AltWeeklies Wire
Is American Family Legal Plan Duping Minnesota's Elderly?new
An agent told Florence Carlson that her money would be much better off at American Family Legal Plan. In fact, if Carlson didn't buy a living trust with American Family before she died, the costs of estate taxes and probate fees could suck thousands of dollars from her savings.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Erin Carlyle |
02-17-2010 |
Children & Families
Dan Buettner's Blue Zones Teach Nine Secrets of a Longer Lifenew
Dan Buettner says he's found the secret. He visited the ragged cliffs of Sardinia and the fertile gardens of Okinawa — global hotspots of longevity, dubbed Blue Zones — where people live to be 100 at astonishing rates. He identified what they have in common and distilled their secrets into a recipe he says could add a decade to your life.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Erin Carlyle |
02-03-2010 |
Media
Tim Pawlenty's Path to the Presidency: What He Needs to Do to Become No. 45new

His political allies say Pawlenty has said he'd like to be president, but the governor is no fool. If he wants to seize the Republican nomination, experts say there are several steps he'll need to take -- and fast. Consider this his to-do list.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Erin Carlyle |
07-15-2009 |
Politics
Rare Hib Disease Increases in Minnesotanew

Is the anti-vaccine movement to blame for a rise in the number of cases of a rare, life-threatening infectious disease?
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Erin Carlyle |
06-05-2009 |
Science
Amateur Sociologist Uses Social Experiment to Expose Mullet Bigotrynew
Just as John Howard Griffin attempted to expose racism,Jake Nyberg hopes to expose "mulletism"—the mistreatment of mulleted Americans. He's been documenting his experiment at www.mulletlikeme.com.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Erin Carlyle |
05-22-2009 |
Culture
Tags: Jake Nyberg, mulletlikeme.com
Westlaw Rises to Legal Publishing Fame by Selling Free Informationnew
West makes its money by selling free, public information—specifically, court documents—to lawyers. On this simple model, the company rakes in a whopping 32.1 percent operating profit margin.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Erin Carlyle |
04-30-2009 |
Media
Tags: legal publishing, Westlaw
How Young Is Too Young For a Sex Change?new

Most children grow out of gender identity disorder by their teens. Because the diagnosis usually goes away, psychologists rarely recommend that a child with gender identity disorder live as the other sex. But in some cases, when young children are extremely depressed, even suicidal, an early switch may be the best option.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Erin Carlyle |
03-04-2009 |
LGBT
Tags: transgender youth
Minneapolis Skier's Cross-Country Career Hasn't Been Easynew
In her race toward the Olympics, Caitlin Compton has battled poverty, family illness, and a system that favors younger athletes.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Erin Carlyle |
02-11-2009 |
Sports
New Law Could Make Fathers' Rights Come Smoothernew
In Minnesota family courts, judges decide what's best for the kids on a case-by-case basis. But fathers' groups are pushing to change the law so that judges must favor shared parenting time, known as joint physical custody.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Erin Carlyle |
02-04-2009 |
Civil Liberties
Tags: Minnesota, divorce law
Minnesota Independent: Thanks for Helping Elect Obama, You're Firednew

Jane Kirtley, a journalism professor at the University of Minnesota, says the post-election layoffs could be akin to Macy's laying off temporary workers after Christmas. However, she says, the memo lends credibility to a more sinister interpretation.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Erin Carlyle |
11-19-2008 |
Media
The Minneapolis Somali Community is Facing a Dark Web of Murdersnew
They came to escape civil war, so why are they killing each other in the streets?
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Erin Carlyle |
11-13-2008 |
Crime & Justice