Iron Range hate crime charges; Bachmann targets Ellison; Warm lakes pose health risk

Two charged with hate crime in Iron Range brawl

Duluth News Tribune: "Two Iron Range men have been charged with a hate crime in connection with a brawl that broke out in a downtown Hibbing parking lot early Sunday morning after the city's Jubilee Street Dance. Two other men, including the alleged victim of the hate crime, also were charged with assault in the incident, which was caught on nearby surveillance cameras.

Crews remove pipe bomb from vehicle at Mayo Clinic campus

KAAL: "Traffic near the Mayo Clinic was diverted Thursday as authorities removed a 3-foot-long pipe bomb from the trunk of a vehicle. Authorities say the 50 to 60 pound pipe with caps on each end and a wick was removed from a vehicle inside the Generose Building parking ramp." WCCO: "No one was hurt after family members of a Mayo Clinic patient found the device in the Generose Building parking ramp at about 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Hospital, according to authorities. No arrests have been made, but police said the woman who had been driving the car with the pipe bomb in the trunk admitted her son had made the explosive months ago."

Bachmann turns Muslim Brotherhood rhetoric on fellow Minnesotan

A bipartisan chorus has emerged in response Rep. Michele Bachmann's allegations that the Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the U.S. Government. Republicans and Democrats have described her campaign as McCarthy-esque, unfounded and fear mongering. The latest target in Bachmann's campaign is fellow Minnesotan and the sole Muslim in congress, Rep. Keith Ellison. Tom Scheck and Jon Collins have more on Capitol View.

State Health Dept warns swimmers of deadly amoeba

KARE11: "As water temperatures rise in Minnesota lakes, the state health department is urging swimmers to take special precautions against a rare, but deadly infection caused by amoeba. The single-celled organism, known as Naegleria fowleri, lives in lake sediment and thrives in warmer water. The microscopic amoeba can travel up a swimmer's nose, migrate to the brain and destroy it in a matter of days. The best defense is to avoid putting your face in overly warm lake water, unless you're holding your nose or wearing nose plugs to keep the water. "

Also on MN Today

Suburbs see shifting racial mix

MPR News: "The Twin Cities suburbs are more diverse than you might think. A study released today shows communities in the first and second rings surrounding Minneapolis and St. Paul are seeing rapid changes in their racial makeup."

Tom Davis, 'Saturday Night Live' comedy writer, dies at 59

New York Times: "In 1975, Mr. Davis, brilliant at improvisational comedy, and Mr. Franken, a whiz at plotting funny sequences, became two of the first writers on a new show called 'Saturday Night Live,' which has lasted 37 years. ... Mr. Davis helped shape Mr. Franken's comedy, and vice versa, from the time they entertained students with rebellious, razor-edged humor at high school assemblies in Minnesota."

Minn.'s rework of anti-bullying law takes shape

Star Tribune: "Task force review will be revised. Final report due to governor Aug. 1. Draft report offers no specific language, but guidelines should be included in law to clarify policies on bullying."

Stand-off looms over U.S. plans to cut GMO crop oversight

Reuters: "Efforts to write benefits for biotech seed companies into U.S. legislation, including the new Farm Bill, are sparking a backlash from groups that say the multiple measures would severely limit U.S. oversight of genetically modified crops."

Lyon County ready for Aug 14 primary election

Marshall Independent: "Lyon County Auditor/Treasurer Paula VanOverbeke said her office has been gearing up for the election for a while now. VanOverbeke, who is anticipating more absentee voting this year because it's a presidential year, and her staff have to have everything ready to go before the primary on Aug. 14."

Company pledges $100,000 if USC school referendum passes

Mankato Free Press: "Bevcomm, a Blue Earth-based Internet and telecommunications company, has pledged a $100,000 donation to USC if its referendum for a much-needed new school building passes."

1st and 8th District congressional races liven up Minnesota's low-key primary election

MinnPost: "As Minnesota counts down to a low-key Aug. 14 primary, differences in the two highest-profile races -- in the 1st and 8th Congressional Districts -- couldn't be greater."

Minnesota 8 (Rep. Chip Cravaack; 2008 Obama 53, McCain 45) -- Cravaack was one of the shock winners on election night 2010, as he narrowly defeated long-time Democratic Rep. James Oberstar in this Democratic-leaning northeastern Minnesota district. Democrats see him as one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents in the country -- which is true -- but they first need to pick a challenger in the Aug. 14 primary. Ex-Rep. Rick Nolan (he served from 1975-1981) has party support, but ex-state Sen. Tarryl Clark has been the better fundraiser, probably in part because she unsuccessfully challenged Rep. Michele Bachmann in 2010 (ex-Duluth City Councilor Jeff Anderson is also battling for the nomination). No matter his opponent, Cravaack -- who faces residency questions because his family lives in New Hampshire -- faces a rough road.

Minnesota looks for a bigger taste of India

Star Tribune: "Minnesota officials are trying to stimulate food exports to one of the world's fast-growing economies."

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