LRT Rider

MESSAGE FROM MOGADISHU

2011-11-03T09:12:00.000-04:00

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/11/message-from-mogadishu.php

MY POSTED COMMENT:
Greg Lang · Top Commenter · North High School

I shop at the Franklin Av. Aldi's which earned the nickname "Ali's" because of the many Somali's that shop there. Personally they have never given me any problem. Most seem good people but they have the "jihadist" minority.

The big Cedar Riverside high-rise complex is majority Somali. It was recently given a "historic" designation and is being refurbished (look for the freshly painted color panels).
It is located next to a light rail station for the current Hiawatha and future Central Corridor light rails.

The situation reminds me of 1970's Quebec Separatist movement. In Montreal there were bombings and kidnapping of business executives. Corporations moved out there headquarters and factories en-mass.

I learned about this from (of all places) the commentary on the DVD for the movie "Death Race". It was filmed in a closed mile long locomotive factory. The director commented that there were a lot of empty building there because of business exodus.

Reply · Like · Unfollow Post · Yesterday at 4:55am

New Al Qaeda Video: American Muslims Should Buy Guns, Start Shooting People

2011-06-05T09:43:00.000-04:00

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-video-buy-automatic-weapons-start-shooting/story?id=13704264

Al-Shabab militants: Somali-American of Minnesota carried out suicide attack at Mogadishu base

2011-06-02T09:22:00.000-04:00

http://www.startribune.com/local/123007938.html

Al-Shabab militants: Somali-American of Minnesota carried out suicide attack at Mogadishu base.

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The militant group al-Shabab says a man who carried out a suicide bomb attack at a base in Mogadishu this week was a Somali-American from Minnesota.

Al-Shabab says 25-year-old Abdullahi Ahmed attacked the African Union peacekeeping base in Somalia's capital on Monday, killing two AU troops and one government soldier. The group says on its website that Ahmed moved to Somalia from Minnesota two years ago.

The Internet report purported to quote Ahmed before his death saying that he wanted to carry out the attack because of abuses by Christians in Muslim countries.

If the report is confirmed, Ahmed will become at least the third Somali-American to have carried out a suicide bombing in Somalia.

Another Somali Immigrant Busted For Terror Attempt - Christmas Tree Bomb Plot

2010-11-27T10:49:00.001-05:00

http://www.pipelinenews.org/index.cfm?page=somalia1127101.htm

Another Somali Immigrant Busted For Terror Attempt - Christmas Tree Bomb Plot

November 27, 2010 - San Francisco, CA - PipeLineNews.org - On Friday evening Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a 19 year-old naturalized American citizen of Somali descent, was arrested in Portland, Oregon by federal authorities after attempting to detonate what he thought was a car bomb.

The Muslim immigrant was snared in an elaborate sting operation which had been in operation for months.

According to FBI Special Agent in charge Arthur Balizan, "The threat was very real...Our investigation shows that Mohamud was absolutely committed to carrying out an attack on a very grand scale." [source, http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/11/27/us/AP-US-Portland-Car-Bomb-Plot.html?_r=1&hp]

Somali immigrants, brought to the United States under a special State Department political refugee program, have proven extraordinarily problematic since their arrival. Over a dozen are thought to have returned to Somalia to engage in jihad with one of them thought to have become the first American suicide bomber in that country.

Additionally the refugees [who have essentially been dumped on unsuspecting communities] have been involved in numerous labor actions, represented by domestic Islamist organizations, in which they demanded unreasonable accommodation for their religious beliefs [in the case of Muslim taxi drivers at Minneapolis airport, going so far as refusing to pick-up passengers who were carrying bottles of wine and other alcoholic beverages].

©2010 PipeLineNews.org LLC. All rights reserved.

TSA Searches: Are Trains and Subways Next?

2010-11-23T02:17:00.002-05:00

http://www.infowars.com/tsa-searches-are-trains-and-subways-next/

TSA Searches: Are Trains and Subways Next?
Posted By kurtnimmo On November 22, 2010 @ 11:15 am In Featured Stories | 160 Comments

Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
November 22, 2010

John Pistole, the TSA boss, has implored activists to rethink their “opt-out” protest this week. Pistole warns that the national protest against naked body scanners and intrusive pat downs at airports would be a mistake and will only serve to “tie up people who want to go home and see their loved ones,” according to the Associated Press.

If John Pistole and the federal government have their way, we may have to opt-out of taking the subway or riding a train in the near future.
“I understand people’s frustrations,” said president Obama from Lisbon over the weekend. Obama said at present naked body scanners and pat down searches bordering on sexual molestation are the best way to prevent Muslims in caves from attacking the American people. Secretary of State Clinton told Meet the Press on Sunday that “everyone, including our security experts, are looking for ways to diminish the impact on the traveling public” and that “striking the right balance is what this is about.”

For now, that “balance” means a near minimum wage TSA worker will fondle your testicles and there is nothing you can do about it. Protesting will only slow down traffic and prevent people from visiting their family and friends.

Obama and Clinton expect you to bite the bullet and accept what amounts to sexual molestation in order to board a commercial airplane in the United States. Pistole said it really is not a big deal because “a very small percent” of people are subject to the process of submission and humiliation.

If past comments made by Mr. Pistole are any indicator, however, the government would like to see naked body scanners and intrusive pat downs expand from airports to train stations and subway platforms.

Soon after taking over the TSA earlier this year, the former FBI deputy director Pistole told USA Today that he will work to expand airport Gestapo zones. “Protecting riders on mass-transit systems from terrorist attacks will be as high a priority as ensuring safe air travel, the new head of the Transportation Security Administration promises,” the newspaper reported on July 17.

“Given the list of threats on subways and rails over the last six years going on seven years, we know that some terrorist groups see rail and subways as being more vulnerable because there’s not the type of screening that you find in aviation,” Pistole said. “From my perspective, that is an equally important threat area.”

In addition, Pistole said he would like to see TSA workers, including 47,000 screeners at 450 airports, to operate as a “national-security, counterterrorism organization, fully integrated into U.S. government efforts.” He wants to “take TSA to the next level.”

Earlier this month, the TSA implemented the “enhanced” security procedures that are now coming under fire and have resulted in countless people refusing to fly and the roll out of the national opt-out campaign that will commence on November 24 across the country.

If John Pistole and the federal government have their way, we may have to opt-out of taking the subway or riding a train in the near future.

It may not be long before you are forced through a naked body scanner or obliged to have your genitals groped in order to visit the local market to buy food and necessities. Considering the trajectory the TSA and the government are on, you may have to submit to a body cavity search at the local mall.

