The Morning Report 6/23/08 - Daily Minnesota Political Stories

Top Story: Pawlenty veep speculation reaches fever pitch on heels of McCain visit.

Note from the Publisher: PIM House Race Campaign Central

We’re excited to announce our latest information resource: The Politics in Minnesota 2008 Minnesota House District Campaign Pages.

We know you will find it to be the most comprehensive House race guide available because we built it to be that way. For each House District page, we’ve incorporated the maps and district descriptions from the 2007-2008 Politics in Minnesota Directory. We added links to candidate web sites.

Most important, we added a place for everyone to post new news or comments about the race to each page. We’re hoping candidates, other media and bloggers who write about races will add new information in this section. If anyone wants to add something without attribution, please send it to staff@politicsinminnesota.com and we’ll post it for you.

Of course, to get a much better picture of each candidate’s prospects, your best bet is to order the 2007-2008 Politics in Minnesota Directory, which includes election histories for each incumbent, the vote percentages for major candidates in each district and much more in addition to the maps and district descriptions below. Buy the Directory here.

Please note that the district maps and written descriptions are copyrighted. We encourage you to link to the pages, but printing them for dissemination requires the permission of the publisher. To get permission, write to staff@politicsinminnesota.com.

Also, please note that some incumbents do not yet have opponents. Candidate filings close July 15, 2008.

---

Agriculture:

• BioFuel Energy starts up Fairmont ethanol plant, AP
• Obama camp closely linked with ethanol, NY Times
  
• Record corn prices mean more expensive meat, dairy, AP
  

Best of the Blogs and Think Tank Thoughts:

• The case against Tim Pawlenty, Washingtonpost.com - The Fix
• Who knew? Kline and Bachmann are pro-monkey smuggling!, MN Blue
  
• Pawlenty’s dodge, Political Animal
  
• Suggested reading for Michele Bachmann, SCSU Scholars
  
• Interesting Coleman for Senate blog entry, Political Animal
• IP Heavy Hitters Help Tinklenberg Win Endorsement, MN Campaign Report
  
• Tinklenberg Momentum Building?, Let Freedom Ring
• Coleman Ad Situation Takes a Turn for the Bizarre, MN Publius
  
• Andrew Sullivan Predicts Pawlenty As McCain Veep, Huffington Post
• Pawlenty and Blitzer together again, Political Animal
• A quick look: Red, Blue and local politics, TC Daily Planet
  

Business/Economy:

• Soaring steel prices good for Minn. company, AP
• F-M coffee shops stay afloat, Fargo Forum
• Wind energy development in jeopardy if Congress nixes tax credit, Finance & Commerce
  
• Sibley Parkway development well under way, Mankato Free Press
  
• Flooding strands 100-plus barges on Mississippi, AP
• Controversial airport salary comparisons aren’t ‘apples to apples’, MinnPost
  
• New tax cap has loopholes, Detroit Lakes Online
• How a feminist bookstore got a zero-hour reprieve, MinnPost
• Historic Minneapolis ad agency gets new name, new home, Finance & Commerce
  
• Board backs process to recover iron from taconite tailings, AP
  
• Brain Drain, Fargo Forum
  
• Beltrami County: Audit shows no major problems, Bemidji Pioneer
  

Campaigns-Senate:

• Coleman’s new TV ad features — Mrs. Coleman, MinnPost

Campaigns:

• McCain talks about MN role in ‘08, KSTP
• The Pluses and Minuses of Gov. Anonymous, Washington Post
• Governor with ‘prole chic’ tipped as John McCain’s sidekick, Times (UK). It is a case of “Tim Who?” outside his home state for now…
• Independence Party backs newcomer, DFLer, Star Tribune
• Can McCain claim the Ron Paul votes?, Politico. ‘Obama’s probably getting the least support from Ron Paul supporters,’ said Marianne Stebbins, Paul’s state coordinator in MN.
• Pawlenty says he’s not being vetted to be McCain’s VP, MPR
• McCain’s pitch: Republican pledging to fight hard in Minnesota to win the presidency, Pioneer Press
  
• Quirk in law lets corporate money flow, Star Tribune
• Veepstakes: Who will, who won’t and who won’t say, AP
• McCain comes to town: The Humble Warrior’s subdued campaign visit, MinnPost
  
• Pawlenty VP candidate? Not that much straight talk, MinnPost
  
• State rep potentials rev their engines, Mankato Free Press
  
• McCain avoids veep question, Fargo Forum
  
• Cheney party left Orono $4,000 short, police say, Star Tribune
  
• Independence Party backs Dem in Minn.’s 6th Dist., AP
  

Congress-Senate:

