Free Republic

It’s the season for graduation presents, and this year, the Star Tribune is offering an unusual gift to Minnesota’s entire graduating high school Class of 2023: a free, one-year digital subscription. The new initiative, which was first announced in late April, is the latest experiment of the Star Tribune’s News in Education program. Just before the 2020 presidential election, the Star Tribune expanded that program to offer free digital subscriptions to all Minnesota school districts with the goal of strengthening news literacy through access.

Groups and individuals behind the action argue rule is unconstitutional. . A group of 16 individuals, churches and businesses are suing Gov. Tim Walz over his statewide mask mandate for indoor spaces. Their suit, filed Thursday in Ramsey County District Court, argues that the requirement is unconstitutional, conflicts with state laws, and imposes an undue burden on business owners. It also demands that Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom either show it is consistent with state law or end enforcement of the mandate. Walz faces several lawsuits related to the mask requirement, which he...

Newspaper political endorsements are almost meaningless in the internet era, but this one is different. The StarTribune is the largest newspaper in Minnesota and s with almost all metropolitan dailies, the Strib is progressive and supports Democrats. The paper has distinguished itself by largely ignoring the many irregularities in the personal and political history of Rep. Ilhan Omar, who represents Minneapolis, where the paper is located. Scott Johnson of Powerline has distinguished himself with his best-in-the-nation coverage of Omar’s scandals and the abandonment of most of these stories by her district’s largest newspaper. The abdication of the Star Tribune is...

The Star Tribune is nevertheless tired of being played for a chump. Coolican notes: “This again raised questions about her marriage to Elmi and whether it was sincere or some effort to help Elmi’s immigration status, or even whether Elmi is her brother. She has denied Elmi is her brother but declined to answer any questions about the circumstances of her marriage to him.” • Her 2016 statement to the contrary notwithstanding, the evidence strongly suggests that Omar never split from Hirsi before her election to Congress last year. Their alleged 2011 divorce “in their faith tradition” appears to be...

An attorney representing U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison has asked a judge to deny motions by the Star Tribune and Alpha News to unseal his 2012 divorce proceedings, instead suggesting that the judge privately review the file and unseal any records that refer to allegations of abuse. Last month, the Star Tribune joined a legal effort to unseal the divorce records, following a similar action by a right-leaning online news and opinion site. The efforts follow allegations by Ellison’s ex-girlfriend, Karen Monahan, that the Democratic candidate for attorney general tried to drag her off a bed during an argument in 2016....

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Casting himself as a tax-cutting, passionate government reformer, Jeb Bush drew merely polite applause Friday from thousands of the nation's most-active tea party conservatives gathered at the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers' summit. Only when the Republican presidential candidate wrapped up his 20-minute speech by calling for a military buildup did the more than 3,000 conservatives from around the nation join in a sustained cheer for Bush, a familiar face in American politics but a newcomer in front of the tea party crowd. "I promise you, if I'm elected president of the United States, I will restore the...

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...

Voter fraud is so rare “you’re more likely to get hit by lightning than find a case of prosecutorial voter fraud,” according to Judith Browne-Dianis, co-director of the liberal Advancement Project. Apparently lightning has struck very hard in a local  primary election according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune whose only real reference to voter fraud in the past two years was to reprint a St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial mocking the possibility of its existence as "GOP voter suppression efforts." What has made the Star Tribune suddenly discover the (GASP!) existence of voter fraud is that it was allegedly perpetrated by...

The Star Tribune is cutting another 100 jobs companywide to further shave costs after bankruptcy. The company's operating committee announced the cuts this morning, saying that the "cracking of our historical economic model and the current Great Recession have forced us to move quickly to make meaningful and difficult adjustments over the next few months." About 30 of the cuts will come from the newsroom and editorial staff -- about a 10 percent reduction -- Star Tribune Editor Nancy Barnes said. The company said most of the cuts would be completed by the end of the year, but that the...

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MINNEAPOLIS – Less than two years after it was bought by a private equity group, the Star Tribune has filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. "We determined that the filing was necessary to reduce our operating costs, restructure our debt and create a financially viable business for the future," Publisher and Chairman Chris Harte restructures. The filing came a week after the Star Tribune and the Newspaper Guild ended talks, saying they were unable to agree on management's request for concessions. "Obviously, I think it's unfortunate. It's not our decision, it's the company's, and we take very seriously the...