The Pentagon and local law enforcement are ahead of the curve. “As the privacy controversy around full-body security scans begins to simmer, it’s worth noting that courthouses and airport security checkpoints aren’t the only places where backscatter x-ray vision is being deployed. The same technology, capable of seeing through clothes and walls, has also been rolling out on U.S. Streets,” Andy Greenberg wrote for Forbes in August. “While the biggest buyer of AS&E’s [roving x-ay] machines over the last seven years has been the Department of Defense operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Reiss says law enforcement agencies have also deployed the vans to search for vehicle-based bombs in the U.S.”

Fresh food that lasts from eFoods Direct (Ad)

There are few if any “vehicle-based bombs” on U.S. roads, not that this fact has prevented the government from claiming it is a threat. The DHS released a memo “stating that terrorists may try to kill innocent women, children and men in the United States by hiding IEDs in luggage left at airports,” Fox News reported not long after patsy and barbeque grill gas canister non-bomber Faisal Shahzad was arrested.

For anyone in denial, consider that the TSA has already beta tested searching Greyhound bus terminals in Florida. In 2005, the agency used the Madrid bombings as an excuse to train officers to use bomb sniffing dogs in mass transit stations. “The agency’s broader role overseeing all forms of public transportation and the increased terrorist threat to mass transit indicated by train bombings in Madrid and London have caused the canine program to expand significantly in recent years, the TSA’s Web site reports,” according to the U.S. Air Force.

As early as 2005, teams of undercover air marshals and uniformed law enforcement officers swamped bus and train stations, ferries, and mass transit facilities across the country. The TSA dubbed the paramilitary effort “Viper,” short for “Visible Intermodal Protection and Response” teams. The TSA has been beta-testing a federal takeover of all transportation which constitutes a huge violation the ten amendment in spades.

Finally, the Department of Homeland Security has developed FAST, or Future Attribute Screening Technology, to detect “hostile thoughts” by screening people at airports and special events. See the video below. The technology is like something out of a Philip K. Dick short story.

Arrest in FBI Sting Operation, Allegedly Plotted to Bomb DC Metro Stations

2010-10-27T16:23:00.002-04:00

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20020933-504083.html

DC Metro (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) Federal authorities indicted and arrested Virginia man Farooque Ahmed during an FBI sting operation on charges that he planned to bomb Metrorail stations in the Washington, D.C. area, though authorities say there was no imminent danger to the public.

Ahmed, a naturalized citizen originally from Pakistan, was arrested Wednesday on charges of attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, collecting information to assist in planning a terrorist attack on a transit facility, and attempting to provide material support to follow through with multiple bombings to cause mass causalities in and around the nation's capital.

A federal law enforcement source told CBS News that Ahmed, 34, believed he was talking to members of al-Qaida from April 2010 to Oct. 25, 2010, but that he had no contact with actual members of al-Qaida or its affiliates.

According to the indictment Ahmed did surveillance and recorded video images of DC Metro stations, focusing on the station at Arlington National Cemetery. He also made videos he handed off to people he thought were connected to al-Qaida, and he suggested using rolling suitcases of explosives and proposed where those explosives should be placed, states the indictment.

Following his arrest, authorities stressed that the public was never in danger because federal agents were aware of Ahmed's activities before the alleged planning occurred and monitored him throughout.

"Today's case underscores the need for continued vigilance against terrorist threats and demonstrates how the government can neutralize such threats before they come to fruition," said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

Ahmed is scheduled to make his first appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge John F. Anderson Wednesday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Alexandria.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison.

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Al-Qaida Video Sends Terror Message to Detroit area Muslims

2010-10-24T03:54:00.003-04:00

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/al-qaida-video-sends-terror-message-to-detroit-area-muslims

Updated: Saturday, 23 Oct 2010, 10:07 PM EDT
Published : Saturday, 23 Oct 2010, 10:07 PM EDT

DEARBORN, Mich. (WJBK) - A local Arab-American leader is denouncing a new video from Al-Qaida's American-born spokesman Adam Gadahn which calls on Detroit-area Muslims to stage their own attacks against the U.S. Gadahn directed his message to Muslims living in "the miserable suburbs of Paris, London, and Detroit."

The 40-minute recording was posted on terrorist Web sites and released by a U.S. intelligence agency. It praises the suspect in the Christmas day bombing attempt on an airplane coming in for a landing over Detroit Metro Airport. Detroit was the only U.S. city mentioned by the al-Qaida leader. Gadahn, who is on the FBI's "most wanted" list, urges followers to stage their own individual attacks.

Significant Developments in Terror Threats Since 9/11, Officials Say

2010-09-23T05:24:00.002-04:00

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/homegrown-terror-threat-significant-officails/story?id=11699198

Significant Developments in Terror Threats Since 9/11, Officials Say

Napolitano, Mueller, Leiter Discuss Increased Tempo of Attacks Against U.S.

JASON RYAN and PIERRE THOMAS

Sept. 22, 2010

The nation's top counterterrorism officials were blunt. The threat from within---of Americans willing to commit terrorist acts--- is growing. FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III told a congressional hearing today that a spike in recent terrorism cases is direct evidence of the evolving threat.

"Groups affiliated with al Qaeda are now actively targeting the United States and looking to use Americans or Westerners who are able to remain undetected by heightened security measures," Mueller said. "It appears domestic extremism and radicalization appears to have become more pronounced based on the number of disruptions and incidents."

Mueller appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee along with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and National Counterterrorism Chief Michael Leiter.

"Homegrown terrorists represent a new and changing facet of the terrorist threat." Napolitano said, "To be clear, by homegrown, I mean terrorist operatives who are U.S. persons, and who were radicalized in the United States."

The officials all pointed to a series of recent incidents that show that al Qaeda, its affiliates and associates were more active than ever.

"During the past year our nation has dealt with the most significant developments in the terrorist threat to the Homeland since 9/11," Leiter told the committee. "The attack threats are now more complex, and the diverse array of threats tests our ability to respond, and makes it difficult to predict where the next attack may come.

The attacks cited included:

The disruption of a plot to bomb the New York City subway by Najibullah Zazi, a naturalized U.S. citizen, last September.

The attack at Ft Hood Texas by gunman Army Maj. Nidal Hassan which resulted in 13 people killed and over 30 wounded.

The attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest Airlines flight 253 by alleged al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula operative Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

The averted May 1 bombing in Times Square by Faisal Shahzad.

Officials: Internet Is Powerful Recruiting Tool

Hassan, Abdulmutallab and Shahzad are all believed to have links or have been influenced by radical Muslim cleric Anwar Awlaki, a Yemeni-American who has moved from a propagandist for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to an operational role, active in attack planning. Those three were far from alone. In the past two years over 60 Americans have been arrested or convicted on terrorism charges.

Shortly after the Zazi case was disrupted, the FBI conducted a series of sting operations that showed the increase in the number of individuals in the U.S. willing to take action on behalf of terrorist groups.

In Dallas, Hosam Maher Husain Smadi, an illegal immigrant from Jordan, placed what he thought was a powerful car bomb in the parking garage of a Dallas office building.

The FBI also conducted a sting and arrested Michael Finton, who authorities say converted to Islam in prison. Finton allegedly drove a van he believed was carrying a ton of explosives and parked it in front of the federal courthouse in Springfield, Ill.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), the chairman of the committee said, "These attacks and others show the full range of threats we now face from lone wolves."

Leiter, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, said that the vast array of terrorist propaganda on the Internet was having an influence in driving individuals in the United States to turn to potential acts of terrorism.

Describing the power of the Internet and its use as a recruiting tool, Leiter said, "A blend of al Qaeda inspiration, perceived victimization, and glorification of past plotting, has become increasingly accessible through the Internet, and English-language websites are tailored to address the unique concerns of US-based extremists."

ASSESSING THE TERRORIST THREAT: A REPORT OF THE BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER’S NATIONAL SECURITY PREPAREDNESS GROUP

2010-09-13T06:51:00.002-04:00

Pdf file. 44 Total pages. http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/Final%20NSPG%20Threat%20Assessment%20Report%20Sept%202010%20report%20w%20cover.pdf

Page 4:

The new threat

“Mom, I’m in Somalia! Don’t worry about me; I’m okay,” was how 17-year-old Burhan Hassan’s worried mother discovered where her son had gone weeks after he and six other Somali-American youths disappeared from their homes in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area shortly after Election Day 2008. Almost without exception, the youths who slipped away were described as good boys1 who were “good students *who+ had no problems with the law.”2 But what especially troubled their relatives and others in the tight-knit émigré community was that no one could explain how the impoverished young men were able to pay for the $2,000 airline tickets they used to travel to Somalia.3 “My nephew, he doesn’t have money for a ticket,” the uncle of one lamented. “None of these kids do.”4 According to Abdisalem Adam, a teacher and head of the local Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center, “Up to now, no one knows who recruited them. But they obviously did not wake up one morning and decide to go *to Somalia+.”5

The youths were radicalized and recruited in the U.S. and trained in Somalia by al-Shabab (“the Youth”), 6 an al-Qaeda ally that deliberately emulates its mentor organization -- down to its reliance on training camps, a safe haven, the use of the Internet for propaganda purposes, and suicide attacks. Indeed, it is believed that their trainer in Somalia was Saleh Ali Nabhan, the longtime al-Qaeda commander implicated in both the 1998 bombing of the American embassy in Nairobi and the 2002 attack on Israeli tourists at a hotel in Mombasa, who was killed last year. Two of these youths have become the first known Americans to have carried out suicide terrorist attacks.7

Minn. Somalis meet with FBI, denounce al-Shabab

2010-09-02T07:43:00.002-04:00

http://www.startribune.com/local/102028678.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUZ

Minn. Somalis meet with FBI, denounce al-Shabab

By AMY FORLITI , Associated Press

Last update: September 1, 2010 - 10:08 PM

A group of elders in the Minneapolis Somali community on Wednesday

publicly denounced al-Shabab, making it clear that they do not support the terror group they say is responsible for "sinister" acts of recruiting young Americans to fight in Somalia.

The elders made the statement shortly before a closed-door meeting with a representative from the local office of the FBI. The goal of the meeting was to keep an open dialogue with law enforcement — to allow elders to ask questions and air concerns, and give the FBI a chance to educate the group.

Abdirizak Bihi, a community activist who helped get the group together, said the elders are highly respected in the Somali community. To have them come out against al-Shabab is a big step, he said, "because if the elders validate our points of contention, it will be a very important issue for the community to get involved completely."

Supervisory Special Agent E.K. Wilson said during a dinner break that he listened to the elders' concerns about al-Shabab, gangs and other issues affecting Somali youth, and explained that the FBI is there to protect their children.

"We're really dependent on them to carry that message forward to the community at large. These guys are who the community looks up to, and respects, and will listen to," Wilson said.

It was the first time some of the elders involved had met with the FBI, which has increased its outreach efforts in the community since roughly 20 young Somalis left Minneapolis in recent years to fight with al-Shabab, a violent group that seeks to establish an Islamic state in Somalia.

The U.S. has declared al-Shabab to be a terrorist group with ties to al-Qaida.

Bihi's nephew, Burhan Hassan, was just 17 when he left Minneapolis to go fight in Somalia. His family said he was killed in the Horn of Africa country.

The statement from the elders said al-Shabab has inflicted sinister acts on the fragile Somali community by brainwashing and recruiting some American youths. It also said al-Shabab inflicts daily carnage on the Somali people in Somalia.

"We want to state that al-Shabab kills, maims and victimizes us in the Somali Diaspora, wherever we are," Bihi said, reading from the statement.

The statement also said the Somali culture is based on peace, coexistence and working hard to obtain the "American dream." It thanked those community members who have cooperated with law officers.

A total of 19 people have been charged in Minnesota in connection with the Minneapolis investigation, facing a host of charges. Two others have been charged in Alabama and California with helping al-Shabab.

Wilson said the investigation is ongoing.

Mass transit will be "at capacity," said Metro Transit,

2010-09-02T07:40:00.002-04:00

http://www.twincities.com/ci_15969018

Vikings and Twins and State Fair! Oh, my!

Pioneer Press

Posted: 09/02/2010 12:01:00 AM CDT

Minnesota State Fair, all day

Minnesota Vikings vs. Denver, 7 p.m.

Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit, 7:10 p.m.

The simultaneous home games — impossible before construction of the Twins' Target Field — will undoubtedly snarl downtown Minneapolis, with perhaps 100,000 fans outdoors before and after the games.

Conventional wisdom is to take public transportation, such as light rail or buses. That's where the State Fair comes into play. The Great Minnesota Get-Together directs much of its fleet to park-and-ride bus services.

The result: Mass transit will be "at capacity," said Metro Transit, which urges visitors to start early because "every available vehicle" will be in use and perhaps full.

"Smart sports fans will consider taking a bus instead of a train, take an earlier trip to the game and expect to get cozy with their fellow Minnesotans," Metro Transit General Manager Brian Lamb said.

