When the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women selected the first recipient of its “Inspire” community ally award in 2013, Dave Pinto was a natural choice. “Domestic violence is a complicated issue, and one of the things Dave does exceptionally well is he understands the complexities and still moves forward with positive change,” said Liz Richards, the nonprofit’s executive director.

Political watchers waiting for a firm ruling on the months-long debate over whether the Republican Party of Minnesota is responsible for 2010 gubernatorial recount debt might still be seeking answers after a key campaign finance board meeting next week.

This summer Minnesota’s campaign finance agency will make its way through a couple of pending challenges brought by a watchdog group that’s taking a number of Republican-centered causes to task.

Sara Grewing has been named St. Paul City Attorney. Since 2007, Grewing has served as chief of staff for St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.

Roseville City Council member Tammy Pust, who finished third in the non-partisan contest for Ramsey County Attorney, is now supporting David Schultz for the post.

John Choi was the top choice of voters in the Ramsey County Attorney contest, garnering support from 50 percent of those who showed up at the polls. David Schultz, who formerly worked for the state attorney general's office, also advanced to the general election with 29 percent of the vote in the non-partisan contest.

With primary voting less than 72 hours away, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher was out on the campaign trail Saturday attempting to motivate the DFL faithful. She attended a rally at the offices of TakeAction Minnesota with state legislative candidates Rena Moran and Vang Lor.

John Choi has raised nearly $150,000 since beginning his campaign for Ramsey County Attorney -- or slightly more than his two primary opponents combined. Among the notables who have provided maximum $500 donations to the former St. Paul City Attorney's campaign: former attorney general Mike Hatch and Hubbard Broadcasting CEO Stanley Hubbard.

John Choi is garnering support from some unlikely individuals in his race for Ramsey County Attorney. Among the backers that the DFL-endorsed candidate announced today: Fourth Congressional District GOP chair Bev Aplikowski and former state Republican party chair Chris Georgecas.

South-Central Los Angeles was hell in the late 1980s. Poverty was rampant, housing deplorable, and graffiti scarred almost every edifice. Drugs and gangs begot drive-by shootings and daylight robberies. Yet for some in that topsy-turvy world, the criminals were heroes, and cops were the enemy.