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The director of the University of Minnesota's prestigious Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) tells CNN that the possibility of airborne Ebola is the sum of all fears. In a piece by CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen titled, "Ebola in the Air? A Nightmare that Could Happen," CIDRAP Director Dr. Michael Osterholm said nothing compares to the threat of airborne Ebola. "It's the single greatest concern I've ever had in my 40-year public health career," Dr. Osterholm told CNN. "I can't imagine anything in my career--and this includes HIV--that would be more devastating to the world than...

(AUDIO-AT-LINK)There's no sign yet that Ebola has reached Minnesota. But experiences in Dallas highlight what government authorities can do, firmly and quickly, to try to stop more people from getting infected — at a time when the public is increasingly wary of government intrusion and authority. The state can lock you up for weeks. It could order your kids home from school and in some cases, kick you out of your job, at least temporarily. Health officials can inspect your house, open up your health records and maybe even seize your remains if you get sick and die. The government...

In order to prevent “devastating consequences,” Minnesota’s leading elected officials on Monday asked U.S. officials to reconsider their decision not to conduct Ebola virus screenings at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. In order to prevent “devastating consequences,” Minnesota’s leading elected officials on Monday requested that the Twin Cities’ airport be added to the short federal list of airports in the United States that are required to conduct screenings for the deadly Ebola virus. Gov. Mark Dayton and U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken sent a letter to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that asks...

A bipartisan group of senators from across the political spectrum—from Elizabeth Warren and Patrick J. Leahy to Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio—wants President Barack Obama to speak out and act to support Hong Kong’s democracy movement.They don’t specify exactly what they want Obama to do—they say “demonstrable, meaningful steps”—but note that a 1992 law “authorizes you to suspend trade and economic provisions should Beijing not provide sufficient autonomy for Hong Kong.”Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who is president pro tempore and Judiciary chairman, leads the letter with Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Rubio.“The people of Hong Kong have sent a strong...

In almost every electoral cycle, Republicans feel they have a winning hand in Minnesota to turn the state red. And in almost every electoral cycle, their hopes get dashed. The GOP has not won a statewide electoral contest in Minnesota since Tim Pawlenty’s narrow re-election victory in 2006, and according to Survey USA’s latest poll, 2014 won’t break the pattern: In Minnesota, one month to Election Day, incumbent Democrats Mark Dayton and Al Franken appear well positioned for re-election, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted for KSTP-TV in Minneapolis-St Paul. The victories do not reflect any larger love for...

Minnesota job vacancies hit a 13-year high in the second quarter, with employers reporting nearly 84,700 job openings, state officials said Thursday. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) said about 56 percent of those job openings were in the seven-county Twin Cities area, with 44 percent in Greater Minnesota. Over the past year, outstate areas posted the strongest job growth. DEED said the most common job vacancies were in the fields of health care and social assistance (19 percent of the total), retail (15 percent), accommodation and food service (12 percent), manufacturing (8 percent) and educational services...

Federal funding for honor guards at military funerals in Minnesota has been cut. KSTP sister station WDIO-TV reports instead of supporting 5,000 military funerals each year, only 3,000 funerals will be supported. Funerals held at Camp Ripley, Fort Snelling and a new veterans cemetery in Preston will get priority. John Marshall, captain of the Duluth Honor Guard, says that means some veterans in the Duluth area will likely miss out on having the two active duty military personnel at their funeral. “The federal government reneged on its promise to supplement two active military soldiers at all military funerals,” Marshall told...

Muslims across Minnesota gathered this weekend for one of Islam’s major religious holidays, one rooted in prayer, charity, sacrifice to community — and nothing to do with beheadings or violence. “This is Islam,” said Makram El-Amin, the imam at Masjid An-Nur mosque in north Minneapolis, where families gathered Saturday for a morning of prayer and socializing. “All Muslims across the world are observing this at the same time. It’s the opposite of a minute group in Syria and Iraq perpetrating crimes in the name of Islam.” Horrified that Islam is being linked to fanatics, Muslims in Minnesota and across the...

Live from Minnesota, it’s Democratic Senator Al Franken’s bid for reelection, and he’s got an eight-point lead over Republican challenger Mike McFadden.

Every evening after work, Abdirizak Bihi strolls through neighborhood parks where young Somalis shoot hoops and play soccer. He tells jokes, urges them to clean up their trash and even grabs the basketball to take a few shots. It may seem like fun, but Bihi's eyes are scanning the playgrounds and ball courts of Minneapolis for something sinister - anyone who might try to recruit these kids to join a jihad overseas. If Bihi doesn't show up for his personal patrol for five, six or seven days, "somehow the word gets out, and they're back," he said. Community members and...

