ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A Minnesota lawmaker apologized Monday for his tweet about NBA players that some saw as racist, saying he was rightly held accountable for inaccurate stereotyping.
State Rep. Pat Garofalo, a fifth-term Republican from the St. Paul suburb of Farmington, tweeted Sunday night: “Let’s be honest, 70% of teams in NBA could fold tomorrow + nobody would notice a difference w/ possible exception of increase in streetcrime.”
Garofalo initially stuck by his words even after they drew hundreds of negative comments and more than 1,000 retweets, insisting they were misinterpreted.
But in his statement Monday, he said he’d reconsidered.
“I sincerely apologize to those who I unfairly categorized,” said Garofalo, who’s seeking a sixth term in the fall. “The NBA has many examples of players and owners who are role models for our communities and for our country. Those individuals did not deserve that criticism and I apologize.”
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ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) - Michigan’s Nik Stauskas is the Big Ten’s Player of the Year.
Stauskas led the Big Ten with 13 games of 20 or more points.
Wolverines’ head coach John Beilein was named by the media Coach of the Year, while Tim Miles of Nebraska gained the honor from his peers.
Beilein led the Wolverines (23-7) to their first outright Big Ten Championship since 1986. Under Miles, Nebraska (19-11) earned the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament.
In other honors, Indiana’s Noah Vonleh was named Freshman of the Year by coaches and media. Ohio State’s Aaron Craft was named Defensive Player of the Year and Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes was voted the Sixth Man of the Year by coaches.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A 30-year-old Woodbury man is charged with shooting another man on the outside patio of Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub in St. Paul.
Patrick Timothy Juetten is charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting his former high school classmate in the chest Friday night.
The charges say Juetten was wearing a fake badge and posing as a police officer. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press (https://bit.ly/N1WRwNhttps://bit.ly/N1WRwN ) the victim told police Juetten suggested the two “rob drug dealers” together. But when the victim refused, Juetten shot him.
The complaint says Juetten told police he was drunk and gave his keys to a stranger, who took the gun from his car and shot the victim.
He’s been assigned a public defender. An after-hours message left with that office wasn’t immediately returned.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The Minnesota House has voted to reverse course on a recent law change making it easier for lobbyists to buy meals for legislators.
A bill repealing a soft spot in an otherwise strict gift ban passed 126 to 3 on Monday. It would do away with an exception approved last spring that allows lawmakers to get lobbyist-purchased meals at receptions as long as all legislators are invited. Democratic Rep. Debra Hilstrom of Brooklyn Center termed it a “lavish parties” exception.
Under the state’s prior gift ban, lawmakers had to reimburse sponsoring group or lobbyists for the cost of those meals.
The newer law won’t be peeled back unless the Senate goes along. That body’s version hasn’t advanced.
It’s possible the House proposal could be included in an end-of-session deal.
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