The Morning Report 12/12/07 - Daily Minnesota Political Stories

Top Stories: $13.5M in grants on IRRB agenda; Klobuchar says farm bill worth it; Sen. Coleman offers plan to combat foreclosures; Minnesota’s election day registration draws young people to the poll; North suburb residents eager for Northstar Rail; Xcel Energy reaches 1,000th megawatt of wind in MN.

Best of the Blogs and Think Tank Thoughts:

• A Tale of two AFSCMEs: Chapter three, Politics in Minnesota
• Worker rights are human rights, legislators told, TC Daily Planet
• As Washington bureaus go dark, MinnPost
• Judge’s order questions DWI convictions, City Pages Blotter
• The price of pork refusal, Captain’s Quarters
• Ten things you may not know about St. Paul’s city budget, MinnPost
• Par Ridder: What we’ll never know, Lambert to the Slaughter
  
• Northsoak, Shot in the Dark
  
• Molnau defends MnDOT’s handling of Wakota Bridge, MN Monitor
• Ritchie gives interview to MTV, continues ducking questions from local media, MN Democrats Exposed
• The imaginary urban-rural transportation divide, MN 2020
• Like pulling weeds, True North
  
• City Hall gadfly’s First Amendment case reveals complexities of race in Minneapolis, MinnPost
• Pawlenty cozies up with Dem presidential candidate, True North
• St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman gets earful at truth in taxation meeting, MN Democrats Exposed
  
• Target pays $500K to settle racial discrimination suit, MN Monitor
• MN-03 candidate comparison, MN Blue
  

Business/Economy:

• $13.5M in grants on IRRB agenda, Mesabi Daily News
• Lawsuit over Chaska septic system dismissed, Star Tribune
• Minn. retailers bucking national sales trends, MPR
• 3M sees 2008 sales, earnings up by double digits, Reuters
• Nursing homes call on state for financial help, Star Tribune
• Medtronic must pay $226 million fine, MPR
• Twin Cities company says foam kills dangerous bacteria, KSTP
• Lakeside clinic gets approval from Duluth Planning Commission, Duluth News Tribune
• City seeks resolution on airport terminal leakage, West Central Tribune
  

Campaigns:

• Meet the Candidates: Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, MPR
• Potential challenger to Walz exits the race, Star Tribune
• In Minnesota 3rd, things just keep getting more interesting, CQ Politics
  

Congress-House:

• GOP lawmaker expelled from party caucus, Pioneer Press

Congress-Senate:

• Klobuchar says farm bill worth it, AP
• Sen. Coleman offers plan to combat foreclosures, MPR
  

Education:

• Minneapolis school board raises the bar, Star Tribune
• Minneapolis aims high with new plan for the future, MPR
  

Elections:

• Minnesota’s election day registration draws young people to the poll, MTV

Environment:

• Xcel Energy reaches 1,000th megawatt of wind in MN, Pioneer Press
• Xcel awards to fund waste-to-energy projects, Fargo Forum
• Bruininks slow to sign college climate change commitment, Minnesota Daily
  

I-35W Bridge Collapse:

• 35W bridge collapse hero invited to the White House, KSTP

Labor:

• Worthington still smarting one year after Swift raid, MPR
• NWA pilots oppose Oberstar on retirement, Star Tribune

Media:

• RNC now accepting blog applications, GOPConvention2008.com
• Gillespie named editorial page editor, Star Tribune

Opinion-Commentary:

• Patricia Lopez: What is Pawlenty’s effect? Big ideas but little followup, Star Tribune
• Thomas Friedman: Losing weight in the Gulf, New York Times. MN State Fair like Persian Gulf.
• Nick Coleman: Teen drivers need us to act like adults, Star Tribune
• Javier Morillo-Alicea: What’s a Minnesota politician doing with the Minutemen?, Star Tribune. Sen. Dick Day visits the Arizona border vigilantes.
• Bill Boyne: Closing the achievement gap is a community effort, Rochester Post-Bulletin
  

Opinion-Editorial:

• Editorial: Retail needs boost in Minneapolis, Star Tribune
• Editorial: Medicare problem seen locally, Mankato Free Press
• Editorial: Critics aside, a new farm bill is needed, Bemidji Pioneer
• Editorial: Sickened QPP workers deserve answers, Rochester Post-Bulletin
  

Public Health/Safety:

• Ailment plaguing Austin pork-plant workers is a mystery again, Star Tribune
• City tightens heating ordinance, TC Daily Planet
• Lawmakers fight cuts to at-risk kids programs, MPR
• Study shows homelessness is prevalent on reservations, Duluth News Tribune
• ‘Shot spotter’ technology pays off in north Mpls, KSTP
• Vet aid draws on Minnesota model, Star Tribune
  

Republican National Convention:

• Leading analyst says Republican nomination may be settled in St. Paul, MPR

St. Paul/Minneapolis:

• Minneapolis Park Board looks to raise fees to plug $2M shortfall, Star Tribune
• Google launches Street View Twin Cities, MN Speak
• Rybak’s plug-in car doesn’t go far, Pioneer Press
  

Transportation:

• North suburb residents eager for Northstar Rail, WCCO
• More juggling of ramp access tied to Crosstown freeway makeover, Star Tribune