Weekly humor columns that appeared under Jon Flatland's name in the Blooming Prairie Times were apparently swiped from a host of other columnists and bloggers. The paper's publisher apologized to readers for the plagiarism that seems to date back through many years of Flatland's newspaper career.

Coon Rapids-based ECM currently publishes fifteen newspapers in the Twin Cities suburbs but will more than double that with its purchase of Sun Newspapers. The Sun papers have a circulation of more than 350,000.

The Catholic St. John's University in Collegeville announced Michael Hemesath as the institution's first full-time lay president. Hemesath is an economics professor at Carleton College and a 1981 graduate of St. John's. The Rev. Robert Koopmann announced he will step down at the end of this academic year.

The Minnetonka-based global hospitality and travel company has promoted Trudy Rautio as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. For the past eight years, Rautio has served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Carlson. She is replacing Hubert Joly who resigned to take the top job at Richfield-based Best Buy. Rautio is only the fifth chief executive of the 74-year-old hospitality and travel company.

A faculty procession and a sense of change accompanied the ceremony to welcome the University of Minnesota's next president. Eric Kaler becomes the university's 16th president. He replaces Robert Bruininks who is retiring his administration post, but will return to teaching.

Eden Prairie-based GE Capital Fleet Services has promoted Kristi Webb as its new president and CEO. Webb joined the company in 1998 and was most recently general manager of GE Capital’s Dealer Finance business. She will replace Clarence Nunn, who was recently appointed chief commercial officer for GE Capital, Americas.