Post in Daily Planet Headlines 7/1/08: Peaking real estate, rallying Strib union, St. Paul Sober Houses

Jun 30 23:10 UTC

HEADLINES

Real estate market at its peak?
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/12391
by Patricia Webb-de la Cadena, TC Daily Planet
First-time home buyers possess many advantages that increase their
buying power today, despite the otherwise bleak environment and
outlook in the real estate industry. The ups and downs of the past
few years have yielded historically high housing inventory levels.
Interest rates have been hovering around six percent, and lower,
since 2006. In 2007, the low turnover of homes resulted in sellers
slashing their prices. The downward spiral of the mortgage industry
that began last year struck heavy blows to banks and lenders. All
this has laid the groundwork for favorable conditions for those
families and individuals who have the resources to purchase now.

Strib union members rail against cuts, rally around ice cream
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/12409
by Paul Schmelzer, Minnesota Independent
In a notoriously turbulent industry and facing yet another round of
belt-tightening -- this time to the tune of $2.5 million -- newsroom
staffers from the Star Tribune found solace outside the paper's
headquarters Wednesday... in ice cream. The Minnesota Newspaper Guild
picked up the tab for frozen treats, while a few dozen reporters and
editors picketed upcoming cuts that could claim another 30 newsroom
jobs, according to reporter and Guild unit rep Chris Serres. With a
contract expiring at the end of July, some of the Stribbers I talked
with had measured hope for an agreeable deal, but many had concerns
about the long-term prospects for Avista Capital Partners as the
paper's owner -- and about the future of local journalism.

Sober House vote in St. Paul
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/12439
by Mary Turck, TC Daily Planet
After months of discussion, the St. Paul city council is set to vote
on an ordinance regulating sober houses on Wednesday. City
councilmember Russ Stark explained in a telephone interview that, at
present, "There's no registration per se. There's 34 or 35 sober
houses that have been identified, meaning they have self-identified
with the building inspectors. There's likely to be more than that out
there."

Rondo Days
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/12316
by Stacey H. Taylor, Insight News
Summer is closer and nothing highlights summer like the official
Rondo Days parade, day-long festival and drill competition in St.
Paul. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Rondo Days, one of the
largest African American festivals in Minnesota.

INSIDE THE DAILY PLANET

Green Drinks of summer
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/12390
by Jennifer Holder, TC Daily Planet
Unfortunately the rainy weather did not cooperate with the organizers
of the first Green Drinks of the summer on June 11. So, instead of
meeting on the patio of Birchbark Café in Minneapolis, the group of
approximately twenty energy conservation enthusiasts huddled together
inside the café for their environmental happy hour.

Postville meatpacking plant offers "excellent opportunity of job in
the United States"
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/12408
by Anna Pratt, Minnesota Independent
In the wake of a historic immigration raid in Postville, Iowa, that
cleaned out the Agriprocessors meatpacking plant's workforce in May,
an advertiser has tried to lure Guatemalan laborers to the town,
reports the Minnesota Independent's sister site, the Iowa
Independent. The vast majority of the 389 people detained by
Immigration and Customs Enforcement were Guatemalan. Guatemalan
government officials are also onto suspicious ads that Agriprocessors
representatives deny they had a role in. The ads, which ran in a
couple of large Guatemalan newspapers and appeared in public places,
tout openings for meat-processing jobs in Postville, describing it as
an "excellent opportunity of a job in the United States" ideally
suited to "men who have permission to work in the United States."

Undocumented
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/12295
by MTN volunteers
South High students Lexi Anderson, Dorothy Baker, Sylvia Banks,
Gillian Jones, Rachel LA Flores and Uriel Rosales-Tlatenchi
interviewed undocumented workers of a variety of ages, with a focus
on people their age. They made this video with the help of the
Minneapolis Television Network (MTN) through the Voices program.

NEW IN VOICES

One bad deal
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/12411
by John Van Hecke, Minnesota 2020
Last week, responding to my kohlrabi column, my colleague Lee
Egerstrom observed that anything drenched in enough sour cream,
horseradish and dill will be edible. With that in mind, I'd like to
reconsider the single most significant legislative act of the past
ten years: Governor Pawlenty's 2003 biennial budget and revenue
restructuring deal.

NEW IN BLOGS

Dan Wilson tells the story behind Semisonic's "Closing Time"
http://tcdailyplanet.net/node/12429
by Jake Mohan, Reveille Magazine
Between verses, Wilson explained that the lyrics are actually about
childbirth, a metaphor “hidden in plain sight.” He wrote the song
while he and his wife were expecting their first child, and in a
cosmic coincidence, took his daughter home from the hospital on the
same day the single was released.

Insecurity complex
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/12248
by Hispanic Fanatic
I’ve mentioned before that Hispanics are now the number-one minority
in America. On a related note, I’m sure you’ve heard that salsa is
more popular than ketchup (it’s true, more or less).

Seven billion Pixy Stix
http://tcdailyplanet.net/node/12423
by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet
My friend Nalini and I were enjoying some Pixy Stix (on clearance for
$1 at the Highland Park Blockbuster) when we noticed that each Stik
(Stick? Stix?) was numbered. One Maui Punch Pixy Stik, for example,
was numbered 7318514434. That got us wondering: Did they start from 1?

Returning favorites--Live Action Set (Part 2)
http://tcdailyplanet.net/node/12430
by Matthew A. Everett, TC Daily Planet
If you can’t take your mom to see Deviants, it’s safe to take her to
see the high school clown troupe instead.