Over the years, the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Minnesota Poll has been a reliable indicator of...virtually nothing. Every two years it confidently predicts sweeping victories for the Democrats. Every now and then, as in 2006, that turns out to be right. Over the years, Scott has repeatedly dissected the Minnesota Poll's methods and findings and has had notable exchanges with the individual who runs (or ran--I'm not sure whether he has survived the paper's layoffs) the poll. In 2006 we couldn't tell whether the poll's methods improved or whether its biennial prediction was coincidentally right. Today, though, we may get a...

The Star Tribune newspaper has stopped making payments to its senior creditors, the chairman of the company said Tuesday. The decision to skip a $9 million quarterly payment on its $432 million debt allows the newspaper to conserve cash while attempting to restructure, said company Chairman Christopher Harte. All options, including a bankruptcy filing, are on the table as the newspaper and its advisers negotiate with the paper’s lenders. “We are looking at an incredibly wide range of options, but nothing’s imminent,” said Harte. The newspaper still makes money, Harte added, and he doesn’t expect the missed payment to affect...

Palin considers herself a born-again conservative Christian. She supports teaching creationism in public schools, outlawing nearly all abortions (even in cases of rape or incest) and prohibiting same-sex marriage. But she has yet to advance legislation that insists that creationism, or "intelligent design," be taught in public school science classes whenever biological evolution is taught -- as urged by a plank in the official Alaska Republican Party platform. Nor has she tried so far to eliminate standard sex-education classes in public schools in favor of the abstinence-only programs she prefers. That Palin hasn't yet pushed a religious conservative agenda isn't...

The lenders who financed Avista Capital Partners’ 2007 acquisition of the Star Tribune now want out of the deal, and are seeking a buyer for their debt package, originally worth more than $400 million. Credit Suisse and Royal Bank of Scotland have hired Lazard Ltd., a Wall Street financial adviser, to put the debt package on the market. Two local executives, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, said local business leaders have been approached with offers to purchase the debt. Neither the banks nor their representatives would confirm that there is an effort to sell the debt. But...

Bids on the Star Tribune's five-block plot of land in downtown Minneapolis are due today, according to an offering memo obtained by the Pioneer Press. The marketing of the 12.4 acres — billed as the largest private land holding in the central business district — marks a rare opportunity for developers. It also comes at a time when the Star Tribune and its owners, Avista Capital Holdings, are dealing with declining revenue and profit, and the extra cash could come in handy. Last year, the Minnesota Vikings offered to pay $45 million for four of the five blocks in the...

The owner of the Star Tribune has informed investors that it has written down the value of its $100 million investment in the newspaper by 75 percent to reflect deteriorating conditions since the purchase in March 2007. "In the past year, the newspaper industry has suffered greater than expected declines in circulation and advertising revenue, particularly in print classified advertising," the memo from New York's Avista Capital Partners said. "The outlook in the near to medium term remains uncertain." The write-down, taken at the end of 2007, reflects the estimated loss of value and is consistent with the falling stock...

The Star Tribune's hiring of private equity powerhouse Blackstone Group could result in a fundamental restructuring of the paper's debt, a process that may include anything from new loan terms to additional equity investors in the paper... Such a restructuring, coming only 15 months after Avista Capital Partners took possession of the Star Tribune, reflects just how rapidly the newspaper business -- and the credit markets -- have deteriorated in the past year. Across the country, in big cities and small, newspapers are struggling with declining readership and steep declines in advertising, especially lucrative real estate and automobile classifieds. McClatchy...

An article in the New York Post Sunday reported the Star Tribune is on the ‘brink of bankruptcy.’ The newspaper recently hired a company to restructure its balance sheet after failing to meet debt obligations, the article reports. In a statement from the Star Tribune in response to the New York Post article, Chris Harte, the newspaper’s publisher said, "The facts are that the Star Tribune currently has sufficient liquidity and is current on all its debt payment obligations." Hart said while it is true that the newspaper faces declining ad revenue, they have been working aggressively to get their...

The Minneapolis Star Tribune, reeling under a heavy debt load and plummeting advertising sales, is on the brink of bankruptcy, The Post has learned. One of the nation's top dailies, "The Strib," as it is known to readers in the Twin Cities, recently hired the Wall Street powerhouse Blackstone Group to restructure its balance sheet after failing to meet its debt obligations, according to people familiar with the company. The broadsheet is unlikely to shutter its doors, but its creditors, including the banking giant Credit Suisse Group, figure to eventually end up controlling the paper. Down the road, the creditor...