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Kelly McGrath’s path to general manager of the Xcel Energy Center — from planning for the Pope to 50 Cent and the Minnesota Wild

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:15:39 GMT

Kelly McGrath took a moment between back-to-back meetings to walk the floor of the Xcel Energy Center, where Matt “Fuji” Fujinaka, director of operations, measured and chalked the spots where chairs would be deposited for last Monday night’s Nickelback concert, a nearly sold-out draw for almost 14,000 hard rock fans.In a few days, McGrath — who was named general manager and executive director of the “X” in July — will do the same before the Sam Smith concert, the Pearl Jam concert and the Greta Van Fleet concert, the latter being a rock band that developed a modern following on social media platforms like TikTok.“It’s great for the business,” said McGrath, who has been navigating event-based sales for the better part of 30 years, most of them at the X. “That’s translating to ticket sales. It’s hard to sell 14,000 tickets. Not every band can do it.”Then it’s on to country artist Old Dominion, guitar legend Eric Clapton...

Jonah Goldberg: America blew it

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:15:39 GMT

America blew it.I generally support special prosecutor Jack Smith’s indictments of Donald Trump. The classified documents case is open-and-shut as far as I can tell. As for the charges dealing with the former president’s attempt to steal the election, they are a heavier lift as a strictly legal matter. Some charges may not clear the evidentiary and legal hurdles in their path, but are still worth bringing.Trump supporters disagree. Their arguments span from anti-American idiocy (Trump is America’s Alexei Nalvany) to good-faith, nuanced complaints about the insufficiency of the statutes Smith is relying upon.But even if Smith has the law and evidence entirely on his side, the fact that we’ve come to prosecuting a former president is proof of the breakdown of republicanism.That Trump was nominated, never mind elected, president is a sign of collective, systemic failure. Blame is not evenly distributed among the parties, voters, the media and other institutions,...

Literary calendar for week for Aug. 13

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:15:39 GMT

Michelle Brafman (Courtesy of the author)MICHELLE BRAFMAN: Author of “Washing the Dead” discusses her chilling and satirical novel “Swimming with Ghosts,” about mothers arguing at their children’s swim meet, raising issues of the ghost of family addiction. Brafman teaches fiction writing in Maryland in the Johns Hopkins University MFA program. 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul.CHEESEBURGER ON STAGE: Red Balloon Storybook Theatre presents its third production, “Are You a Cheeseburger?”, adapted from Monica Arnaldo’s picture book “Are You a Cheeseburger?” about a raccoon, a seed, and a cheeseburger dream. Suitable for audiences aged 2 and older. Go to redballoonbookshop.com. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave., St. Paul.TIM JOLLYMORE: Minnesotan signs copies of his new book “The Nothing That Is Not There,” and his previous ones. 10-11:30...

Other voices: The federal government is a fiscal mess

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:15:39 GMT

Decades of excessive spending, paid with debt, are hitting America’s credit rating. On Aug. 1 Fitch Ratings downgraded the United States federal government’s rating from AAA, the best, to AA+, one notch below. Fitch blamed “the expected fiscal deterioration over the next three years, a high and growing general government debt burden, the erosion of governance” and two decades of “debt standoff” over raising the debt ceiling.The debt size has soared from $6.2 trillion in 2002 to $32.7 trillion today — five times higher.It’s now 123% of the entire U.S. economy. That occurred under both Democratic and Republican presidents.The worst was Republican President Donald Trump, under whom it rose from $20.2 billion in 2017 to $29.6 billion in 2021 — $9.4 billion more.A big problem is that not just Democrats but even Republicans won’t begin to discuss entitlement reform, as Dan Mitchell, the president of the Center for Freedom and Pro...

Q&A: FamilyMeans celebrates 60 years of helping MN families cope with debt and other challenges

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:15:39 GMT

When a New Richmond, Wis., couple found themselves more than $100,000 in debt a few years ago, they turned to FamilyMeans for help.The Stillwater-based nonprofit, celebrating its 60th anniversary this month, counsels individuals, couples and families, and provides consumer credit-counseling services, caregiver support and youth development programs.Jim Kroening, president of of FamilyMeans in Stillwater. (Courtesy of FamilyMeans)In the case of the New Richmond couple, who owed $89,000 to 11 credit card companies and about $20,000 to other creditors, FamilyMeans’ consumer credit counselors were able to set them up on a repayment plan that they followed to a T, said Jim Kroening, the organization’s president.The couple didn’t go into debt taking lavish vacations or buying expensive cars; it was an accumulation of “life expenses” and medical bills, Kroening said. “A lot of it was housing repairs – replacing roofs and furnaces and AC units. They came in thinking that there was no way th...

