AltWeeklies Wire
Meet the Invisible Hands Behind Some of Minnesota's Biggest Billsnew
There are few things lawmakers like talking about less than the lobbyists they work with on a daily basis. This despite the fact that lobbyists write 90 percent of bills, clue legislators in on what backlash they can expect, and prep lawmakers on minutiae they don't have time to ponder.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
01-20-2010 |
Commentary
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann: Crazy Like a Foxnew
Many worry that her remarks are detrimental to the national Republican Party's credibility, which is why not everyone inside the GOP is thrilled at the prospect of Bachmann becoming the face of their party. Nevertheless, GOP higher-ups have shown no effort to muzzle her, which suggests she fills an important role.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
11-18-2009 |
Politics
Minnesota's Legislators Didn't Get Obama's Mideast Memonew
The state's push for divestment from Iran came on the heels of President Obama's call for diplomacy. Just last week, Obama reiterated that Iran has some right to nuclear energy, provided it can prove it's for peaceful purposes.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
06-10-2009 |
Politics
How a Minnesota Mental Health Patient Was Forced into Electro-Shock Therapynew
There were 41 cases of the controversial practice of forced, court-ordered electroconvulsive treatment in Hennepin County last year. Ray Sandford was one of them.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
05-22-2009 |
Civil Liberties
Craig Newmark Finds an Unlikely Ally: A Victim's Familynew
In the wake of the murder of Katherine Olson, who was killed after responding to a babysitting ad on Craigslist, creator Craig Newmark and CEO Jim Buckmaster are weathering a storm of criticism.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Bradley Campbell and Matt Snyders |
05-04-2009 |
Crime & Justice
The 'MinnPost' Model: Is It Sustainable?new
Beneath the optimism surrounding MinnPost's launch lingered an obvious question: Could this business model be sustainable? How to translate web traffic into enough cash flow to ensure financial independence? Sixteen months later, and deep into a nationwide recession, the question is even more apt.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
03-04-2009 |
Media
Meet the Vulcans: The Twin Cites' Most Controversial Partiersnew
The Winter Carnival may be over for the year, but for St. Paul Vulcans past and present, the cape and goggles represent a year-round way of life.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
02-18-2009 |
Culture
More Than 9,000 Minnesotans are Homeless. I Decided to Join Them for a Weeknew
I don't claim to have experienced homelessness at its most hopeless, its most real, nor do I intend to trivialize the travails that go along with it. Nevertheless, it's hoped that this diary will provide a window into day-to-day affairs, maybe even practical advice for those who may soon find themselves battling the real thing.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
12-01-2008 |
Housing & Development
Eight RNC Protesters Accused of 'Furthering Terrorism' Thanks to Statutenew
The RNC 8 face more than the standard felony charges. For the first time, authorities are wielding an obscure state anti-terrorism statute passed in the nervous aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
11-13-2008 |
Civil Liberties
Dozens of Journalists Arrested at RNCnew
As McCain spoke Thursday night about America's obligation to confront "threats to peace and liberty in our time," armed agents were busy cuffing and detaining nearly 400 people a half-mile away. Most were protesters who had overstayed their permit -- many were journalists and bystanders. I was one of them.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
09-10-2008 |
Politics
Police Raid Homes in Advance of RNCnew
The Ramsey County Sheriff's Department and St. Paul police -- working under the direction of federal agencies, including the FBI -- began raiding homes of protesters throughout the metro. Before the weekend was through, authorities would arrest six people and detain dozens more in a preemptive strike against would-be RNC rabble-rousers.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
09-04-2008 |
Civil Liberties
A Field Guide to the Republican National Conventionnew
Meet the deranged, debauched and deluded characters coming to Minneapolis and St. Paul for the RNC.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders and Bradley Campbell |
08-28-2008 |
Politics
Starbucks Baristas Union Drive Comes at Key Timenew
The effort to organize Minnesota latte-slingers could hurt the ailing chain.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
07-24-2008 |
Business & Labor
Tim Pawlenty Flip-Flops on Cuba Just in Time to Cozy Up to McCainnew
In late April, the fiscally conservative, free-trade Republican Governor from Minnesota, vetoed a non-binding resolution urging the president and Congress to end the embargo, which surprised some local Cuban-Americans. Of course, the elephant in the room is Pawlenty's Pennsylvania Avenue ambitions.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
06-11-2008 |
Politics
Indie Comedy Label Stand Up! Cranks Out Edgy Comedynew
The Twin Cities-based laugh factory offers smart hope in dumb times.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Matt Snyders |
05-23-2008 |
Performance
