June 10, 2005

Whites Hold Prison Majority in Minnesota

Whites are now the majority in the Minnesota prison system, accounting for 58.5% of the prison population, the highest it's been since 1989. Outside of prison and across Minnesota, whites make up 87.2% of the population and 97% of the legislators. The shift in the racial make-up of inmates is primarily thanks to a new focus on sex crimes and meth.

It seems like something must be wrong for the racial math to be so out of whack.

Posted by kevin at 8:33 AM | TrackBack

April 29, 2005

5-Minute Barking Rule

Dogs in St. Paul have only five minutes to bark before they'll be declared a nuissance. Well, not exactly. But a new ordinance does give specific rules as to what constitutes annoying barking from dogs, the five-minute rule being one example. City Council member Jay Benanav explains that a "reasonable annoyance" is not limited to the five-minute rule.

"We needed something on the books we could enforce to keep neighborhoods quiet," Benanav said. "It would take a pretty smart dog to bark for 4.5 minutes and stop."

Somehow I can see my dog doing that.

Posted by kevin at 8:27 AM | TrackBack