DAVE SENJEM was elected majority leader of the Minnesota state Senate Tuesday, and Vikings officials "were encouraged" by the selection because of his work on Twins ballpark legislation and his "support for 'racinos'" as a revenue source. While Republican leaders insisted that the Vikings stadium debate "did not factor into Senjem's selection, the issue is coming to a head in the new year." Senjem said that it "wouldn't be productive to halt progress on a Vikings stadium by delaying a decision until 2013" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 12/29).
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IRS suing Steinbrenners over taxes
erroneously refunded to the Yankees |
COURT REPORT: The IRS has sued Yankees Managing Partner & co-Chair
HAL STEINBRENNER and his wife "seeking more than $670,000 in taxes, saying that amount was erroneously refunded to the baseball team based on a late refund claim for the 2001 tax year" (
REUTERS, 12/28)....A nanny and chauffeur who lost a lawsuit against Pacers Owner
HERB SIMON and his wife have been "ordered to pay $122,000 in attorney’s fees to the Simons." An L.A. judge "ruled in September that the employment suit was groundless" (
AP, 12/28).
CHECKING IN: An investment group headed by A's Owner LEW WOLFF "has snapped up the Sainte Claire hotel, a purchase that signals rising confidence by investors in downtown San Jose." Sources said that the group "paid in the range of $17 million to $18 million for the 171-room hotel." The six-story building "was built in 1926 and is in the National Register of Historic Places" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 12/29).
NAMES: The N.Y. TIMES lists the “75 Things New Yorkers Talked About in 2011.” Among the sports–themed conversations: SERENA WILLIAMS has another meltdown at the U.S. Open (22), NASCAR fans boo MICHELLE OBAMA and JILL BIDEN when they show up at a race -- to promote a charity (33) and TEBOW Time (71) (N.Y. TIMES, 12/29)....ESPN.com's CLAIRE NOVAK and the Louisville Courier-Journal's JENNIE REES yesterday each won Media Eclipse Awards for Writing in horse racing (THOROUGHBREDTIMES.com, 12/28)....The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE named WNBA Lynx G SEIMONE AUGUSTUS Sportsperson of the Year (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/29).
