The jury took about four hours today to decide unanimously that St. Paul Police officer Timothy Rehak and Mark Naylon, a second defendant, were guilty of stealing money the FBI had planted in a sting operation in room 503 of St. Paul's Best Western Kelly Inn almost four years ago.

A new building at the State Fair is dedicated to the memory of Doug Holter, co-owner of Giggles' Campfire Grill, who died last winter of a heart attack at age 53.

Three out-of-town videographers who had cameras and computers confiscated by Minneapolis police Tuesday have had their equipment returned. But a city councilmember says police actions must be looked at more carefully.

By David Brauer

What do you wear to meet a former vice president?

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been added to the opening-day speaker lineup at the Republican National Convention —  and he's still on the list for the final day, too —  according to the updated convention schedule put out by RNC officials.

The second photo in our State Fair caption contest is from 1960 and features a member of Aut Swenson's "Thrillcade" revue jumping an elephant with a pickup truck in the Grandstand.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Phil Jackson, the Los Angeles Lakers coach and most-famous athlete ever produced by the University of North Dakota, returned to his alma mater this week to receive an honorary degree -- and do a little gentle coaching.

The Democratic Party plans to "welcome" delegates to the Republican National Convention with a big billboard showing Sen. John McCain embracing President Bush, the Associated Press is reporting.

DENVER — One would think that the panoramic view of the Rocky Mountains that Rep. John Dingell is enjoying from his Denver hotel room this week resembles a foreign landscape for someone who has represented the gritty western industrial suburbs of Detroit since 1955.

Breaking local business news in today's Wall Street Journal: conventions are a good thing for hotels, the newspaper reports. The Twin Cities hotel market is "undoubtedly doing better than it would have without the Republican convention."

It’s 1 p.m. on Tuesday. Three attorneys, one for the prosecution and two for the defense, are ready to give the jury their closing arguments.

Ever since the stunning 2002 findings from the massive, randomized, double-blinded Women’s Health Initiative study, hormone therapy as a “treatment” for menopause has been on life support.

DENVER — Two Minnesota politicians had a few moments in the Democratic National Convention spotlight Tuesday.

The Minnesota Women's Press editorial board was casting around for a way to personalize our coverage of the upcoming national political conventions.

When the 2001 economic recession hit, Minnesota had a 7.8 percent poverty rate. After six years of economic recovery, the poverty rate is even higher: 9.5 percent.

DENVER — Sen. Amy Klobuchar has a (small) fan club — in American Samoa. Marilyn Ah Ching, an American Samoa delegate to the Democratic National Convention, was wowed by Klobuchar's Monday speech, which lasted less than five minutes.

It's like Major League Baseball's FanFest, or the NFL Experience. Except you're immersed in history and politics, not sports. CivicFest, which opens Friday at the Minneapolis Convention Center and runs through Sept. 4, is a way for those who won't get inside the Xcel Energy Center for the Republican National Convention to get a satisfying taste of the presidency and presidential politics.

I prefer facts and arguments in political discourse, and this one is almost pure fluff. But it's pretty cool. And I guess, since it obviously takes the place of an introductory bio ad, it gets across the basics of what Madia wants voters to know about his life. The press release says it will start airing Wednesday.

The words "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth" dissipated into the Pennsylvania air. No thunderous applause followed. No jeers; no cheers. Arguably one of the greatest speeches in American history, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was met with muted murmurs. But as the text of the speech was spread by the press of the day, the public was captivated by the simple eloquence of Lincoln's words about a nation "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" engaged in a test of those principles.

DENVER — The police presence here remains intense – and foreboding. The Denver PD used some of the $50 million the feds provided for each of the convention cities for security to purchase large SUVs that have steel footrails along the side for eight, black-suited  cops to stand on while on patrol. The look conjures memories of the Taliban riding around in the backs of Toyota pickup trucks in Afghanistan.

As the "Farmer's Almanac" predicts the weather for the upcoming winter, it is time to think about the data we use to predict political seasons. Since 1990 the Minnesota electorate has been very volatile. If it were under psychoanalysis, it might be considered schizophrenic or bi-polar.  This year appears to be no different.

A sobering fine for Cold Spring Brewery. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the brewer will pay nearly $40,000 for alleged pollution violations at its Sterns County production facility.

Delegates to the political conventions in Denver this week and St. Paul next week will have much in common each time they switch on an electric light or power up the laptop: The electricity will be generated by wind and solar power, and provided by Xcel Energy.

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Every MinnPost member counts

With a daughter in Chicago, a house in France and a job that takes me around the country teaching cooking, I spend a lot of time on the road or in the air. Between the price of fuel this summer and the threat of global warming, both my pocketbook and conscience feel pinched.

Why this convention may turn out to be the most exciting one the Democrats have held since 1968.

Only one major local news organization passed on sending a reporter to Denver. WCCO blames finances.

By David Brauer

DENVER — Each morning of the convention, the Minnesota delegation holds a two-hour breakfast meeting beginning at 7 a.m. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Sen. Amy Klobuchar are co-chairs of the delegation and masters of ceremonies of the breakfast sessions.

Former University of Minnesota football player Ken Foxworth is his final year as an officer of the Black Caucus of the Democratic National Committee. Foxworth, a defensive back with the Gophers from 1976 through 1981, said the big job of the caucus this year will be to get young, inner city kids out to vote.

Minnesota Democrats will stay busy when the Republican National Convention kicks off next Monday in St. Paul. The Barack Obama campaign in Minnesota has scheduled a "Camp Obama" session that day, just a mile or so away from the Republican gathering at the Xcel Energy Center.

In 2004, New York City police officers stopped me from doing my job covering a protest at the Republican National Convention. I can't wait to see how the cops in Denver and St. Paul handle the rowdy and raucous business of asserting First Amendment rights on the streets of a national convention city.

Between now and the November elections, Barack Obama and John McCain will each spend millions of dollars to describe his vision to the American people. From ridding the world of evil to making sure our credit card payments are properly recorded, no task is too sublime or too trivial for the candidates' attention — or voter expectations.