Metro & State

The Minnesota Ballpark Authority on Friday selected Dan Kenney for the position of executive director, after a noteworthy candidate withdrew from the race. University Regent David Metzen dropped out of contention Aug. 2. "It wasn't a good fit," Metzen said. Metzen is part-owner of American Bank, is a leadership consultant, and works with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board in addition to his duties as a regent.

Every year at the Minnesota State Fair, the infamous food-on-a-stick sensation claims a prominent Minnesota identity. Fairgoers will have the option of more than 50 kinds of food served on a stick to peak the interests of the more than 1.5 million people who attend the fair annually, according to fair spokeswoman Brienna Schuette. It only seems appropriate that President Teddy Roosevelt gave his famous "speak softly and carry a big stick" speech at the state fair in 1901, as vendors at the 2006 fair carry everything from ostrich on a stick to spaghetti and meatballs on a stick.

Joseph Jennings sat under a camouflage green Army tent patiently awaiting a haircut Friday. The 23-year-old is an Army veteran who served on the front lines in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but, after coming home, developed a drinking problem and couldn't hold a job. He is one of the nearly 500 veterans who came to Stand Down 2006 on Aug. 3 and 4 on the West Bank's recreation fields looking for resources to get their lives back on track, said Kathleen Vitalis, executive director for the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans.

What started as a simple statement of support for law enforcement officers has grown into an annual nationwide event. People gathered Tuesday at neighborhood events in all 50 states for the 23rd annual National Night Out, a community-building and crime prevention program. Minneapolis regularly is the biggest participant in National Night Out, ranking No. 1 for the past five years, said John Baumann, manager of the Minneapolis program.

Cedar-Riverside will be the first Minneapolis neighborhood outside of downtown to have security cameras. The Minneapolis City Council voted 10-to-1 Friday to allow the neighborhood to move forward with its plan to install eight security cameras along the business district near the intersection of Cedar and Riverside avenues. Ward 11 council member Scott Benson was the sole dissenter.

A Minneapolis man was shot in the shoulder about 2:40 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of Fifth Street Southeast and 12th Avenue Southeast, according to police reports. The victim, whose injuries were significant but not life-threatening, was taken to a hospital by a friend, said Lt. Greg Reinhardt of the Minneapolis Police Department. Reinhardt said there was a party in the area that both the victim and suspect had attended.

A new ordinance that went into effect this month will allow Minneapolis police to fine landlords for their tenants' noise violations. The law is stirring discussion with some University-area landlords who say they shouldn't be responsible for their tenants' behavior. "They're asking me to be a policeman," said Steven Schachtman, who has managed properties near campus for 38 years with Steven-Scott Management.