Near Two Harbors, 34 structures burned and Highway 61 closed; in Crow Wing County, a 1,600-acre fire sparked evacuations

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Bias or behavior,  the legend of the hearty Minnesotan, the hospital feud with a man who wouldn't leave his partner's bedside,  rapping against the 'R word,' and a sports coach pushes back.

There's not much dispute about this fact: 

African American students get suspended from school more often than white kids.

 But there remains disagreement on whether it's a sign of bias in the system or a behavior problem by race.

"I don't think I can explain it," Minneapolis school superintendent Bernadeia Johnson tells MPR News. "I can tell you that it's disturbing, that it's concerning, and it's something that we must address." But it's been this way for years. African American kids are seven times more likely to be suspended than white kids. MPR's Laura Yuen reports the situation isn't much better for Native American kids.

Superintendent Johnson says a situation with her own daughter may reveal what part of the problem is:

Meanwhile, the New York Times reports today that the practice of putting more police officers in schools 

is leading to more kids in court instead of the principal's office.

 Thousands of schools get federal subsidies to add the police, but it may be doing as much harm as good.

"There is no evidence that placing officers in the schools improves safety," said Denise C. Gottfredson, a criminologist at the University of Maryland who is an expert in school violence. "And it increases the number of minor behavior problems that are referred to the police, pushing kids into the criminal system."

Markham-Cousins ousted as principal of Washburn

2)   THE LEGEND OF THE HEARTY MINNESOTAN   

We'd like to thank Ben Garvin at the Pioneer Press 

for destroying the myth of the hearty Minnesotan

Does that first guy look familiar to you?

Out in Hendricks, Steve Hemmingsen, who writes a really great daily e-mail newsletter, notes that in a snowstorm there, people relish the opportunity to play with an important status symbol. Click the image to read.

seasonal changes have a much bigger impact on mental health

In Lee's Summit, Missouri, Roger Gorley  refused to leave the hospital bedside of his partner, Allen. Missouri doesn't recognize same-sex marriage, but does recognize civil unions, not that it mattered here. The   hospital security forcibly removed him from the property and put him in handcuffs, and 

calls it a case of belligerent behavior. 

 Dannika Nash, of  South Dakota, attends a concert, 

Justin Hammer, an Orono High School, doesn't much care for the use of "retarded" that he often hears people use. So he remixed the Macklemore  "Same Love" song, and then performed it at the school variety show.

"Justin is trying to make a difference in our generation through music, I also feel that since he is considered a 'jock' by being the captain of the basketball team that he as a special opportunity to get kids listen to him and change the way kids use this hurtful word," his friend Rainey Bittman wrote in a note this week.

Mr. Hammer isn't stopping there. He's performing the song at other schools that have asked. Next week, he'll perform at White Bear Lake High School.

In recent weeks -- it seems to coincide with late-season winter sports -- there have been several stories about parents going after their kids' coaches. It's all taken care of behind closed doors. Sometimes the coach gets fired, sometimes he/she stays.

Writing in a Star Tribune commentary today, Kevin A. Keto, a Saint Paul teacher and coach, 

 Science! "One small step for man... is literally one step."

There will be a News Cut Quiz this week. Look for it around 11 a.m.

 - First hour: A roundtable  of artists will examine the things they wish they knew when they started their careers, what they might have done differently, and what they believe the role of the artist to be.

Third hour: How do students and their parents get the best financial aid deal possible?

 (12-1 pm): North Korea experts Philip Yun and David Straub  answer questions in a Commonwealth Club Town Hall Meeting held in California this week.

science writer Mary Roach, author of the new book "Gulp."

-  Texas singer Dale Watson writes songs about two-stepping, waltzing, and having fun drinking  in moderation, of course. NPR looks at the honky tonk world of Dale Watson and his new album, El Rancho Azul.

A school in Arlington, Minn., is leading the way to show how institutions can use more local food  by freezing it. The cafeteria takes food grown in a student-tended plot, freezes it and serves it up all year long in everything from pumpkin bars to chow mein. The labor is intensive and financial savings are uncertain, but local food advocates say it can be one important way to solve the Minnesota problem of having a growing season that's too short for the local food demand. Jennifer Vogel will have details.

NewsCut

Bob Collins

Author

Bias or behavior,  the legend of the hearty Minnesotan, the hospital feud with a man who wouldn't leave his partner's bedside,  rapping against the 'R word,' and a sports coach pushes back.


Why are minority kids disciplined more often? (5×8 – 4/1213)

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