— Dave Orrick

Online: Planning to head into town tonight? MetroTransit.org/Sept2

Tom Powers: What a night for sports! Page 1D

Down by the Riverside

2010-07-30T10:22:00.002-04:00

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http://speedgibson.typepad.com/speed-gibson/2010/07/down-by-the-riverside.html

http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a0120a6162b6a970b0133f2ac074b970b

The Strib article said that the complex was 62% rent subsidized. Ive read elsewhere that the complex is now more than 75% Somali. A drive around the complex seems to confirm this.

I have some dealings with Somalis. Most consider the complex undesirable relative to other Somali neighborhoods. Those who killed the people at the Steward Somali store last December lived in the complex. Most of the recruiting to go back to Somalia to fight happened in the complex and at the Mosque next to Palmers bar (which has since cleaned up it's act.) I believe the first US suicide bomber was from Cedar Riverside Complex. He went back to Somalia to blow himself up.

Maybe it will occur to the radicalized Somalis that a light rail station is right in the neighborhood. If they want to make a big "splash" do it just before a high profile sports event related to the light rail.

I hope it doesn't happen but the London "tube" has been bombed and the attempts against the New York subway system were deemed very credible. Those two are essential to their cities but the Light Rail is a convenient "toy". People can get around and avoid the LRT if they want.

I actually developed this theory after watching the DVD "Death Race". They chose Montreal, Quebec for filming because of the large number of abandoned factories and buildings. After Montreal was awarded the Olympics in the early 1980's the French separatists started bombing and kidnapping. Corporations left in droves and factories like the locomotive factory used in the movie closed.

The same could happen here. For a corporation the main appeal of the Twin Cities is legacy. If corporations leave the charity and foundations will follow.

Again, most Somalis who don't live in the complex think of it as a "bad neighborhood" and worry about being painted with the same brush. They are almost excessively polite. At the Franklin Avenue Aldi's around a third of the Somalis don't understand the concept of giving someone the cart and they give you the quarter. They will give the cart but not take the quarter. I try to explain the concept to them. Sometimes they get it.

Anyway, tear down the complex. It is primo real-estate squandered.

Cross posted at http://LRTrider.com

Your (commuter) carriage awaits! Thrifty Queen catches ordinary passenger train on her journey to Sandringham for Christmas Read more: http://www.dai

2009-12-18T00:10:00.000-05:00

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1236632/Your-commuter-carriage-awaits-The-Queen-catches-train-journey-Sandringham-Christmas.html

There was a buzz at King’s Cross this morning as platform 11b began crawling with police.

Could it be a drug bust, the crowd wondered? Or was a rock star about to board a train?

Then a small lady in a headscarf appeared, a handbag on one arm and a posy on the other.

Fellow passengers on the 10.45 First Capital Connect service to King’s Lynn couldn’t quite believe their eyes as the Queen stepped on board a first class carriage.

Enlarge

Look who I saw down the station: A fellow passenger snaps Her Majesty as she boards a First Capital Connect train at King's Cross Station bound for King's Lynn, Norfolk, en route to Sandringham for Christmas

Enlarge

The royal train: A first class ticket for the 95-minute journey costs £44.40 while a standard fare is £27.70

‘The Queen on a First Capital Connect – unbelievable!’ exclaimed Andrew Smith, who was making the same journey for a business meeting.

‘My wife will never believe me.’ Relatively speaking there was minimal fuss, although some travellers reacted angrily when police shut off the area without warning five minutes before the train was due to leave.

The monarch, with a few attendants, sat at the rear of the train in an eight-seat section of a carriage which was separated from the rest of the seats by a sliding glass door.

As the train pulled out she took her place by the window next to one of her protection officers and looked out at the scenery.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II accepts a posy of flowers before she boards the train

The Queen, 83, appeared perfectly relaxed as she chatted with her aides for the first leg of the 100 mile journey to King’s Lynn, the nearest station to Sandringham.

But after the train’s stop at Cambridge a secretary opened a briefcase and the Queen spent most of the rest of the journey opening and reading her Christmas cards.

Other first class passengers who tried to join her compartment were told by the four plain-clothes royal protection guards to sit in another first class section in the train.

First among equals: The Queen looks out of the window as she sits beside a Royal Protection Officer

Only a toddler penetrated the tight security as he ran up the alleyway followed by his father and pressed his nose against the glass.

He was too small to reach the button to open the door. But he did win a cheery smile from the Queen.

Asked by a passenger, one security guard confirmed that the Queen – and all her attendants – had bought tickets for the journey.

A first class open return bought on the day costs £86, but the guard joked: ‘It was probably a super saver advance – and she does get a discount as an OAP, remember.’

An advance first class ticket, without the seniors’ discount, costs £44.40.

When the train arrived at King’s Lynn at 12.20pm sharp, the Queen was met by a Range Rover.

Enlarge

Face in the crowd: A police officer waits for the Queen as she gets off the train at Kings Lynn. She travelled with the minimum of protection

She then sped away for the seven-mile journey to Sandringham, her Norfolk estate, where she will be spending Christmas with the rest of her family.

She was not accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, as he already made the journey a few days ago. A First Capital Connect spokesman confirmed the Queen had not been given any special treatment and that her tickets had been purchased in advance.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman added: ‘Members of the Royal Family, including the Queen, frequently use scheduled train services.

‘We have to look at issues such as cost effectiveness and security but do try to when it is appropriate.’

The Queen does, of course, also have use of the Royal Train – but that costs taxpayers £57,142 each time it is taken out of its sidings.

Giving credit where its due. New bus/LRT contract reached.

2008-08-05T00:46:00.002-04:00

This went smoothly. There could have been caous for the State Fair and the Republican Convention. All ended well. http://kstp.com/article/stories/S534293.shtml?cat=1

KSTP.com - 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS

Updated at: 08/04/2008 11:33:57 PM
By: Nicole Muehlhausen, Web Producer
Metro Transit employees reach contract deal

With 83 percent support, Metro Transit union employees overwhelmingly approved a new two-year contract Monday evening.
After eight months of negotiation with the Metropolitan Council, officials were able to agree on a new contract that will run through 2010.
The new Met Council contract includes a 2.25 percent raise this year and a two percent raise in 2009. It also gives overnight bus drivers an additional 50 cents per hour.
The new contract is effective immediately.
With soaring gas prices, Metro Transit is recording its highest ridership in 25 years. The fear of the contract being opposed brought back memories of the worker strike of 2004, when transit was at a standstill for six weeks.

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A late summer bus and LRT strike?

2008-07-16T04:29:00.000-04:00

Put a transit strike on your short-term list of worries. Metro Transit workers resoundingly rejected a new contract and could walk out by mid-August, WCCO's Liz Collin reports. It wasn't close; 95 percent said no. The current contract expires July 31, but there's a 10-day cooling-off period, Collin notes. The strike could coincide with the State Fair and GOP convention; 2004's walkout lasted 45 days. More details on the issues, please.

