The Free Press, Mankato, MN

State, national news

February 20, 2013

Developer says airline reneging on 911 vow

Associated Press

— A New York developer of the World Trade Center complex is accusing an airline of reneging on a promise not to use an "act of war" defense against property claims resulting from the Sept. 11 attacks.

Developer Larry Silverstein asked a judge Wednesday to reject American Airlines' claim that the 2001 terrorist attack was an act of war that should shield the airline from liability.

Lawyers for Silverstein said in filings in federal court in Manhattan that the airline and its insurance carriers promised Congress, regulators and the American people that the defense would not be used. The lawyers said the aviation industry in return got a massive federal bailout that protected businesses after the attacks.

An American Airlines spokesman says Silverstein's claims have "no factual or legal support."

Text Only | Photo Reprints
State, national news
  • Minn. lawmakers take budget debate down to wire ST. PAUL — The final pieces of Minnesota's next two-year budget were falling into place Sunday amid a time crunch for lawmakers to get it all approved. The state House worked past sunrise, pulling an all-nighter that started with votes on major budg

    May 19, 2013

  • Powerball Jackpot 1 winning ticket sold in Fla. on Powerball DES MOINES, Iowa — A lottery official says 1 winning ticket has been sold in Florida for a record Powerball jackpot of more than $590 million. Terry Rich, a lottery official in Iowa, confirmed the ticket matching all six numbers was sold in Florida.

    May 19, 2013 1 Photo

  • Minn. House backs nursing home pay hike ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota House has voted to give nursing home workers in the state a 5-percent pay increase. The pay hike is included in a broader, $6 billion a year budget for health and human services programs that the House passed Fri

    May 18, 2013

  • Minn. House passes lawmaker pay hike panel

    The Minnesota House has approved a 2016 constitutional amendment that would take decisions about legislative pay raises out of the hands of lawmakers themselves.

    May 17, 2013

  • Minn. Senate backs U of M, MNSCU tuition freezes

    ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Legislature has sent Gov. Mark Dayton a bill that freezes tuition rates at the state's public colleges and universities for the next two years.

    May 17, 2013

  • Minnesota House defeats construction projects bill

    A state Capitol facelift, college campus building projects and regional civic center upgrades got thrown in limbo Friday when the Minnesota House failed to muster enough votes for an $800 million construction bill.

    May 17, 2013

  • Minnesota begins 2013 gypsy moth trapping program ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Officials will set more than 14,000 gypsy moth traps across Minnesota this spring as part of the state's annual monitoring program for the destructive tree pest. Gypsy moth caterpillars eat the leaves of many trees and shrubs.

    May 17, 2013

  • Terrorism Charges-Uzbek-12 Authorities arrest man in Idaho in terrorism case BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Federal authorities in Idaho said Thursday they have arrested an Uzbekistan national accused of conspiring with a designated terrorist organization in his home country and helping scheme to use a weapon of mass destruction. The U

    May 17, 2013 2 Photos

  • Minn. House to debate lawmaker pay hike panel

    ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota House is planning to vote on a constitutional amendment that would take decisions about their own pay out of their hands.

    May 17, 2013

  • At least 6 confirmed dead in Texas tornadoes

     A rash of tornados slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnigh

    May 16, 2013