The Morning Report 2/12/08 - Daily Minnesota Political Stories

Top Stories: Economy needs help, experts say, Report praises medical response to MN bridge collapse, Transportation bill begins bumpy journey to a likely veto showdown, Twin Cities is promised office with same-day passport service, Pilot seniority is sticking point in airline merger deal, State bridge chief rebuts critics, Search for chemical fumes widens in St. Louis Park.





Best of the Blogs and Think Tank Thoughts:

• House Republicans unveil transportation solutions, Wright County Republican
• Is this really a choice the Strib wants me to make?, Across the Great Divide
• 45 Republicans commit to uphold transit bill veto, True North
• Jeff Johnson would change business as usual in Hennepin County, North Star Liberty
  
• C’mon, a few more taxes won’t hurt!, SCSU Scholars
• Environmental Scorecard: Gold stars for Ellison and Ramstad; Fs for Coleman, Bachmann and Kline, MN Monitor
  

Business/Economy:

• Economy needs help, experts say, Star Tribune. Sens. Klobuchar and Dorgan hold hearing in St. Paul.
• Pilot seniority is sticking point in airline merger deal, MPR
• Casino stop drives alliance’s initial meeting, Duluth News Tribune. Consultant says Mpls-Duluth commuter train should stop at Hinckley’s Grand Casino.
• St. Paul’s plan for empty houses, MPR
• New Brighton taps state for cleanup funds, Pioneer Press
• Venture capitalists face hurdles in Minnesota, experts say, Dolan Media Newswires
  
• Enbridge disputes media reports on cause of pipeline explosion, Grand Forks Herald
• Willmar City Council files for state loan for treatment plant project, West Central Tribune
• Reality Check: NWA’s promises to Minnesota, WCCO
  

Campaigns:

• Day to bypass GOP endorsement to run in 1st District primary, AP

Crime/Police:

• St. Paul council approves purchase of 230 more Tasers, MPR

Education:

• Decision on future of St. Paul’s Homecroft Elementary put off a month, Pioneer Press

Environment:

• New elementary school will breathe energy efficiency, Rochester Post-Bulletin

Health Care:

• Minnesota lacks beds for long-term care of mentally ill, consortium says, West Central Tribune

I-35W Bridge Collapse:

• Report praises medical response to MN bridge collapse, AP
• State bridge chief rebuts critics, Pioneer Press
  

Judicial:

• U.S. Supreme Court extends cross-examination rule in MN sex abuse case, AP
• Ruling shields med-tech firms, Star Tribune
• Supreme Court strikes down state’s law to diminish Internet tobacco sales to teens, Washington Post

Labor:

• Shoulda, woulda, coulda: Some embittered Ford workers adjust to new lives, MinnPost

Legislature:

• Transportation bill begins bumpy journey to a likely veto showdown, Star Tribune
• Minnesota lawmakers undecided about $7.8 billion transportation bill targeted, Pioneer Press
  
• Not all votes are equal in transportation debate, AP
• Roads bill introduced by Murphy pads State Patrol ranks, AP
• Lobbying begins for Civic Center bill, St. Cloud Times
  
• University students, faculty rally for support, Minnesota Daily
  

Obituary:

• Robert McEachern, a ‘most colorful’ legislator, Star Tribune. Former DFL House Speaker Bob Vanasek nails McEachern (pronounced “mc-CARN”): ‘He was one of the most colorful legislators in the last 40 years…He was direct, but he had a heart of gold.’ — PIM Publisher

Opinion-Commentary:

• Jeff Noddle and Jon Campbell: Let’s shift transit talk into high gear, Star Tribune

Opinion-Editorial:

• Editorial: Transportation is Legislature’s Job One, Star Tribune
• Editorial: Showdown nears on road funds, Bemidji Pioneer
• Editorial: More money for roads, bridges and transit, Pioneer Press
• Editorial: It’s time for Molnau to exit MnDOT, St. Cloud Times
  
• Editorial: The politics of immigration, Minnesota Daily
• Editorial: JOBZ needs serious revision, Mankato Free Press
• Editorial: Pawlenty, back off veto threat, Fergus Falls Daily Journal
  

Public Health/Safety:

• Search for chemical fumes widens in St. Louis Park, Star Tribune
• Seeking a place to call home, Star Tribune. Affordable housing is at a premium.
  
• Heat prices costing flood victims in FEMA trailers, Winona Daily News
• Bus system ‘very safe,’ legislator says, Pioneer Press
  
• Funding could fight domestic violence, St. Cloud Times
• Attorneys challenge effectiveness of ‘intoxilyzer’, KSTP
• Report shows high rates of data theft at University, Minnesota Daily
  

St. Paul/Minneapolis:

• Twin Cities is promised office with same-day passport service, Star Tribune

Transportation:

• Audit from heaven: Report gives DFLers fuel they need for transportation bill, MinnPost
• Looking at tomorrow today: Planners readying for major road corridor, Jordan Independent
• Audit finds Minnesota highway and bridge funding is ‘downright grim,’ Dolan Media Newswires

Z-File: Irresistible stories beyond the purview of PIM

• Roseville 4 faces its last picture show, Pioneer Press
• Budget director getting shower installed in City Hall office, Chicago Tribune
• ShowerGate steam rises as City Hall circles drain, Chicago Tribune
• A private matter in the backyard, New York Times. Finnish-American Arkansan builds a cottage in his backyard because ‘Growing up in rural Minnesota, not far from St. Cloud, I shared a bed with two of my brothers. At the University of Minnesota, I had a roommate. Joan and I married young, in our early 20s, and three children soon followed. I had been craving privacy all my life.’