My comment posted on http://anti-strib.com

2008-07-10T06:33:00.000-04:00

Biking didn't fit my work schedule well. I live less than a half mile from the light rail station so when I go downtown I tend to take a bike. It's 3.5 miles to downtown Minneapolis and I can do it low traffic on a bike until the Metrodome. I tend to use the a bike for short trips like to the video stroe or the neighborhood Riverview Theater. Mostly exercise and parking, the distances are short so I don't save a lot of gas. Trip consolidation actually saves more gas than bicycling. Bicycling is mostly for exercise but with the time it takes I don't drive as much and that saves gas.
Off subject but here is an interesting display on natural gas used for generating electricity by state. In the US this has doubled in the last decade so now more natural gas is used for electricity than for residential and smaller business use. Natural gas is expected to increase by more than half this winter so expect heating gas heating costs to increase by at least half. Fortunately Minnesota doesn't yet use much natural gas for electricity. Here is the link. http://www.americaspower.org/The-Facts

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There were large numbers of people taking the LRT to Downtown fireworks

2008-07-05T00:25:00.003-04:00

I noticed this while bicycling this evening. The Twins had an evening game at the Metrodome. The St. Anthony Falls fireworks should have been very visable from the Metrodome or it was a few blocks to the River. I'd guess that the light rail would have been exceptionally busy after the fireworks ended.

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Courses: Academic Pursuits: History

2008-02-06T04:48:00.000-05:00

Courses: Academic Pursuits: History

Milestones: 1960-2000-Battles Over the Hiawatha Corridor [150006] In the early 60's freeways made a huge impact on the face of Minneapolis, often creating barriers within neighborhoods. Similar plans were underway for Hiawatha Ave. (Hwy 55). This time the residents fought back. Explore the decades long controversy from the late 60's through the emergence of light rail.
Monday, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM; 1 session on March 3, 2008 Cost $5 Instructor: Iric Nathanson Location: Minneapolis - Roosevelt http://www.mplscommunityed.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=1013&courseid=349&categoryid=1&subcategoryid=2&catalogid=

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2008-02-05T05:16:00.000-05:00

I've heard from people that in the last cold spells the Light rail doors were manually opened by touching the round "button". This was consistent with last year during the cold spells.

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Pork boondoggle on the central corridor LRT

2008-01-11T02:50:00.000-05:00

I have never understood the logic of the Central Corridor LRT. It's slower that the express bus to St. Paul and it will cause major traffic problems on University Ave. Now they want to spend a quarter billion dollars to tunnel under the U of MN campus. Washington Avenue is indeed chocked. With the Ford plant now scheduled to close in 2009 a south route to downtown St. Paul might be a better option. Basically, the LRT could use the Ford Bridge and be at the Ford plant rail lines. These lead to downtown St. Paul lower town and the depot. The main remaining rail customer is the Ford plant. The train could switch just before the Ford bridge. Another option is the "east of Hiawatha, south of Lake Street" rail corridor. We have a metal scrapyard and one grain elevator still running. It could also use the 27th street rail corridor. The "bike way" is land technically on loan.

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Future North Star Rail Line.

2007-12-17T03:34:00.000-05:00

Call this "accidental visionary". High gas costs are of huge concern to those working in the city but living in the "burbs:" or beyond. This is what will make the North

StarRail a success. It will link up with the Hiawathat LRT and eventually with that St. Paul LRT, which I still don't really understand the logic of.

On other LRT news the Ford assembly plant is not closing until 2009. Once closed it might provide a good high speed route to downtown St. Paul and eventually a high speed rail to Chicago. High fuel costs and the realisation that fuel costs will stay high have totally changed the economics of the equation. Below is the story on the North Star Rail funding.

http://www.startribune.com/local/12550126.html?page=1&c=y
Cities along rail line plan for big growthNorthstar's economic impact could be close to $1 billion.
By Paul Levy, Star Tribune
Last update: December 17, 2007 - 12:17 AM
Just south of the site of the future train station in Big Lake are hundreds of acres of potato fields and worlds of possibilities.
For Northstar commuters, this is the end of the line. For Big Lake and other stops along the line, it's just the beginning.
"There's so much potential here, now that Northstar has put Big Lake on everybody's radar screen," said Chuck Heitz, a Big Lake City Council member for 21 years who remembers when only 960 people lived in this city, 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
"In the spring, we're going to bring in developers, movers and shakers -- and I suspect the other Northstar cities with train stations are thinking of doing the same."
The cost to build the Northstar line is $320 million.
But the economic impact of the line, scheduled to open 2009, on the region could actually be worth closer to $1 billion.
Anoka County Administrator Steve Novak, a proponent of the line for a decade, envisions $100 million developments in several of the cities with stations along the line. And those cities hope to lure business and build a tax base that will pay dividends for decades.
"These cities have the unique opportunity to generate economic growth," Sen. Norm Coleman said in a telephone interview last week from Washington. "This goes way beyond ridership."
In Fridley, where a mix of residential, commercial and industrial development already surround the train station site, developers are exploring ways to take advantage of new possibilities while businesses such as Medtronic contemplate shuttle lines to get train riders to and from work, said Scott Hickok, Fridley's community development director.
The Coon Rapids station site, tucked behind the Riverdale shopping center, is likely to attract new housing and, possibly, lure a major employer, said Coon Rapids City Manager Matt Fulton. Elk River and Anoka also are making plans.
All are eagerly awaiting the completion of the Twins' new ballpark and its downtown Minneapolis station that will connect the Northstar line to the Hiawatha light-rail line, allowing riders from Big Lake to connect to trains to the airport or the Mall of America. Eventually there will be extensions to St. Paul and Duluth "and most of this could take place in less than a decade," said Tim Yantos, executive director of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority and Anoka County Regional Rail Authority.
Big opportunities
But the most intriguing possibilities may be in Big Lake. The Sherburne County city of 9,200 was supposed to be just another whistle stop along a line expected to end in St. Cloud. Politics and economics cut the line in half, with Big Lake, for now, the final stop.
"The goal is to go to St. Cloud, but ending the line, for now, in Big Lake presents us with additional opportunities," said Scott Johnson, Big Lake city administrator.
Even with the additional population of 8,000 living in neighboring Big Lake Township, Big Lake was never considered a Northstar destination point for commuters who live outside of this part-rural, part-suburban community.
That changed when it became one of the line's end points. If people from St. Cloud want to commute by rail to Minneapolis, they'll drive to and from Big Lake.
But Big Lake also wants to lure folks from the Twin Cities and from beyond St. Cloud. Heitz, head of Big Lake's Transit Oriented Development Committee, talks about the city's extensive parks and trail system, of the chance to play a round of golf -- with a cart -- for only $25, of the gorgeous lake two miles from the train station, a short shuttle ride away.
He said the family that owns the potato fields has already told city officials that the farmland can be purchased. Already he envisions a retail market to the south of the station, with a smattering of retail along Hwy. 10, to the north.
A planning specialist -- Steve Grittman of Northwest Associated Consultants of Golden Valley -- was brought on board nearly two years ago by Big Lake. He looks at the hundreds of acres of available flatland and sees "opportunities that aren't even perceived" by Big Lake residents.
Building support
Getting the community to come on board may take time. A Nov. 20 open meeting at City Hall attracted only a half-dozen citizens, said Katie Larson, Big Lake's senior city planner. But after last week's authorization of federal funding of $156.8 million -- which will pay for half of Northstar's expenses -- a meeting this Wednesday is hoped to draw a significant crowd.
"We're rural-suburban, not really one or the other, but somewhere in between," Larson said. "From my perspective, this is really exciting. For others, change can be difficult. I can appreciate that not everybody has come around yet."
If a change in attitude has not fully reached Big Lake, folks in Washington think Minnesotans who have yet to climb on board will fall in love with the trains.
Five years ago, potential riders focused on the environmental values of trains, Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a phone interview from Washington. For a middle class struggling with gas prices, it's now an economic issue, she said.
"It's easier, cheaper, better than driving through congestion and parking," she said. "It's not a bad deal."
It's a great deal, say Northstar boosters like Heitz, who dreams of the day people will take a train from Big Lake to a Twins game, or to the Mall of America, for $6.
"This," said Anoka County's Novak, "is only the beginning of a good story."
Paul Levy • 612-673-4419

