The Morning Report 7/1/08 - Daily Minnesota Political Stories

Top Story: Legislative auditor investigates attorney general office’s Hatch-negotiated deal.

Agriculture:

• USDA crop survey shows corn harvest down slightly, MPR

Best of the Blogs and Think Tank Thoughts:

• Did Coleman pay market value for living arrangements in DC?, MN Campaign Report
• Phoning it in, Ladies Logic
• Pawlenty underwhelms on ‘This Week,’ Truth vs. The Machine
• Pawlenty promotes McCain to evangelicals, The Political Animal
• Minnesota: Still a good place to get rich, Across The Great Divide
• Norm’s sweetheart apartment deal a violation of Senate ethics?, MN Blue
• Assisted living: DFL alleges that Coleman’s apartment deal violates gift ban, Minnesota Independent
• DFL: Coleman’s $600 rent = sweetheart deal; Coleman: $600 rent = cramped space, The Political Animal
• Keeping tabs on job creation results, Minnesota Brown
• VP or not VP: Pawlenty ‘hit a homerun’ at Connecticut GOP shindig, Minnesota Independent
• Will Pawlenty ever make another student appointment to the MnSCU board?, Blue man in a Red district
• From Keith Ellison to Barack Obama, Power Line Blog
• Peppin’s No. 1 — again, The Political Animal

Business/Economy:

• Interlachen plans future in post-Open glow, Star Tribune
• Best Buy closes $2.1 billion deal to buy cellphone chain, Pioneer Press
• Star Tribune withholds some pay to lenders, Star Tribune
• St. Paul’s Penfield condos canceled, Star Tribune
• Builders: Regulations keep suburban home prices unreasonably high, Pioneer Press
• Sugar beet plant will close Sept. 1, AP. CA plant’s owner is the Southern MN Beet Sugar Cooperative.
• Food inflation may dodge Midwest flood bullet, AP

Campaigns-Senate:

• DFL steps up to line but doesn’t cross it, Polinaut - MPR
• DFL keeps pressure on Coleman over rental arrangement, MPR
• DFL head homes in on Coleman’s D.C. housing arrangement, MinnPost
• Norm Coleman on ad with wife, status in DC, WCCO
• Coleman’s latest ad offers same tone, same theme, same shirt, MinnPost
• Minnesota Senate race will shatter spending records, KARE 11
• Coleman acknowledges ‘hard times’ in new ad, The Crypt - Politico

Congress-House:

• Peterson nixes Cabinet role; Oberstar a bit less firm, MinnPost

Crime/Police:

• Audacious theft at archbishop’s home nets Catholic treasures, Star Tribune

Education:

• Audit: Praise for charter schools’ finances but pause on academics, Star Tribune
• Study: Charter schools a mixed bag, AP
• UMD’s take on labor law may cut pay for student journalists, Duluth News Tribune
• Daily survey: U spending doesn’t match student priorities, Minnesota Daily

Environment:

• Mining company penalized for landfill violations, MPR

Government:

• AG office queried about diverted funds, Star Tribune
• Questions raised about Hatch-negotiated deal, MPR
• Two new issues surface involving attorney general’s office, MinnPost
• First day to file for political office, MPR

Health Care:

• Minnesota clinics vary in quality of diabetes care, report says, Star Tribune

Judicial:

• U.S. Dist. Judge Davis makes history as new chief of MN federal bench, MPR
• A day in the life of a Minnesota public defender, News Cut - MPR

Obituary:

• Kenneth Macke, who led Target, dies at 69, New York Times
• ‘Born merchant’ Kenneth A. Macke helped build Target, Star Tribune

Opinion-Commentary:

• Craig Westover: Government’s legitimacy is grounded in restraint, Pioneer Press
• Dane Smith: Government as an agent of progress, Pioneer Press
• Brian Davis: Minnesotans need real solutions to gas prices, Worthington Daily Globe

Opinion-Editorial:

• Editorial: The experiment continues — as it should, Pioneer Press. MN’s charter schools.
  
• Editorial: Disaster aid welcome, but it only goes so far, Rochester Post-Bulletin

Other States:

• Arizona state legislator arrested; appears in court, KNXV (Phoenix). The Democrat had just received a Freshman Legislator of the Year award from the AZ Chamber of Commerce.

Pawlenty:

• Pawlenty takes over national education organization, MPR
• Pawlenty on McCain and the evangelical vote, Star Tribune - The Big Question
• Lobbying loophole funds conventions, Politico. ‘MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty is trading promises of access to party bigwigs and elected officials for donations to the convention host committee.’
• Romney tops McCain veep list, Politico. ‘Campaign insiders say McCain plans to name his running mate very shortly after Barack Obama does.’

Public Health/Safety:

• New website pools best research on rural highway safety, MPR
• Attorney General’s office won’t appeal ruling on violent video game sales, Finance and Commerce
• U of M to house new road safety center, MSP Business Journal

Republican National Convention:

• RNC will come to Minneapolis, too, MPR
• Minneapolis residents prepare for GOP convention, AP

Technology:

• Pawlenty appoints 20 members to broadband task force, Finance and Commerce

Transportation:

• Nick Coleman: Metro Transit’s bus-fare hike couldn’t come at a worse time, Star Tribune

Z-File: Irresistible stories beyond the purview of PIM

• Bison will soon roam in Minnesota again, MPR
• Ebay fined over selling counterfeits, Wall Street Journal. $63.2M to be paid to LVMH.