By Mike Kaszuba
The story of the big-screen TVs that were removed from the Minnesota Sex Offender program by Gov. Tim Pawlenty has one final chapter.
After the governor called the decision to install the TVs "boneheaded" and ordered them removed from the sex offender program facility in Moose Lake, 14 were supposed to go to state veteran's homes across Minnesota. But state officials reported that eight of the 14 TVs -- which were large 50-inch, plasma models, costing $1,576 apiece -- were damaged when they arrived at the veteran's homes.
State officials blamed the damage on Federal Express, which shipped the TVs, and promised to file insurance claims.
Now a state Department of Veteran's Affairs spokesperson said the claims have been settled. "FedEx has processed and approved our claim and we're now working on purchasing replacement TVs. We're looking to finish that up by the end of this month," said Sarah Graves, a department spokesperson.
