworkers was taken into custody Thursday, the Pioneer Press reported.  Robert Jon Peterson, 42, is accused of sending threatening, violent texts against district employees on Wednesday, police said.  Peterson is the  executive director of the St. Paul Schools Office of College and Career Readiness and executive director of the Department of School Climate and Support, according to WCCO.  The school district issued a statement saying the safety and well-being of staff is of the utmost importance.

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker 50 people kneeled outside of US Bank Stadium ahead of the Vikings game Sunday while receiving boos, stares and middle-fingers, the Star Tribune reported. The protest was to raise awareness about police violence, according to Mel Reeves, who helped organize the protest.  “It’s not about the flag,” Reeves said, “it’s about ending police violence. Too many lives have been lost.” Signs ranged from  “Black Lives Matter,”  "Take a knee, end police violence,”  to “No More Minnesota Nice.” Some signs called for an NFL boycott, according to WCCO. 

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker A Cub Scout was kicked out of his den after he asked a lawmaker about her position on gun control and comments made about African-Americans' health and eating fried chicken in Colorado, the New York Times reported. Ames Mayfield, 11, was removed from his den in Broomfield, Colo., his mother, Lori Mayfield, said. At a meeting on Oct. 9, the scouts were told to prepare questions for State Senator Vicki Marble. “I was shocked that you co-sponsored a bill to allow domestic violence offenders to continue to own a gun,” Mayfield said. “Why on earth would you want somebody who beats their wife to have access to a gun?” The leaders of the group have not responded for comment, according to the Star Tribune. 

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker Terrorists in trucks and motorcycles killed 13 soldiers and wounded five more in an attack on a base in western Niger, authorities said Saturday. The attack was in the town of Ayorou near the border with Mali, the Las Vegas Sun reported.  One of the attackers was killed while several managed to take off with four Nigerian Army vehicles, according to the New York Times.  Officials claim this is the work of the Islamic State. 

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker A man has been charged with two burglaries in St. Paul, including mayoral candidate Melvin Carter III, prosecutors said. Police found some items stolen from Carter's house in the Summit-University neighborhood in the possession of Larobin Shawntel Scott, 24, the  Pioneer Press reported.  Two handguns still remain missing. The robbery occurred on August 15, according to the Star Tribune.  Carter was not home at the time, but was alerted by a neighbor that someone had entered his house.  “The experience of a home invasion is a traumatic one for myself and my family, especially my children,” Carter said.

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker Fundraising inspired by Philando Castile has raised more than $84,000 in eight weeks to pay off school lunch debts in St. Paul public schools. The amount of money is enough to cover the student lunch debt at all elementary, middle and high schools in the district, according to CNN. "Philando Feeds the Children” began as a class project at Metropolitan State University, thanks to instructor Pam Fergus, the Pioneer Press reported.  Castile was killed by a police officer during a traffic stop in 2016. “It’s a good way of taking anger from a situation and doing something good with it,” Fergus said.

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' broke his collarbone Sunday and now his season is in question after Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr tackled him on a throw in the first quarter.  Rodgers only completed 2 passes for 18 yards before was evaluated in the Packer's medical tent and taken off the field, according to the Star Tribune.  Brett Hundley replaced Rodgers in the Packers' 23-10 loss to the Vikings, ESPN reported .  Green Bay Coach Mike McCarthy plans to keep Hundly in while Rodgers' season is evaluated. "Brett Hundley's my quarterback. Joe Callahan's the backup," McCarthy said. "That's the direction we're going. That is the focus. And that's where we are as a football club."

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker The death toll from a Mogadishu truck bomb has reached nearly 300 on Sunday, according to the New York Times.  Officials have called the explosions the deadliest attacks to hit Mogadishu since the Islamist insurgency began in 2007.  Rescue workers have stated it will be difficult to establish an exact death toll because the heat generated from the blast would make the remains of many people impossible to find, the Guardian reported.  Somali officials have blamed the attack on the Shabab militant group. 

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker  Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, filed a grievance against the NFL Sunday, claiming he remains an unsigned player because of collusion by team owners following his protests during the national anthem according to the Associated Press.  Kaepernick has hired attorney Mark Geragos, who has represented clients that include Michael Jackson and singer Chris Brown, ESPN reported. "If the NFL is to remain a meritocracy, then principled and peaceful political protest — which the owners themselves made great theater imitating weeks ago — should not be punished," Geragos said in the statement. "Athletes should not be denied employment based on partisan political provocation by the executive branch of our government. Such a precedent threatens all patriotic Americans and harkens back to our darkest days as a nation."

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker Minnesota will sue the Trump Administration for its plans to stop federal payments that have reduced the cost of health insurance State Attorney Lori Swanson announced Friday. The decision to stop the payments amounted to about $7 billion across the U.S. this year, according to the Pioneer Press.  Minnesota joins California, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts and New York among those filing a lawsuit,  Minnesota Public Radio reported.  "You can't just end statutory payments, especially after you've been making them for so long," Swanson said. "You can't just say 'Well, sorry, the next one's not going to be paid.'"

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker A couple in a plane crash in Ramsey Friday have been identified, according to the Star Tribune. The body of Jill Rygell, 48, and her husband, whose name has not been released, was found in the Mississippi river shortly after the crash around 5:30 p.m. the Saint Cloud times reported.  The couple were on a flight over the river when their single-engine plane struck power lines close to the 6400 block of Riverdale Drive NW the Anoka County Sheriff's office said. The couple have a 13-year-old son who is currently with his grandparents.

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker I tracked a story from  the New York Times  about Catalonia and an independence referendum in Spain.  The way that the story evolved was very tense. At first, the story was solely about the vote itself. Those in Catalonia wanted to be independent from Spain. However, as the day progressed the story evolved into the chaos that the referendum unleashed. The vote, according to Catalonian officials, ended in a yes vote for liberation, however, the Spanish government disputed this and said it was false. Eventually, Spanish police were blocking citizens from voting forcefully. This resulted in massive injuries, violence, and unrest. Following this story was like following a slow building storm. Slowly, the focus of the story changed and became about civil unrest, rather than strictly a democratic vote. The story changed several times during the course of my Sunday. I supposed it will keep changing with updates, so I will stay tuned.

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker Dominic Odoro won the Twin Cities Marathon for the third straight year on Sunday, making him the second runner in the history of the race to do this, according to the Pioneer Press.   The runner from Kenya finished 26.2 mile marathon in 2:11:53. He received $10,000 for his victory, the Star Tribune said.  Odoro had set a course record previously in 2016, with a time of 2:08:51. Odoro explained breaking his previous record was still a goal. “I was focused on breaking the course record,” Ondoro said at the finish line. “Next year I hope to do that.”

By Ned Leebrick-Stryker A contentious independence referendum resulted in chaos Sunday as hundreds were injured in police clashes in Spain, the New York Times reported.  Catalan officials said 90% of voters backed independence in Sunday's vote while the turnout was 42.3%. This was called into question by Spain's constitutional court, as they declared the poll illegal. Police then tried to block voting, which resulted in injuries, the BBC said.  Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Catalans had been tricked into making illegal votes. He said it was a "mockery" of democracy.