10/9/2023 -- Spending Misuse from MN GOP PAC, New Mpls Safety Commissioner, Twins Tie Playoff Series

Good morning. Today is Monday, October 9th. Here is everything you need to know to start your day in the Twin Cities.

Minnesota Conservative PAC Under Scrutiny for Alleged Misuse of Donor Funds

The Summary: The Star Tribune reported that Right Now Minnesota, a conservative political action committee (PAC) funded by wealthy residents, has faced accusations of misleading donors and misusing their money. The PAC, established in 2017 to support Republican candidates, reported spending almost all its funds on "internet access and web hosting" last year, raising questions about its spending practices, including payments of $319,000 to an unknown and untraceable business called 1854 Inc.

Leader Behind the PAC: Elliott Olson, linked to both Right Now Minnesota and Right Now USA, is listed as chair and treasurer for the state and federal PACs. When asked by reporters about the unusual payments, Olson said, “I’m not going to go into our tactics.”

Key Donors to the PAC: According to campaign finance reports, several wealthy and notable Minnesotans have donated to the Right Now Minnesota PAC including Stanley Hubbard, founder of Hubbard Broadcasting; Mark Davis, former CEO of Davisco Foods; and Tom Rosen, CEO of Rosen’s Diversified. Davis told the Star Tribune that he was surprised to hear about the possible misuse of funds.

Minneapolis Council to Decide on Mayor's Nominee for Community Safety Commissioner

The Summary: The Minneapolis City Council is set to determine this month whether to confirm Mayor Jacob Frey's nominee, Hennepin County Chief Judge Toddrick Barnette, for the position of community safety commissioner created after George Floyd's murder. Barnette's nomination will be discussed at an Oct. 17 public hearing, and if confirmed, he will oversee five agencies, including the police.

The Context: The nomination of Barnette comes after the former safety commissioner, Cedric Alexander, announced he would step down in September. Before assuming his current role as a county judge, Barnette had served as both a public defender and a prosecutor, providing him with experience dealing with both crime victims and offenders. Additionally, in his capacity as chief judge, he supervised the activities of over 60 judges and a workforce of 550 employees.

Prioritizing Recruiting and Retention: The Minneapolis police force has battled a staffing shortage with 273 officers having left their jobs between 2020 and 2022. Barnette told WCCO that recruiting and retention of police would be a day 1 priority for him: “We know that police, fire, and 911 have staffing issues. Recruiting and retention has to be a priority.”

We Believe! Twins Tie ALDS Series as it Heads Back to Minnesota

The Summary: The Minnesota Twins split the first two games of their ALDS series with the Houston Astros. They will head back to Minneapolis for games 3 and 4 with the best-of-five series tied 1-1.

Game 1: The Twins dug themselves a hole in the game 1 going down 0-5 in the first five innings. Despite a late surge fueled by a four-run 7^th inning, the Twins weren’t able to come back and dropped the first game 4-6. The Twins did themselves no favors as they went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.

Game 2: The Twins struck early in game 2 getting out to an 3-0 lead in the first two innings. The story of the show, though, was a masterful performance by Twins’ starting pitcher Pablo Lopez who threw seven scoreless innings – only the third Twins pitcher to do so in a playoff game.

Headed Back Home: The Twins and Astros will be off on Monday as they travel to Minnesota for Game 3 which is slated to start at 3pm on Tuesday. The Twins are expected to start Sonny Gray in front of a sold out crowd at Target field.

✔Quick hits

🏈 It was another tough weekend for the Gophers and Vikings – and no, Taylor Swift was not in attendance at US Bank (Daily Gopher & ESPN)

📈 US labor market surges with 336,000 jobs added in September: Minnesota economy expected to follow suit (Star Tribune)

💲 Mike Lindell, CEO of Chaska-based MyPillow, has confirmed he is out of money and can’t pay legal bills (AP News)

☑ 1,100 Minnesota teens have pre-registered to vote under new state law (Axios)

◼ Body found after fire at Northeast Minneapolis homeless encampment (Kare11)

📺 Ubah Ali becomes first Somali-American on-air reporter in Twin Cities TV market at WCCO (MPR News)

🏠 Twin Cities millennials struggle with housing costs: Over 30% of income spent on rent (Axios)

🏦 Minneapolis seeks public input on design proposals for former Kmart site redevelopment (WCCO)

⚽ Minnesota United FC parts ways with manager Adrian Heath and director Mark Watson (ESPN)

🦒 MSP airport officials seized giraffe feces brought from Kenya, as a passenger planned to use it for making a necklace (USA Today)

Beyond the Twin Cities – Stories We’re Tracking Outside the Land of 10,000 Lakes

➖ Hamas attacked Israel, Israel retaliates -- death toll surpasses 1,100 (Reuters)

➖ The Powerball jackpot surged to an estimated $1.55 billion as no one matched the six numbers on Saturday to claim the enormous prize (AP News)

➖ Kevin Kiptum, a 23-year-old Kenyan, broke the marathon world record at the Chicago marathon (NPR)

➖Despite promise not to expand the border wall, Biden is building a new section in South Texas by bypassing 26 federal laws (USA Today)

➖ New research out of Columbia University shows that summer temps across the Northern Hemisphere have gotten hotter (NYT)

➖ Simone Biles wins world gymnastic championship becoming most decorated gymnast in history (WSJ)

➖ Donald Trump endorses Jim Jordan in House Speaker race (CNN)

The Final Word: Kris Lindahl Takes Over Houston

Nearly every Minnesotan knows who Kris Lindahl is, but now people in Houston are familiar with the name after having their billboards taken over as well. Ahead of Twins/Astros playoff games, Lindahl purchased billboards across the Houston area promoting the Twins. No one is safe from a Lindahl billboard.

-Patrick

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