2007-10-16T17:12:00.000-04:00

Below is the Star Tribune version of the story. The "anti-strib has more details.

http://anti-strib.blogspot.com/2007/10/dijion-palm-racist-scumbag-now-rapist.html

Dijion Palm - racist scumbag, now rapist scumbag
Dijion Palm. The name may ring a bell to some folks. This fine young gentleman was arrested for assaults last October that were racially motivated. He picked out white folks in downtown Mpls. that he wanted to punch, then ran up to them and cold-clocked them. He cited "slavery" as a motivation for his assaults. He ended up only being convicted of 4th degree assault. Nice. This racist system we have in Minnesota allowed this punk to be back on the streets in under a year after committing hate crimes. And after his brief stint in jail for said hate crimes, what did Dijion do with his new found freedom? He did what any young man would do after doing time for doing the crime - he committed more crimes. This time, however, the crimes he committed were significantly more violent than his previous discretions. What a shock. On October 4th, he attacked, kidnapped, and raped a 44 year old woman as she waited for light rail down on 38th and Hiawatha. He was arrested on October 13th for the crime. This woman's life is forever altered. To those that want to try and make us believe otherwise, save it. I've seen first hand how rape can forever alter a life. The victim, despite their best efforts to move on, is forever changed. It is a goddamn shame that the savage little bastard that committed these crimes against this woman couldn't be held in jail longer for hate crimes. Maybe she could have been saved from the hell she is in right now. But what about poor little Dijion. The hand wringing should be interesting to watch. Maybe we'll have calls from race pimps for understanding. And how we should rehabilitate him, not send him to jail. But the real question will be who will be to blame for this? Will it be the system? Society? How about slavery? Or can we all come to an agreement about this savage little racist bastard that he and he alone is to blame for his actions? No one made him target whites last year, and no one made him rape this woman. He did the crimes. And when criminals, regardless of color, do the crimes, they must do the time. He has hate running through his veins, and he takes out that hate on innocent victims. I sincerely hope Dijion Palm will spend many, many years in jail for his latest actions. But I suspect he'll spend minimal time behind bars. After all, the black population is getting very large in jails across the state. And does it really matter? Even if Dijion is in jail for 30 years, there will be thousands of little bastards just like this one that will take his place on the streets pulling off similar crimes.But the system is racist. And Don't you forget it.
Labels: assault, Black Racists, dijion palm, LRT, racism, rape
posted by Jim W. at 10/15/2007 10:00:00 AM Free Speech in Action(15)
postCountTB('8677331326821069695');
A Fart in the Wind (0)
-->links to this post

-----Star Tribune version below------------------------------------

Minneapolis man is charged with abduction from light-rail station, rape

http://www.startribune.com/10241/story/1486672.html

Dijion Palm, 19, of Minneapolis was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree aggravated robbery and kidnapping.
The man who allegedly abducted a woman at a light-rail station in Minneapolis and raped her in a nearby building this month was charged Monday in Hennepin County District Court.
Last update: October 15, 2007 – 7:55 PM

Minneapolis man is charged with abduction from light-rail station, rape
Man charged in October attack on woman at U of M library
The man who allegedly abducted a woman at a light-rail station in Minneapolis and raped her in a nearby building this month was charged Monday in Hennepin County District Court.
Dijion Palm, 19, of Minneapolis, was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree aggravated robbery and kidnapping for the Oct. 4 incident that began at the 38th Street station.
According to the charges, Palm approached the woman several times as she waited alone for a train. She initially tried to avoid him, but at one point she pushed away from him and was going to leave the station, the charges said.
About 1:55 a.m., Palm came at the woman from behind, jabbed what the woman thought was a gun into her back and told her, "If you say anything, I'll kill you," the charges said.
He then forced her into an apartment building about a block away.
Once in a laundry room, Palm punched, choked and raped the woman, an attack that left her with bruises and seven missing teeth, the charges said. After the attack, Palm left briefly before coming back and taking the woman's purse, the charges said.
Investigators used surveillance images of Palm taken at the light-rail platform to help identify him, the charges said.
He was arrested by St. Paul police Friday and is being held in the Hennepin County jail.
Metro Transit authorities have said the incident was the first time anyone had been abducted on the light-rail system since it began operating in 2004.
TOM FORD

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New website http://lrtliving.com/

2007-10-13T00:32:00.000-04:00

Sounds familiar! I suspect I was first to use the "LRT" theme with my http://lrtrider.com Of the four building listed on http://lrtliving.com/ only one is near the Haiwatha LRT line.

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Anti-Strib: Pier 6

2007-10-11T13:19:00.000-04:00

I meant to post this to my bridge collapse blog http://riverbridgecollapse.com The link to LRT is admittedly weak but the new I35W bridge has provisions for future light rail, some extra space in the center lanes.

