Twin Cities

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Raccoon Scales 25-Story Skyscraper

City closely watches daring ascent

(Newser) - Minnesota's Twin Cities were captivated by a daring raccoon that climbed more than 20 stories up a St. Paul skyscraper Tuesday—pausing for plenty of naps along the way. The raccoon, first spotted stuck on a ledge outside another downtown building on Monday, where it had apparently planned to...

Archdiocese Kept Lid on Minn. Priest's Sex 'Compulsions'

Curtis Wehmeyer was allowed to keep working

(Newser) - The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis made it clear that once officials heard about a priest's abuse of two boys, they went straight to law enforcement. Trouble is, the archdiocese actually knew about what Minnesota Public Radio calls Curtis Wehmeyer's "sexual compulsions" for almost a decade—...

Feds: Hospital Scammer Sold Patients' Prostheses

Health worker replaced working artificial limbs, sold them online: probe

(Newser) - Seeing this health worker could literally cost you an arm and a leg. A hospital official may have tricked his patients into replacing quality prostheses so he could trade the originals for cash on eBay, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The FBI is looking into whether the head of prosthetic...

Minnesota Declares 'Ladies' Night' Illegal

State charges five bars with gender discrimination

(Newser) - The Minnesota Department of Human Rights has filed gender discrimination charges against five Twin Cities bars, alleging that they violated the rights of men everywhere—by holding ladies’ night. “Gender-based pricing violates the Human Rights Act,” the commissioner tells the Star-Tribune , vowing to pursue every complaint received about...

One Month, 50K Words: Writers Race to Finish Novels

National Novel Writing Month gives creative types an unrelenting deadline

(Newser) - Aspiring novelists are packing coffee shops in the Twin Cities and elsewhere as the frenzy of National Novel Writing Month heats up, Minnesota Public Radio reports. Founded roughly a decade ago, “Nanowrimo” challenges writers to conquer procrastination and get 50,000 words down during November. The emphasis, say the...

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