Star Tribune Reporter: Mary Kiffmeyer's name cut due to "space considerations"

by: TwoPuttTommy

Mon Oct 26, 2009 at 10:24:37 AM CDT

The Strib won't expand on stories on the web; the web serves to replicate what appears in print - and that policy means that, as Taxpaying Liberal noted here on MnPP, Kiffmeyer's name got scrubbed.

And as Taxpaying Liberal noted, bad news does indeed get dumped late on Fridays in the hopes that the embarrassing story is gone, come Monday.

But, the bad news for Mary Kiffmeyer, is that is NOT going to happen.  Strib Reporter Chris Serres also told me he recived a lot - LOT - of calls and messages over the weekend, and that Mary Kiffmeyer's name will not - NOT - be left out on upcoming Strib stories regarding the failure of Mary Kiffmeyer's  Riverview Community Bank.

It was interesting to note that on today's Strib webpage, the story that was dumped on a Friday is one of the "most emailed" today.

It was also interesting to note that Taxpaying Liberal's story last Friday, here on MnPP, made "Best Of The Blogs" in today's Politics In Minnesota's Morning Report.

And judging by the number of bloggers that wrote about Keffmey's bank failing over the weekend, bloggers won't let this story escape public notice, either.

City Pages picked it up on Saturday, in a story entitled Feds Close Bank Where Jesus Closed Deals.  The reference to "Jesus Clos(ing) Deals" has to do with a picture that hung inside the bank, below (h/t Nick Coleman).

Gawker picked it up on Sunday, in a story entitled "Jesus' Bank Of Choice Shut Down, Bough Out"

Political Muse wrote a great blogpost entitled Kiffmeyer Bank Shut Down.  From it:

Back in June, Blue Man and I reported on the troubles of a bank in Otsego which is at least partly owned by Representative Mary Kiffmeyer. At that point the bank was merely in trouble and being told by the government to "increase its capital after allegedly engaging in "unsafe or unsound banking practices," including operating with inadequate reserves and excessive loan losses, according to an order issued by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp."

One wonders if Kiffmeyer believes, as Muse's picture demonstrates, that her "limited government" philosophy includes FDIC regulation over unsound banking practices....and that "integrity counts (but bad loans don't)."

Andy Birkey at Minnesota Independent was on this story back in June, also, in a story entitled "Kiffmeyer's bank cited for 'unsafe banking practices'"

Jeff Rosenberg over at MnPublius picked the story up; his blogpost was entitled "Kiffmeyer's Bank Goes Bust"

Blue Man picked the story up in a blogpost entitled "Federal Regulators Close Kiffmeyer Bank"

Mary Turck picked the story up on her personal blog, in a post called "God's bank closed, others on watch list", and in her story on TC Daily Planet:

By Mary Turck, News Day
October 26, 2009
Riverview Community Bank failed Friday, becoming the fifth Minnesota bank and the 106th U.S. bank to be closed this year. MPR reports that the bank's owner had claimed divine backing:

When Riverview opened in March 2003, co-founder Chuck Ripka told the Pioneer Press that God told him to get the bank going.

I'm sure I don't have all of the local bloggers covering this story; the story of GOPer former Secretary Of State Mary Kiffmeyer's bank failing.  And make no mistake, this was - WAS - Kiffmeyer's bank. earlier this month, she reported her ownership to the State Campaign Finance Board; she signed an agreement with the feds as "President and Director" on October 9th, 2009.

Here's my point - clearly, to many in the new media, including bloggers, Mary Kiffmeyer's involvement is an important element to the story, if not the story itself.  To the Strib?  Not so much.

At any rate, if anyone notes any other bloggers covering this story, please provide links, below.

And take a look at the picture Kiffmeyer had hanging in the bank: