The News Stories of the Year, 2014 Edition!

Happy New Year everyone!!!  I hope 2015 is wonderful for you.

Let's put a cherry on top of the sundae that is 2014 with a countdown of, what I consider to be, the news stories of the year!  This is solely my opinion, and a story might be here for good or bad reasons.  It might be a local story, a Minnesota story or a national story.  Many of these just make me laugh!  WARNING - some adult themes involved!

Before we get to the countdown, three honorable mentions:

HM #1 - The Midtown Greenway Self Gratifier - May.  Let's set the tone early, shall we.  This really doesn't need too much explanation.  

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2014/05/confessed_greenway_masturbator_stephen_smith_is_allegedly_serial_self-exposer.php

HM #2 - Reid Sagehorn's Twitter Mistake - Feb.  I understand the people who insist this was a joke gone wrong, but with the new technological age we live in, we allow kids to wander in an adult realm without them comprehending the real world consequences for their actions.  If there is a silver lining to this story, I think a lot of parents sat down and talked to their kids about online social media etiquette after this story broke.

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/246805341.html

HM #3 - Grape Salad - Nov./Dec.  This was one that made no sense, but at least the NY Times admits  it was a touch off with this holiday recipe selection.

http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/20/new-york-times-minnesota-grape-salad/?_r=0



That's it for the also rans.  Let's start with...



#10 - Ed Hansen and his Confederate Flag - Jan.  The main reason I was fascinated by this story was how, even after people pointed out the Confederate Flag represented the south during the Civil War, a south which killed a lot of Minnesotans during that war, he was incredulous.

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_19940491


#9 - The War Eagle Sheila Kihne, and the war between the GOP establishment and the Tea Party - Jul.  I stumbled upon this gem of a political sign:

I love this campaign poster.  Forget about the fact she had some extreme views, some of them religious, and that she stated she went to my church, a church which never put forth those ideals, Sheila epitomized the war inside the GOP with traditional Republicans across the country fighting off tea party challengers left and right.

http://www.twoputttommy.com/2014/07/14/from-the-archives-sheila-kihne-channels-the-ghost-of-joe-mccarthy/


#8 - Nolan Defeats Mills - Nov.  A race which saw the groomed Republican challenger receive insane amounts of cash, obscene media bias, and talking points once only reserved for the greatest of spin doctors, Rick Nolan fought off a tremendous onslaught to win re-election in the tightest US House race in the state.

http://www.kare11.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/05/rep-nolan-edges-out-mills-in-8th-district/18522393/


#7 - Michelle MacDonald gets the MN GOP nod for the Supreme Court - Jun.  There clearly are problems in the Minnesota GOP when it comes to screening candidates for their nomination process and the process of nomination on their convention floor.  She should have been forthright about her legal issues, but it was the doe eyed Republican leadership after the convention which told the whole story.

http://minnlawyer.com/2014/06/19/macdonald-in-spotlight-after-gop-court-nod/


#6 - Roger Weber cuts his neighbors garage in half - Sep.  Another entry that doesn't need too much explanation, just know he is the man the GOP pegged to try to beat Carly Melin for her MN House seat.  That's right, he was endorsed by the Republican Party of Minnesota.

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2014/09/mngop_candidate_roger_weber_literally_sawed_neighbors_garage_in_half_photo.php


#5 - Fiscally conservative State Senator Sean Nienow and his wife sued for defaulting on a $748K federal loan - Jan.  Once again, a massive hypocrite of a Republican, talking about cutting the fat and trimming the waste in budgets, someone who rails at social safety net programs as wasting government tax dollars, showing he not only can't manage his money, but the government money he pursued for his own personal use.  Sad and funny.

http://www.twincities.com/crime/ci_24951949/state-sen-sean-nienow-wife-sued-748k-federal


#4 - #Pointergate - Nov.  Seriously, KSTP, if you would have just said sorry in the days after the initial story, you wouldn't have been the laughing stock you became.  For God's sake, you were trending GLOBALLY, on Twitter, for your self induced ignorance.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/07/kstp-gang-signs_n_6123534.html


#3 - The Minnesota GOP State Fair Booth Implosion on the first day of the Fair - Aug.  The only two things the State Fair is politically good for is forgettable photo ops and unforgettable photo ops.  What happened when the GOP tried to prevent their tarnished endorsed Supreme Court candidate, the aforementioned Michelle MacDonald, from appearing at the fair, within hours of the Fair opening, was a public relations nightmare which haunted the GOP in Minnesota for the rest of the election cycle.

http://www.startribune.com/local/yourvoices/272245441.html


#2 - Minnesota gets the election right - Nov.  I have been asked by a lot of people why Minnesota was one of the few places in this country that bucked the GOP wave.  I think it comes down to an eclectic variety of voices in this state, from all viewpoints.  Minnesota is spoiled with the variety and depth of media, and even the Republicans in this state have options beyond Fox News.  A well informed public votes with a lot of common sense and with all statewide races going the DFL's way, that theory gets proven.  It also points to why the GOP won the rural state house seats; less media options and easier to distort message.  What does it tell you about a person who wants the public uninformed and confused about the issues in order for their guy to win, well outside of their Republican political affiliation?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/10/1343629/-Resisting-The-Wave-How-Minnesota-Democrats-Mostly-Prevailed-Last-Tuesday


#1 - Sarah Palin, the GOP nominee for Vice President in 2008, and her family, were all involved in a drunken street brawl in Alaska - Sep.  Gold, pure freaking gold.  I am guessing at least $50 Million was spent on obtaining all of the cell phone footage of the incident, at least $50 Million.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/sarah-palin-drunken-family-brawl-police-in-alaska-release-report-on-fight-involving-former-governors-son-daughter-and-husband-9787307.html




Have a great New Year everyone!   Here's to 2015!!!