The Morning Report 7/2/09 - Daily Minnesota Political Stories

Top Story: Jungbauer in for governor 2010, will Coleman enter the race?
Staff note: We won’t be publishing a Morning Report tomorrow, July 3. May everyone have a happy, safe patriotic 4th of July weekend.

Agriculture:

• Livestock industry hit hard by high feed costs, weak economy, MPR

Best of the Blogs and Think Tank Thoughts:

• The Senate race aftermath: A Washington Post online Q&A with Sarah Janecek, Politics in Minnesota
• House taxes chair praises Pawlenty’s ultimatum to Wisconsin on tax reciprocity payments, Politics in Minnesota
• Prospect of unallotment lawsuits dims, Politics in Minnesota
• Seifert’s campaign to hit the road, Politics in Minnesota
• Arne Carlson blasts GOP, Pawlenty for dragging out Coleman-Franken fight, Politics in Minnesota
• State economist affirms: Cuts cost more jobs than income tax increase, Growth and Justice
• The Romper Room continues at the state Capitol, True North
• Republican colleagues to Bachmann: Let the census count you, The Political Animal
• Expert: Calling senate race ’stolen’ robs the word ’stolen’ of its meaning, Minnesota Independent
• Union Politics, Hennepin County-Style, Hennepin County Taxpayer Watchdog
  
• Koering: Election ’stolen away’ from Coleman through ‘fraud’, Minnesota Independent
• Report: Range population holding (with slight bleed), Minnesota Brown
• Matt Entenza, wind energy and economic philosophy, Let Freedom Ring
• Jungbauer: running for governor, The Political Animal
• The rubber stamp operators’ license, Shot in the Dark
• Mike Jungbauer to run for governor, True North
• Pawlenty: Coleman would be a great governor but does not encourage a run, The Political Animal
• Waste no time, MN Publius
• State Sen. Dibble spends Stonewall anniversary at LGBT event with Obama, Minnesota Independent
• Another consequence of Coleman’s concession, Washington Wire - WSJ

Business/Economy:

• Make it 3: Opus divisions landing in bankruptcy, Pioneer Press
• Drop in prices for foreign result in drop in ethanol sales, MPR
• Mpls. website tracks federal recovery funds, KSTP
• Ford Ranger sales are up for June, MSP Business Journal
• Monson Trucking shutting down operations, MPR
• Minnesota needs to keep increasing gas tax, think tank says, Duluth News Tribune
• Report: Recession hurting MN housing situation, MSP Business Journal
• Work on expanding Soo Locks is under way, Duluth News Tribune

Campaigns:

• If Coleman goes for governor, he’ll cast a long shadow, Star Tribune
• Jungbauer joins the GOP list of candidates for governor, Polinaut - MPR
• 2 state senators eye 2010 governor’s race, AP
• Seifert to launch campaign for GOP gubernatorial endorsement, West Central Tribune

Congress-Senate:

• Senator Franken, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Franken picks Wellstone as his model, Star Tribune
• Franken thanks supporters at victory rally, AP
• Klobuchar: ‘I’ve told him to study up’, MPR
• Franken rallies supporters at Capitol, MPR
• Franken: Affordable health care is priority, AP
• Franken brings 60th vote to Senate Dems, MPR
• GOP loses last Jewish senator with Coleman loss, AP
• Inhofe calls Franken ‘a clown’, Politico
• What’s so super about a supermajority?, New York Times

Education:

• Burnsville-Eagan-Savage school board to consider changing weapons policy, Star Tribune
• Minnesota private colleges see tuition increase 4.8 percent, MPR
• Stillwater schools consider $15.8 million early childhood center, MinnPost
• Facing deficits, some states cut summer school, New York Times

Elections:

• Coleman owes Franken almost $100K in court costs, Pioneer Press

Environment:

• DNR to ramp up invasives patrols on central MN lakes, KSTP

Government-Local:

• Greenfield tagged ‘high risk’, Star Tribune

Labor:

• Pension redux: Star Tribune seeks to toss machinists’ contract, MinnPost

Legislature:

• Booster seats, bingo and benefits, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Legislative panel condemns governor’s unallotment plans, Session Daily

Media:

• Recount denouement: KARE classy, Coleman staff not, MinnPost
• Washington Post sells access, $25,000+, Politico

Opinion-Commentary:

• Lori Sturdevant: Pawlenty’s ‘unallot’ reasoning doesn’t hold up, Star Tribune
• Rolf Westgard: Nuclear power must be part of energy solution, Duluth News Tribune

Opinion-Editorial:

• Editorial: Oberstar, Obama on collision course, Star Tribune
• Editorial: Franken’s win comes with lessons, St. Cloud Times
• Editorial: Coleman lets Minnesota turn the page, Rochester Post-Bulletin
• Editorial: The ‘Absentee’ Senator, Wall Street Journal

Other States:

• AZ lawmakers push back against federalized health care, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• State IOUs loom as foes’ battle lines harden, Los Angeles Times
• Strapped states play for time as fiscal year starts, Wall Street Journal

Pawlenty:

• MN gets ‘unalloted’, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Pawlenty starts cutting the budget, Star Tribune
• Gov. Pawlenty formally approves unallotment plan, MPR
• First east, now west for well-traveled Pawlenty, AP

People:

• Capitol Note Book, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• New state GOP leaders look to the future, MinnPost
• The Sarah Palin chronicles mask deeper GOP troubles, Washington Post

Public Health/Safety:

• Newborns’ blood samples raise privacy questions, Washington Post. [See earlier PIM story for the operative contracts.]
• Twin Cities cops add cell phone alerts to arsenal, Star Tribune
• MN disabled veterans now eligible for free public transportation, MPR
• Homelessness in Hennepin County on the rise, MPR
• Report: Minnesota ranks 31st in adult obesity, MPR
• Anti-gay harassment incident goes viral via YouTube, MPR

St. Paul/Minneapolis:

• The fine art of parking, Finance and Commerce
• Proposal to dissolve Minneapolis’ oversight board advances, Star Tribune
• St. Paul seeks to bar two street gangs from Rondo Festival, Pioneer Press
• Urban farming finding increased interest in Twin Cities, MPR

Transportation:

• Court says drainage ditches don’t count as public roads, MPR