When they were building the Metrodome they found a huge granite rock, maybe 10 x 15 feet during the excavation. This is glacial till and not that unusual in the area. This presumed that the weight of the pier cased the giant granite rock to shift or subside. I doubt it because this could have been very easily measured after the bridge collapse.

Anti-Strib: Pier 6

http://anti-strib.blogspot.com/2007/10/pier-6.html
Pier 6
Everyone knows that I canceled my dead tree edition of the RED Rag quite some time ago because I was tired of supporting the DFL here. So, I was not surprised to see that the RED Rag didn’t bother to even comment on the Tom Lyden’s report on Fox 9 last night opn their website…being that it didn’t fit into the Carol Molnau and Republican bashing agenda. Instead they have decided to run a piece about their second favorite Senator, Busty Amy Klobuchar. (
You see, Tom Lyden did something that the DFL seems unable to do prior to finger pointing in the 35W bridge collapse…he did some investigating, and what he found should be heard by everyone man, woman and child throughout the US today. And it has nothing to do with Lt. Governor Molnau, has nothing to do with a lack of money being spent today on roads…it has to do with a decision made way back when the bridge was being built.
Tom Lyden found an old lawsuit against what we now know as MNDot, by the original bridge construction company, claiming that the bridge could not be built as intended. Pier 6, as it turns out, ran into a problem. As the construction company was drilling down to the bedrock it encountered a rather large problem…granite boulders that stopped the drills right in their tracks. The lawsuit was brought in order to get more money out of the state so that the construction company could deal with the situation…money that the construction would not get.
The lawsuit was settled out of court, and the documents that would shed light on what was done to address the problem are either missing or incomplete…meaning that it is entirely possible that pier 6, and maybe even pier 7, are resting not of bedrock as needed for a stable structure, but rather on granite boulders. If this is indeed the situation, no amount of funding and no amount of spending today could have stopped the bridge from falling…and it certainly isn’t Carol Molnau’s fault.
The DFL needs to stop their finger pointing and witch hunt and do some research themselves. If it is found that pier 6 was not built properly, and that it was Carol’s decision back in the 1960’s, then by all means, go after her…but if not, shut your cake hole and wait until the facts are in.
Did you hear that Sen. Steve Murphy, D-Red Wing?
posted by Brent at 10/10/2007 07:37:00 AM

Hiawatha "detours +++

2007-08-14T15:13:00.000-04:00

Monday night I drove downtown from Hiawatha and noticed that the approach (7th Street?) is now two lanes. Still go no good signage on the barrels for the 35W-South ?394 exit or the the U of MN West Bank Washington Avenue bridge exit. I have to got to my dentist in Stadium Village Thursday and I plan to take the Franklin Avenue bridge because I can't figure out where the Washington Avenue Bridge exit is off Hiawatha. I have been driving this route for 25 years so it's not like I'm stupid.
I think that Mayor R.T Rybaks anti-car biase is coming out. First is the "light rail" on a replacement 35W bridge. I was thinking that out and perhaps if the bridge had arches there could be structural provisions for a LRT lanes in the level below the main deck. It would need dimensions much like the Minnehaha Park "tunnel" or half is split in two. That does not seem that difficult and industrial use of the railroad on the east bank will be eliminated in the near future.
Off subject, but another bridge over the Mississippi is the old railroad bridge now used as a pedestrian bridge by the U of MN. After going to the dentist I will check it out to see if it one or two track wide but it was built to heavy rail specs and seems in good condition. That's another Light Rail potential crossing point.
On the radio I heard a story of Mayor Ryback deciding to keep the 10th Avenue bridge closed out of "respect for the dead" and because it might be an investigative sight. This is nonsense. You can see as much from the opened Stone Arch bridge (or the evening news) and if the bridge is intact, what is there to investigate? They could close the "upstream" side bicycle land/sidewalk and enforce "no stopping on bridge" rules for cars and bicycles using the main bridge surface. This is a valuable traffic management asset being squandered.

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Mall of America parking after bridge collapse.

2007-08-05T19:24:00.000-04:00

For specialty news on the bridge collaspe adaption the Mall of America is opening up the East ramp to commuter parking. The south end of the Light Rail is on the ground level of that ramp. It's way South of the River but it might help because a lot of people here are used to long cross-metro commutes. There are a lot of extra busses at shopping Malls at the North side of the town so this might provide some extra help. It will get "interesting" around Thanksgiving when the shopping malls need all their parking for the holiday shopping season.
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For specialty news on the bridge collapse adaption the Mall of America is opening up the East ramp to commuter parking. The south end of the Light Rail is on the ground level of that ramp. It's way South of the River but it might help because a lot of people here are used to long cross-metro commutes. There are a lot of extra busses at shopping Malls at the North side of the town so this might provide some extra help. It will get "interesting" around Thanksgiving when the shopping malls need all their parking for the holiday shopping season. The shopping malls are bus transit hubs so they might get it to work. Time will tell.
I have been focusing on the structural analysis. The "hinge" areas are out of the water and they found no progressive structural failure there. The "arch" is under water. That obviously failed but I'm still betting on the hinge pins seizing so the arch could not expand or contract. I'd guess that within a month they will have them removed and dissected. That's still my "pony" to "win" or at least "place" or "show".
So far I haven't heard about the "hinge pins" in the news. Even though I recall they once closed the entire bridge for a weekend to replace a seized hinge pins. It was maybe five or ten years ago. What they need is a laser measure, real time cell phone type reporting system for these bridge "hinges". If working right they should have a smooth "curve" of movement. I might "invent" one and post it on the bridge blog to time-stamp it. Essentially you have a laser and a mirror on two sides of the "hinge" with a bit of distance. Let's say ten feet and a typical Minnesota day night temperature drop of 20 degrees would make the thing flex say one inch. Heck, my ten dollar Harbor Freight laser measure can measure one hundredth of an inch at that distance. The can laser measure the mirrors left on the moon to within inches in distance and do so a couple of times a week. Obviously I bridge hinge unit would be more "robust" than my laser ruler but it would still be cheap.
The expansion/contraction "flex" should be a nice smooth "curve", not jagged. Data would be stored and periodically uploaded much like you would with a water temperature buoy. It would be easy to write a computer program that notes non-data or "jagged" hinge movement.
If it is the "hinges" it could be a larger problem in more arid areas. Beyond sand they can often have day-night temperature differences that are three to four times greater than we have here in Minnesota.
Like usual, I am technologically way over my head but that's the way I like it. I know how to research and I generally enjoy doing it.

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Subject: A proposed bicycle bridge over the Missisppi River.

