Star Tribune
Why holiday music might encourage unsafe driving
Of course, other factors beyond beats per minute can lead to distracted or erratic driving. Researchers pointed out that volume, genre, driver temperament, road environment and traffic conditions need to be accounted for to determine the true effect, they said.
“The published research article seems interesting and may have some merit,” said Curtis Craig, a researcher at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. “But Insuranceopedia is overselling the conclusions.”
So go ahead and listen to your holiday favorites, as the season is short this year, because there are even faster songs that may induce reckless driving. That includes Moby’s 1993 dance single “Thousand,” which once was listed by Guinness World Records as having the fastest beats per minute, peaking at 1,015.
But questions about 21 missing absentee ballots swirled during the certification. Scott County officials became aware Nov. 7 of a discrepancy between the number of absentee ballots recorded and the number tabulated in two Shakopee-area precincts.
That prompted the county to investigate the whereabouts of 20 missing ballots cast in the 10th Precinct, which Tabke won by almost 200 votes, results posted to the Secretary of State’s website show. Officials opted not to look into a missing ballot cast in another precinct after noting it’s not uncommon for one voter to check in and not vote, according to a preliminary investigation.
That initial audit found the 20 missing absentee ballots were likely thrown away inside their inner envelopes before being tabulated. Scott County Attorney Ron Hocevar blamed the episode on “human error.”
Zoll, Tabke’s attorney, said in court filings that it’s “extraordinarily unlikely” the inclusion of 20 missing ballots from a precinct Tabke won would change the final result.
Paul’s attorney, Reid LeBeau, is asking the court to prohibit the Scott County Auditor and Secretary of State from certifying Tabke’s victory, declare the 54A race invalid and determine a vacancy exists, and recommend the House refuse to seat Tabke.
If Tabke appeals Perzel’s decision, the matter would go directly to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Court decisions would then be forwarded to the Minnesota House for a legislative hearing, according to state statute.
Star Tribune
Volunteers keep Christmas alive in shuttered church with a Nativity scene with a live baby and carols in German
When Reeck first joined, he was uncertain whether people would donate to help keep the church standing. But they’ve raised more than $300,000 in the past three decades, which has helped the nonprofit refinish the pews, replace the stained glass windows in their original style, redo the roof, tuckpoint the bricks and install a ramp.
Most people on the nonprofit’s mailing list are connected to the church through relatives, but the connections seem to get looser every year. And some people just yearn for a nostalgic Christmas service, Jenniges said: “Every year, we get people from the outside who say, Oh my gosh — I can’t believe you still do this. You can’t let it be lost.”
Susan Lorenz uses a broom to hang tinsel on a 20-foot tree ahead of the Christmas service at Salem Historical Church in Paynesville. The church closed in 1968 but volunteers organize the holiday service each year. (Jenny Berg)
Star Tribune
The GOP stoked fears of noncitizens voting. Cases in Ohio show how rhetoric and reality diverge
Before the November presidential election, Ohio’s secretary of state and attorney general announced investigations into potential voter fraud that included people suspected of casting ballots even though they were not U.S. citizens.
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