Skywatch: A great meteor shower and great summer scorpion

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:15:39 GMT

Last week in Skywatch, I told you about the great Perseid meteor shower that continues this weekend, peaking late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Earth is plowing into debris trail left in the wake of Comet Swift-Tuttle. In the dark countryside, it’s possible to see more than 50 meteors or “shooting stars” an hour, and even a good number in urban areas with limited light pollution. My advice for watching the Perseids, or any other meteor shower, is to lie on the ground or a reclining lawn chair and roll your eyes around the sky. Watching a meteor shower with family and friends is fun because you have many more eyes watching the big sky. The best time to watch the Perseids is between midnight and the start of morning twilight.One of the great summer constellations is Scorpius the Scorpion, prowling just above the south-southwest horizon in the early evening. You certainly won’t crane your neck to see it!It’s the 10th-brightest constellation in t...

Ask Amy: Suicide survivors are devastated by in-laws

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:15:39 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband and I lost our only son, who was 27 and died by suicide.This happened almost three years ago. We remain traumatized and grief-stricken. We do not have a large family, so support was important to help us cope with this tragedy.My in-laws live out of state, and they did nothing to acknowledge this tragic death, nor did their children (they are successful adults, both working full time in their respective careers).Last month, after three years, my in-laws told us they would be stopping in our city on their way to a summer vacation, and they wanted to go to our son’s gravesite while they were here for a few hours.Once they arrived, they made no acknowledgment of his death, and instead talked about their recent acquisitions (a Mercedes, a beach house, and a boat) and how excited they were about having these things.I understand that we live in a grief-illiterate society, and that people don’t know what to say, but this behavior was bizarre, hurtful, insensitive, and a...

Word Game: Aug. 13, 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:15:39 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — ABSOLVED (ABSOLVED: ab-ZOLV’D: Pardoned; set someone free from an obligation or guilt.)Average mark 43 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 56 or more words in ABSOLVED?TODAY’S WORD — ABSOLVED able abode above absolve adobe aloe also bade bald bale base bead blade blase bled bode bola bold sable sale salve salvo save seal slab slave sled slob sloe soda sold sole solve oval lade lase lead load loaves lobe lode lose love vale valse vase veal veld vole dale deal doable does dole dose doveTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang ...

Bridge: Aug. 13, 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:15:39 GMT

When a player takes an unsuccessful action — but one he is sure was correct — he may appeal to higher authority. Players often come to me seeking support for a bid or play, or asking me to assess blame for a partnership mix-up.It’s not a pleasant job; I’m sure to make at least one person unhappy. Moreover, bridge is an ego-driven game, and no matter what I say, a player will tend to remain persuaded by the logic that led him to the losing action.Two players brought me today’s deal. Against four hearts, West had led a spade, and East took the queen and ace. South won the third spade and drew trumps. Finding no miracle in diamonds, he lost two diamonds.The point of contention was the bidding.“Four hearts was a poor contract,” North argued. “We’re better off at 3NT. We make it if West leads a spade and have a chance with a club lead. My partner should bid 2NT or 3NT at his second turn.”“Bidding notrump with J-3-2 in spad...

Horoscopes Aug. 13, 2023: John Slattery, take responsibility for your happiness

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:15:39 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Shani Davis, 41; Debi Mazar, 59; John Slattery, 61; Dawnn Lewis, 62.Happy Birthday: Trying to convince others to follow your lead this year will waste time. Size up your situation and configure a plan that you can embrace alone. Opportunities will come from unexpected sources and tempt you to make a move or change that will redirect your life and improve your lifestyle. Trust in yourself and your ability to take responsibility for your happiness. Your numbers are 8, 14, 20, 28, 31, 36, 42.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Bypass feeling sorry for yourself or taking on burdens that don’t belong to you. Focus on what you can do to improve yourself and your position. Leave nothing to chance or up to someone else. Honesty is necessary to achieve the best outcome. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Remain where you feel comfortable and you’ll achieve more. Taking on too much or letting temptation take over will set you back. Pick and choose your course of...