• Klobuchar visits flooded areas in Minnesota, AP
• Sen. Klobuchar On Gas Prices, Barack Obama, WCCO
  

Crime/Police:

• Community businesses battle theft, MN Daily
• Mortgage fraud misery likely to endure, MPR
  
• Gas station drive-offs up across state, AP
• State Attorney General sues over smelly feedlot near Thief River Falls, AP
  

Education:

• Feeding the children-all summer long, TC Daily Planet
• Schools boost summer enrollment to meet goals, Star Tribune
• Wind a new opportunity for community colleges, AP
• College textbook rental coming to MN, MPR
  
• On his way out: Watkins leaves St. Cloud school district with trust rebuilt, St. Cloud Times
• Olson plan would sustain, promote Dakota and Ojibwe languages, Bemidji Pioneer
• Charter school enrollment edges upward, Rochester Post-Bulletin
  

Environment:

• Study: removing biomass won’t harm forests, AP
• MPCA sets new water quality standards, MPR
  
• DNR: Don’t let gas prices tank your fishing season, Star Tribune
  

Judicial:

• In Minneapolis, A Judge Considers Legal Case Against Pres. Bush, The Public Record
• Judicial opinions with weight, wit, Star Tribune
  
• Court tie-ups loom in loss of public defenders, Star Tribune
• Lawsuit over development plan in Savage put on hold, Star Tribune
• Jury awards Hemmah $250K, Red Wing Republican Eagle
  
• Warroad pastor makes national news by taking on the IRS, Bemidji Pioneer
  

Labor:

• Workers organize at new luxury hotel in Minneapolis, Workday Minnesota
• Labor councils to host booths at Carver, Scott and Wright County Fairs, Workday Minnesota
  

Media:

• News Council upholds TV complaints, Star Tribune
• Minneapolis magazine publishers exemplify social entrepreneurism, Finance & Commerce
• MinnPost gets Blandin grant for rural coverage, MinnPost
  
• Nancy Barnes: Welcome back, Variety — a name that readers prefer, Star Tribune
  

Opinion-Commentary:

• Katherine Kersten: Edina EcoMoms may be opening a can of worms, Star Tribune
• Gail Collins: Vice is nice, NY Times
• 3639 1st Av. S.: An address that has sparked horror shows, Star Tribune
  
• Kirby Erickson: Air clearing of smoke; now help smokers stop, Red Wing Republican Eagle
• Mitch Pearlstein: Stop us if you’ve heard this before, Star Tribune
• Jill Burcum: The new idea in elder care: Membership, Star Tribune
• Jack Uldrich: Life goes on — really goes on — and that’s costly, Star Tribune
  
• Lori Sturdevant: Budget-hungry nursing homes are so last century, Star Tribune
  
• Lou Gelfand: Is labeling milk as free of hormones a bad idea?, Star Tribune
  
• Sen. John Marty: Creating Socially Responsible Corporations, Apple Pie Alliance

Opinion-Editorial:

• Editorial: Reclaiming our rights is essential, Bemidji Pioneer
• Editorial: Exploring rail line’s potential a smart step, Star Tribune
• Editorial: Big Ten, Comcast finally strike a deal, Star Tribune
  

Public Health/Safety:

• Patrolling the East Side, TC Daily Planet
• Carver seeks ways to shore up its aging levees, Star Tribune
  
• Homelessness, MTN [Video]
• Meals on Wheels keeps rolling along, Rochester Post-Bulletin
• Food charity delivers record despite rising overhead costs, Star Tribune
  
• New Valleyfair rules upset families of disabled kids, AP
  

Republican National Convention:

• St. Paul and cops gear up for worst at GOP convention, Star Tribune
• Mayors seeking to help for GOP convention, MinnPost
  
• Hospitals say they’re ready for Republican convention, MPR
  

St. Paul/Minneapolis:

• Will Minneapolis Advantage help Northeast?, TC Daily Planet
• Minneapolis catering to Rover and Republicans, Star Tribune
  
• City Hall Monitor: Lurking repeal is down for count, dog doings are up in lights, MN Independent
• The X turns 10, Pioneer Press
  
• Longfellow Community Council, 6/19 meeting, The Bridge
  

Technology:

• New Electric Car Also Doubles As Bicycle, WCCO
• New website may lure visitors to MN trail, Fargo Forum

Transportation:

• Sound and fury follow Crosstown project, Star Tribune
• State law prohibits Scott Co. to research rail line revival, KSTP
  

Z-File: Irresistible stories beyond the purview of PIM

• What to do with an aged lemur?, AP. At the MN Zoo, a pair of bottlenose dolphins have reached 44 and 42 years old.