Morning Report 9/21/2009

Best of the Blogs and Think Tank Thoughts:

• Ramstad could run for governor after all, Politics in Minnesota
• Parking: Where some quarters are better than others., Across the Great Divide
• Pawlenty places third in Value Voters Summit straw poll, Minnesota Independent
• DNC ‘rips’ TPaw, Let Freedom Ring
• Pawlenty’s county cuts will lead to higher property taxes, MN 2020
• Strib post-bankruptcy still needs new economic model, The Same Rowdy Crowd
• Kline: Starting over is insurance company win, mnpACT!
• Minnesota foreclosure rate still up 67 percent since election day, Smart Politics
• Where’s the prosperity Tarryl???, Let Freedom Ring
• Back off, Bobby Jindal: Pawlenty already tried it, MN Publius
• Huckabee wins 2012 straw poll at Values Voters Summit, Washington Wire - WSJ
• Pawlenty’s attacks on Obama delight audience at Values Voter Summit, The Caucus - NYTimes

Business/Economy:

• Twin Cities’ best brand: Allianz?, MSP Business Journal
• Home buyers find bargains at auction of lender-owned homes, Star Tribune
• Minnesota drops tax reciprocity with Wisconsin, Pioneer Press
• Minnesota pulls plug on Wisconsin tax reciprocity, MPR
• Bemidji Regional Airport: Terminal reconstruction receives federal grant, Bemidji Pioneer

Campaigns:

• Governor’s race keeps politicos abuzz, Bemidji Pioneer

Congress-House:

• Kline jeers health care bill … and the crowd loves it, Pioneer Press
• ACORN scandal puts Bachmann in the spotlight, St. Cloud Times
• ‘SNL’ skit adds Michele Bachmann to the Joe ‘you lie!’ Wilson fracas, MinnPost

Congress-Senate:

• Klobuchar backs federal texting-while-driving ban, Star Tribune

Crime/Police:

• Criminal defense bar to propose changes to forfeiture laws, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report

Environment:

• Differing shades of green energy debated at TwinWest Chamber legislative breakfast, Finance and Commerce
• Two landmarks of varying vintage gain LEED certification, Finance and Commerce
• Federal delays stall alternative energy projects, AP
• Court: County must fix wetlands, Mankato Free Press

Federal Stimulus:

• Minnesota receives $10.6 million for energy efficiency projects, Finance and Commerce
• Mille Lacs Band receives $8.9 million in stimulus money, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report

Government-Local:

• Streetlight fees? Some cities are switching them on, Star Tribune
• City councils move to meet tax deadline, Star Tribune

Judicial:

• Court workers put on leave, Star Tribune
• 10 Hennepin County court employees suspended, AP

Legislature:

• Real estate commission adopts recording standards, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Minnesota panel looks at proposed outdoors projects, Pioneer Press
• Legislative manual being dedicated to veterans, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Bible of Minnesota political facts set for release, AP

Media:

• Despite slashed debt, is the Star Tribune still overleveraged?, MinnPost

Opinion-Commentary:

• Steven Young: Minnesota needs a firewall, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Lori Sturdevant: Life after ‘no new taxes’, Star Tribune
• Joe Soucheray: What’s ailing us in the health care debate?, Pioneer Press

Opinion-Editorial:

• Editorial: Moving ahead on metro transit needs, Star Tribune
• Editorial: An improved medical model, Mankato Free Press

Other States:

• Tribal Council approves ‘perpetual’ use of Fighting Sioux nickname, Grand Forks Herald

Pawlenty:

• Pawlenty gets warm welcome in Washington, Star Tribune
• Pawlenty third in straw poll of GOP presidential contenders, Star Tribune
• Pawlenty places 3rd among social conservatives in presidential straw poll, Politico
• Pawlenty, Obama butt heads over health care, spending, MPR
• Often in public eye, but off the radar, Star Tribune
• Pawlenty decries ‘appeasement’, Politico
• Pawlenty to speak to South Dakota GOP, AP
• Pawlenty rouses religious voters, McClatchy - Tribune

People:

• One of the faces of Minnesota conservatism: Dave Thul, MinnPost

Public Health/Safety:

• H1N1: Lynfield, MDH brace for the flu, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• Osterholm’s worries: medical resources, vaccine timetable - and the media, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• HCMC readies for flu siege, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report
• No recourse: Call to state gets her fired, Star Tribune
• Minnesota and other states send mixed message on texting and driving, MPR
• Contentious food issues topic of U of M health symposium, MPR
• U of M tackles stadium rowdiness with breath tests, AP

St. Paul/Minneapolis:

• Credit crunch stalls North Loop development, Star Tribune
• New blood may be in store for Mill District in Minneapolis, Star Tribune
• Minneapolis to boost utility fees for tax-exempt properties, Star Tribune
• The last pandemic: 1918 in the Twin Cities, St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report

Z-File: Irresistible Stories Beyond the Purview of PIM

• Elite schools don’t make elite people, Washington Post