Rochester police Capt. John Sherwin said a man was walking on the 600 block of Silver Lake Drive Northeast about 4 a.m. Sunday when several cars pulled up and a group of men jumped out. The man told police the men kicked, punched and scratched him, eventually taking car keys, a cell phone and some cash. Sherwin said the man's earrings were also ripped out before the group drove off. The man wasn't seriously hurt. He wasn't able to offer a description of the cars involved.

Members of Minnesota Catholic Church are lamenting over the resignation of their music director of 17 years who was asked to leave his position after marrying his same-sex partner. Jamie Moore served at St. Victoria Catholic Church for a little less than two decades and was beloved by much of the congregation. Several of the church's choir members recently voiced their disappointment over the matter to KARE11 News. "I think it's unfortunate," said member Judy Janish. "I think people should be able to marry who they love and who they belong with." June Henning, who served alongside Moore for 17...

A Maple Lake couple walked away from a major accident. Their convertible crashed into a moose. The accident happened on Highway 55 near a boat landing in Maple Lake Monday night Don and Terry O’Connor say the moose popped up right out of the cattails and slammed into the small convertible. “I’m just thankful to be alive,” Don said. “I just remember a great, big, brown something, some sort of animal, coming toward the windshield,” Terry remembered. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says moose of common up north, but it is very rare to see a moose in Maple...

For years, three House Democrats — West Virginia’s Nick Rahall, Georgia’s John Barrow and Minnesota’s Collin Peterson — have been survivors, defying political calculus to win term after term in solidly red Republican districts. They paddled through the 2010 GOP wave. They even overcame the flood of Mitt Romney’s double-digit margins of victory in each district in 2012. But 2014 could be their ultimate survival test. In an era of increasing polarization, Rahall, Peterson and Barrow are the three Democrats running for reelection who represent the most Republican districts in Congress. They’ve managed to hang on to their seats, even...

A 20-year-old man who spent time with family in both Canada and Minneapolis was killed in an airstrike on ISIS targets in Syria, a lawyer representing the family of Mohamud Mohamed Mohamud told the CBC. Hamilton, Ontario attorney Hussein Hamdani identified the first-year college student in a photo that was being circulated on pro al-Shabaab websites of a Canadian-Somali man who had been killed in Syria.

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek overstepped his authority in revoking the gun permit of an Iraq war veteran who police say represented a possible danger to himself or others, a judge ruled Friday. The judge ordered Stanek to reinstate the vet’s permit to carry a gun. The case could have broad implications about how veterans in crisis are treated by law enforcement and about how much authority a sheriff may have in revoking permits to carry weapons. At one point, Bloomington police became so concerned about the man, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq from 2004 to 2005,...

The Minneapolis Star Tribune had a reputation for being so far left that they used to be referred to as the Red Star Trubune. Therefore it was somewhat surprising that the Star Tribune yesterday published an article that was not only somewhat critical of Franken but sounded some upbeat notes for his campaign opponent, Mike McFadden. This is in stark contrast to an article early this month in the University of Minnesota student newspaper, the Minnesota Daily, which lavished praise upon Franken despite the fact he backed out of a campus debate and barely a word about McFadden who agreed...

The Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday it will investigate allegations that the appointment records of a retired Marine who died after having seizures were falsified to cover up delays in patient care at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Cathy Gromek, spokeswoman for the VA's inspector general's office in Washington, told the Associated Press she wasn't sure when the investigation would be finished. "We're working it and when we can report out, we'll report out," Gromek said. The announcement followed calls from Minnesota's congressional delegation for an investigation, one day after KARE-TV reported that VA records showed that a...

Amazon.com Inc. will begin collecting sales taxes from Minnesota customers next week, ending a cost advantage it’s enjoyed over brick-and-mortar retailers in the state. The news also triggered a mystery. Online-only retailers don’t need to charge sales tax in Minnesota unless they have physical presence or affiliated business here. Monday’s revelation led to speculation that Amazon may open a warehouse, data center or some other operation in the state or buy an existing firm. The company was vague about what prompted the change, though it said it “will be required” to do so starting Oct. 1. “We’re considering various opportunities...

Minnesota Somali-Americans protested last week demanding pork-free food products from their welfare food bank. “It’s about human rights also, basic human rights to get the proper food and also healthy food,” said Imam Hassan Mohamud. “Some food shelves are trying to meet the need, but some of them already got canned beans that have already been mixed with pork — and there is a literacy issue here,” said community activist Fartun Weli. With signs in hand, they marched to the Hennepin County commissioners’ office to ask Peter McLaughlin for help. Most live in his district and feel he can help...