Morning Report 7/20/2009

Top Story: Where the MN House caucuses get their campaign cash.

Agriculture:

• USDA offering new insurance for dairy producers, West Central Tribune

Best of the Blogs and Think Tank Thoughts:

• What makes them run: For Marty Seifert, ‘it’s all about jobs and the economy’–and cutting regulations, Politics in Minnesota
• What makes them run: Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Thissen sees a ‘generational election’ in 2010, Politics in Minnesota

• 2010 governor’s race: Mark Dayton on self-financing and running in the primary, Politics in Minnesota

• Google Street View, the Capitol: It looks so much grander in person…, Politics in Minnesota
• Weighing the vote, Mr. Dahle Goes to St. Paul
• Oberstar raises 100 percent of Q2 2009 itemized individual contributions from out of state, Smart Politics

• Kline: Wrong on health care, mnpACT!
• The day the media died, Shot in the Dark

• Answer to 6th District: unorthodox strategy or chop it to pieces, mnpACT!
• Xcel should use permanent load shifting, MN Progressive Project
• Larry does Google, SCSU Scholars
• ACLU also eyeing possible unallotment legal challenge, Minnesota Independent
• Dave Thul and dirty tricks, Part 2: a new low, MN Progressive Project

Business/Economy:

• In major settlement, St. Louis Park company agrees to stop handling consumer arbitration disputes, Star Tribune
• MN firm can’t arbitrate credit card, other debt, AP
• Burrill identifies potential investors for Elk Run project, Rochester Post-Bulletin

• Investors try to get their money back, Star Tribune
• Unemployment tops 10 percent in 15 states in June, AP

• Meatpacking plant in South St. Paul losing 75 jobs, AP
• Economic development move in works, St. Cloud Times
• Rochester’s two largest employers fare better than their peers, Rochester Post-Bulletin
• Alliant pursues a low-cost path to stretch military dollars, Star Tribune

Campaigns:

• Donors: Where House DFLers, Republicans get campaign cash, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• House payments: List of top contibutors by party, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Presidential poll finds Obama defeating Pawlenty in Minnesota, Pioneer Press
• GOP plans gubernatorial straw ballot in October, Pioneer Press

Congress-House:

• Rep. Ellison says U.S. trying to ensure safe return of missing Somalis, MPR
• McCollum holds hearing on house health bill, AP

• Weekly wrap-up: Minnesota’s congressional delegation, MinnPost

Crime/Police:

• Gang Strike Task Force: Millions spent, but few results, Star Tribune
• Interim gang strike force out of business, Pioneer Press

Education:

• MnSCU set to approve 3 percent tuition hikes, AP
• School Board to discuss money borrowing, Bemidji Pioneer

Elections:

• Election officers want later 2012 primary start, AP

Environment:

• MPCA seeks public comment on feedlot policy, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Cargill division, HOM Furniture partner to sell soy mattresses, Finance and Commerce
  
• Local environmental groups feeling economy’s pinch, Duluth News Tribune

• In several metro communities, even the concrete is going green, Pioneer Press
• State seeks workers for GreenCorps, MPR

Government-Local:

• Area bonding requests top $36M, Mankato Free Press

• Group decries plan to shift bias inquiries, Star Tribune

Health Care:

• Minnesota gets $6M to battle deadly H1N1, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• New Rice policy aims to reduce risk of patient misidentification, identity theft, West Central Tribune

• Governors fear Medicaid costs in health plan, New York Times

Judicial:

• Applicants sought for 4 trial court bench vacancies, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report

Labor:

• Picketing continues at Trader Joe’s store, Workday MN

Legislature:

• 27 legislators recognized by League of Cities, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Knuth chosen for Indonesian exchange program, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Cohen receives national arts leadership award, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report

Opinion-Commentary:

• Sen. Al Franken: A wounded veteran’s best friend, Star Tribune
• Sen. Geoff Michel: Our flood of red ink won’t wait until ‘10, Star Tribune

• Lori Sturdevant: Expanding a broken system?, Star Tribune
• Ruben Rosario: Metro Gang Strike Force was doomed from the start, and it’s too bad, Pioneer Press
• Peggy Noonan: Sotomayor hearing escapes gravity, Wall Street Journal. Franken is ‘doing a Full Hilary.’

Opinion-Editorial:

• Editorial: Campaign 2010: In Minnesota, and opening for optimism and uncommon sense, Pioneer Press

• Editorial: More burning is part of larger plan, Star Tribune

Other States:

• George Skelton: Schwarzenegger should be talking to himself, Los Angeles Times

Pawlenty:

• Gov. Pawlenty headed to Puerto Rico in August, AP
• Pawlenty visits MN soldiers in Iraq, AP

Public Health/Safety:

• PFund elects new board members, officers, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• New organization to advocate for older Minnesotans, Star Tribune
• OSHA fines MasTec facility $75K, AP

• Program hopes to cut down license prosecutions, KSTP
• Minnesota trucking-related fatalities drop nearly 18%, MTA
• RNC protester gets 2 months for damaging window, AP

St. Paul/Minneapolis:

• St. Paul Port Authority stimulus grant proposal would fuel Energy Park, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Going green on Central Corridor, TC Daily Planet

• Minneapolis struggles with rise of Somali gangs, AP

Transportation:

• Traffic game gives students a look at engineering, AP

• At MN airport, a case of terminal confusion, AP
• Mn/DOT to inspect multiple bridges, AP
• Duluth gets $1.8 million for 5 biodiesel buses, AP