On March 15, 2002, the Star Tribune published a news story about Department of Administration officials who questioned MnDOT’s legal and ethical behavior in awarding contracts for work on the intersection of Hwys. 55 and 62, associated with the light-rail project. An Administration official, Kent Allin, was quoted as saying, “The culture of MnDOT is to act the bully, throw one’s weight around, villainize anybody who stands in your way and not worry about wasting tax dollars.”

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James Keating was city treasurer in Grant, MN when $120,000 worth of assessment checks went missing. The Pioneer Press ran a story on November 15, 2001, when the Grant City Council instituted a deadline for finding the checks. The story stated that Keating would pick up the checks or have them delivered. It also quoted a City Council member saying that Keating was instructed to turn over deposit slips to the clerk, but he didn’t. Keating thought that the article should have explained that the acting city clerk, who was supposed to give him the checks, was an untrained temporary employee who never delivered them. The reporter did not contact Keating for that story. Another story ran on November 17th. For this story the reporter tried to contact Keating at his home, leaving a message with her pager number on his home machine. She said she thought he was out of the office looking for the checks, and so did not try to contact him there. Keating didn’t get back to the reporter, thinking it was too late. 

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