2007-07-19T16:31:00.000-04:00

Something that struck me about the current plan for the LRT University Ave extension is that it was, for the most part planned before the Ford Plant closing was announced last year. This is relavent over the long term because there is less than a mile between the 26th Street rail line and the Ford Plant. This is relavent because the Ford Plant has a railroad line that basically runs to the St. Paul Union depot in St. Paul. As far as I can tell the Ford Plant is about the only user of this line. The high bridge power plant is switching from coal to natural gas. Besides, by the downtown St. Paul there are multiple tracks so a couple could be dedicated to light rail. I did some calculations and "light rail" has an "axle weight" that is around one-fifth of "heavy rail", say a fully loaded grain hopper car. The bridge over the Mississippi that the 26 Street rail uses might need to be replaiced but the "footings" seem solid, they are out of the water, at least on the St. Paul side. A single steel pan on the existing base would not be difficult to engineer or custruction. This could be wide enough for bike and walking lanes. The total maximum load is a fraction of what now can happen with a heavy rail train with a string of fully loaded railcars.
For the Ford Plant site this would be great advantage because it would give the site light rail to both downtowns. As for bicycling now the 26th Street/Midtown bikeway, when not blocked by construction gives a flat run from the Mississippi River to the Lake Calhoun area. I've bicycled along Minnehaha Creek and it is "hilly". Once you get to the St. Paul side of the Missisippi it is "very hilly" to the South. The logical bicycle destination in St. Paul is now the U of MN. It's just as flat if you bicycle the frontage streets on the Minneapolis side and cross at the Frankin Avenue Bridge, which has bicycle lanes.
The point here is that 26th Street bikeway users can now get to the U of MN with very few hills and not much traffic. It seems best to wait a few years to build a cross-river bridge just for bicycles and pedestrians.
On other news, at 38th and Hiawatha there has been a huge crane base unit parked at the Purina Mill for the last three weeks. With the right rigging it could easily demolish the closed 38th Street Purina Mill.
At the Bunge grain elevator in "Dinkeytown" they demolished two of the three tower "wings". The main tower remains and the one remaining "wing is three tubes wide. This could concievably be turned into "housing" because the center tube could contain hallways and "ulitilits" like kitchens, bathrooms and laundry outlets for the individual units along with storage.
I've been riding the light rail a lot more the last few weeks. I've noticed a far higher police and rail cop presence at night (so buy your ticket!) One rail cop said that they were hiring ten new rail cops just for the LRT. It's sort of self funding since the non-payment tickets are $180. I think it's a good move.
I will also post these comments are my http://lrtrider.com eamil me at g@65y.com if you want something posted at http://lrtrider.com It's sort of a "backburner" for now.

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2007-05-23T00:05:00.000-04:00

Tuesday morning I rode on the first LRT with ad graphics that adhered to the new policy of less graphics covering the windows and no graphics on the door windows. It was an ad wrap for Sun Country Airlines. I didn't really notice the graphics change from the outside of the Light Rail car before boarding. The LRT did seem a lot more "open" when inside as a passenger. I like the door glass being clear. It probably doesn't add much to safety but it's reassuring.

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2007-05-05T16:14:00.000-04:00

Here is the source link http://www.buzz.mn/?q=node/1228
Arrests in April LRT robberiesSubmitted by Maureen McCarthy, Star Tribune Editor on Fri, 05/04/2007 - 2:00pm.The Third Precinct SAFE office reports arrests in some robberies near the light-rail station at 38th Street last month. Here’s the bulletin sent out today. From: Shun.Tillman@ci.minneapolis.mn.us To: _____________________
Sent: Fri, 4 May 2007 12:29 PM Subject: SAFE 3.4: LRT Arrest 38th & Hiawatha Corridor "Two adult suspects were arrested on April 25th at 11:30 p.m. related to two incidents of robbery of person along the LRT 38th & Hiawatha corridor. "In case number one the victim was walking eastbound on 38th Street at 29th Ave S. when the suspects who had been hassling him earlier and trying to sell him drugs stepped in front of him and searched his person, and demanded his wallet and valuables. The suspects found nothing and the victim handed them a quarter from his pocket and was allowed to leave. The victim returned to his residence and called 911. "In the mean time, the suspects confronted a second victim at 38th & Hiawatha, stopped him, went through his pockets and attempted to take money but the victim had no money. The suspects did take a red lighter then fled at which time the victim called 911. In route to the previous call from the first victim officers observed two suspects matching the description walking westbound on 38th Street at 22nd Ave S. These two suspects were stopped and taken into custody. During a search of the suspects, the red lighter was recovered. "The victims in both cases were able to identify both arrested parties as the suspects in their case. Police Investigators believe the two suspects are also connected to three other robberies of persons that occurred about 11:00 p.m. on April 25th."

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2007-03-17T09:41:00.000-04:00

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune. http://www.startribune.com/467/story/1059800.html
In the attack at the Warehouse District light-rail station, a 17-year-old suspected gang member is facing first-degree aggravated robbery charges for his role in the beating of the 21-year-old man.
According to a court document, Tyrone L. Morris was the lookout while three others robbed and kicked the man. They took about $170 and his cash card.
Morris and other suspects were captured on surveillance videotape from the train station and about 45 minutes later on Block E. Morris denied beating or robbing the victim and said he "just seen a dude getting beat up," the document said. The other three suspects have not been charged.
Although armed robberies have occurred at several light-rail stations, the March 7 beating appears to be the most violent crime committed at a station. Bob Gibbons, spokesman for Metro Transit, said he isn't aware of any other violent acts against a passenger at a station.
Crime alerts were issued and warning signs were posted at two south Minneapolis stations where robberies happened in December and January, he said. A juvenile was charged in connection with those robberies, he said.
Authorities did not issue a public warning immediately after the March 7 robbery. Gibbons said that's because it was an isolated incident. Authorities continue to investigate it.

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LRT Rider

2007-02-13T15:18:00.000-05:00

This morning I had my ticket checked in the morning for the second time since last September (figure riding two times a week. The ticket station at the Government Center wouldn't take credit cards for the second day in a row. Today I went ot the Southwest ticket machine and that took the credit card. On MondayI used a couple of dollar bills. When my ticket was checked the transit cop radioed in the trouble ticket machine. He said that credic cards were especially troublesome.

Test and first post.

2006-10-16T09:47:00.000-04:00

On Sunday night the south ticket machine at the 38th Stree wouldn't take my credit card. Also the ticket print quality was poor on the ticket just as it was last week.

LRTRider.com My blog on riding the Hiawatha Light Rail in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

2006-10-15T09:53:00.000-04:00

My new blog on the Hiawatha Light Rail. I use it for off hours communting two to four days per week. I just registered the domain name http://lrtrider.com