The Morning Report 8/27/08 - Daily Minnesota Political Stories

Top Story: Judge says protests have adequate access to RNC site as conflicts between police & photographers increase.

Agriculture:

• The strange politics of kingmakers in corn ethanol country, MinnPost
• Farmers have a good start on wheat harvest, AP
  

Best of the Blogs and Think Tank Thoughts:

• Senator Barkley?, Politics in Minnesota
• What I did on my summer vacation, Wright County Republican
• Know your credentials, Polinaut - MPR
• Sen. Klobuchar…high profile in Denver, mnpACT!
• MnIndy Video: St. Paul homeless say city wants to hide them during RNC, Minnesota Independent
  
• Persona non grata, True North
• Pre-primary FEC report: David Dillon, Bluestem Prairie
• Norm blinks, Mr. Dilettante
  
• Independent media artists/journalists detained by Minneapolis police, Minnesota Independent
• DFLer in 51A - Interesting family values on display, Residual Forces
  
• Minnesota poverty: Still better than Mississippi’s!, Across the Great Divide
• Party crashers: Who gets into the corporate shindigs at the RNC and DNC?, Minnesota Independent
• The big picture on rural broadband, Minnesota Brown
  
• Trust in government drops by nearly half in Minnesota since 2004, Smart Politics
  
• Straight talk suppress, The Same Rowdy Crowd
• Pre-RNC homeland insecurity: Police abuses of power ramping up as convention nears, Minnesota Independent
• Eight crazy nights: A political miniseries, Defenestrator - The Rake
  
• Live-Blogging Night #1 of the DNC. Sort of., Lambert to the Slaughter
  

Business/Economy:

• Coborn’s buys Simon Delivers; service to resume in October, Star Tribune
• Gasoline sales in Minnesota drop; E85 demand rising but leveling off, Star Tribune
• The Saint Paul Hotel staff awaits GOP convention, Aberdeen American News
• Sobering numbers after six years of economic recovery: Poverty rate is up, median household income is down, MinnPost
  
• Income erodes, poverty gains in Minnesota, Star Tribune
• Duluth area residents losing ground, Duluth News Tribune
• A new debate on privatizing infrastructure, New York Times. Oberstar vows to undo any public-private partnerships that fail to protect the public interest.

Campaigns:

• Madia takes a gamble and heads to Denver, MPR
• Madia’s first TV ad: fluffy but cool, MinnPost
• Clinton supporters in Minnesota not sure if they can let go, MPR
• State delegates told to pep it up, MPR

Congress-House:

• Ellison gets star treatment at Dems’ first-ever Muslim caucus, MinnPost
• ‘We’re all on the same page now,’ Rep. Ellison says, Star Tribune

Congress-Senate:

• Six more senators seek end to oil drilling impasse, AP. Coleman is one of two GOP converts.

Crime/Police:

• Rogers ends cops soliciting donations, Star Tribune

Education:

• U invests in an education before college, Star Tribune
• More students take Advanced Placement tests in Minnesota, Star Tribune
• Reforming education funding could mean higher taxes, Bemidji Pioneer
  

Elections:

• A dream once deferred is closer for black delegates, Chicago Tribune. Quotes MN delegate Sylvia Berry Adams.

Environment:

• Poll rejecting sales tax amendment disputed, Star Tribune
• City asks Duluth residents to cut down water usage, Duluth News Tribune
  

Government-Local:

• The ballet meets the ballot in Burnsville, Star Tribune
• Can she save the city? Appraisers say window could fetch up to $3 million, Duluth News Tribune
• City council meetings may be televised, Alexandria Echo Press
  

Judicial:

• Judges reject attempt to remove Justice Gildea from the ballot, MPR

Media:

• Strib tells AP: we’re canceling, MinnPost
• 3 NY videographers in town for RNC claim police harassment in Minneapolis, Pioneer Press
• Visiting journalists say police acted improperly, Star Tribune
• Mpls police detain and confiscate belongings of 3 NY filmmakers, FOX9

Opinion-Commentary:

• Nick Coleman: Poor have seat in front row for RNC: Will they be seen?, Star Tribune
• Grace-Marie Turner: We need a national market for health insurance, Wall Street Journal. Cites new U of M study.
• Katherine Kersten: Do more bikes in Minneapolis mean more pollution?, Star Tribune [Sure! Why not? --PIM staff]

Opinion-Editorial:

• Editorial: Proposed labor bill has fatal voting flaw, Star Tribune

Other States:

• Jerry Brown gets tough on medical pot clubs, San Francisco Chronicle
• ‘War room’ revs up with high-profile Republicans, AP

Pawlenty:

• The Pawlenty buzz builds, Pioneer Press
• Biden is wrench in McCain’s VP choice, Politico
• McCain plans 3-state VP rollout, Politico

People:

• Ex-VP Mondale has some advice for VP hopeful Biden, Pioneer Press

Public Health/Safety:

• Minneapolis cops confiscate cameras, MPR
• Lawyers Guild: Cops illegally seize video equipment, Pioneer Press
• Councilmember calls for investigation in RNC-related arrest, KSTP
• Temp holding area described for RNC arrestees, AP
  

Republican National Convention:

• RNC lineup: Pawlenty, Coleman to speak twice, Star Tribune
• Judge: Access to Republican convention in St. Paul for protests is sufficient, Pioneer Press
• Twin Cities keep an eye on protests in Denver, MPR
• GOP and Democrats vie for the title of ‘greenest’ convention, Finance and Commerce
  
• Democrats plan heavy presence at GOP convention, will greet delegates with Bush billboard, AP
• Elephant at bar? St. Paul not wild about idea, Pioneer Press
• Dems set up Twin Cities war room to offset RNC message, Pioneer Press
• Saint Paul double checks convention security plan with Denver tour, KARE 11
  

St. Paul/Minneapolis:

• Highpoint Center’s new home will raise organization profile, Finance and Commerce

Transportation:

• It may not be the Brooklyn Bridge, but a span’s for sale in Bloomington, Star Tribune

Z-File: Irresistible Stories Beyond the Purview of PIM

• Metra says so long to its rail saloons, Chicago Tribune
• Ted Streull: Oklahoma City, the Venice of the Southwest, Dolan Media Newswires