Minnesota DNC delegates fired up, ready to go

Obama applauds crowd
Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. President Barack Obama speaks on stage to accept the nomination for president during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena on September 6, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Today we heard what Minnesota delegates to the DNC thought of their party's convention. Five design firms vie for the Vikings attention on a bid to build a new stadium. And cover the the nuts and bolts on strife between the valves and bows when it comes to management of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Fired up, ready to go
"I think it's about whether we want to be the country that sees a house is on fire and runs in to pull the kids out, or whether we want to be the person who wants to tackle everyone to get out the door first," said Jessica Rohloff, of Willmar, after hearing President Barack Obama's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention. "I think it's a real clear choice."

Obama gives Marvin Windows a shout-out
In his speech, the president said, "The family business in Warroad, Minnesota, that didn't lay off a single one of their four 4,000 employees during this recession," in a reference to Marvin Windows. "Even when their competitors shut down dozens of plants, even when it meant the owners gave up some perks and pay," they stayed the course, " because they understood their biggest asset was the community and the workers who helped build that business."

Fact-checking the president
The Associated Press fact-checked the big speech: "President Barack Obama laid claim to a peace dividend that doesn't exist when he told the nation he wants to use money saved by ending wars to build highways, schools and bridges. The wars were largely financed by borrowing, so there is no ready pile of cash to be diverted to anything else.

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Mixed news on the jobs front
The Associated Press fact-checked the big speech: "President Barack Obama laid claim to a peace dividend that doesn't exist when he told the nation he wants to use money saved by ending wars to build highways, schools and bridges. The wars were largely financed by borrowing, so there is no ready pile of cash to be diverted to anything else.

Who will build it so they come?
A handful of architecture firms are making their pitches to work on a new home for the Minnesota Vikings in downtown Minneapolis. All say they've all got the experience to design a 21st century stadium to replace the Metrodome, but at an open house last night, they provided few specifics about their ideas.

Isaac's dribbles relieve drought
Hurricane Isaac's remnants dumped heavy rain on some key Midwest farming states, dramatically lessening the drought there while corn-producing heavyweights Iowa and Nebraska missed out on that moisture and saw their conditions worsen badly, according to a drought report released Thursday.

Native artists on stereotypes and 'hipster racism'
Marianne Combs speaks with author and fiber artist Gwen Westerman, painter and sculptor Jim Denomie, actor and spoken word artist R. Vincent Moniz, Jr. and poet Heid Erdrich about what it means to be a contemporary native artist working in a world that still has stereotypical notions of what it means to be an American Indian.

Suds at The Bank
Gopher fans will be able to drink beer and wine at the first home football game of the year at TCF Bank Stadium this weekend. There will be only two areas to buy alcohol, and the university is beefing up its police presence and adding extra security personnel at those locations.

Money vs. artistry
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra celebrates the opening of its new season this weekend with concerts at the Ordway Center in St. Paul. Looming over the celebration is the shadow of difficult contract negotiations between the SPCO's management and its musicians. Similar talks are underway across the river in Minneapolis, at the Minnesota Orchestra.

No, really: Govt warns of 'zombie apocalypse'
Tongue firmly in cheek, the government urged citizens Thursday to prepare for a zombie apocalypse, part of a public health campaign to encourage better preparation for genuine disasters and emergencies. The theory: If you're prepared for a zombie attack, the same preparations will help during a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake or terrorist attack.

We saw it on the radio
Augsburg College helps students recovering from alcohol or drug addiction. A new fire is burning in the Boundary Waters. Marriage amendment supporters and foes make children their focus. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak gets a moment in the DNC spotlight. All that and more, in our photos of the week.