The Morning Report 7/2/08 - Daily Minnesota Political Stories

Top Story: A time to pay: Star Tribune doesn't pay creditors; Sen. Coleman pays little D.C. rent; MN joins federal unemployment payment program.

Agriculture:

• USDA Rural development loans turn dreams into realities, Rochester Post-Bulletin
• CRP taxes clarified, Fargo Forum

Best of the Blogs and Think Tank Thoughts:

• Top Ten House Districts to Watch: Part I, Politics in Minnesota
• How the gas tax will help us, MN Campaign Report
• Voters should punish the politics of greed, Wright County Republican
• A fool's paradise: America's aging infrastructure and the Midwest floods, The Blotter
• AG Hatch's Subterfuge, Let Freedom Ring
• July 1: Does this mean there's a primary now?, A Bluestem Prairie
• Strib: "We have the money, we're just not going to pay the interest," The Blotter
• A pleasant exchange, an uphill battle, SCSU Scholars
• Day One: Three Contested Primaries, MN Blue
• Set ‘em Up, Tear ‘em Down, Shot in the Dark
• CREW files ethics complaint against Sen. Coleman over questionable rental arrangement, CREW
• More Bad News for AG Swanson, Ladies Logic

Business/Economy:

• Wal-Mart hammered by judge, Star Tribune
• Star Tribune passes on debt payment, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
• Survey: Midwest, Plains economy near recession, AP
• UnitedHealth cuts 2008 outlook as premiums slip, AP
• St. Paul jilts Ford for Toyota's 10-vehicle deal, MN Independent
• Star Tribune withholds some pay to lenders, Star Tribune
• Ford Ranger sales fall over 30% in June, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
• Sales drop clouds the picture at St. Paul Ford plant, Star Tribune
• Wal-Mart faces fine in Minnesota suit involving work breaks, Star Tribune
• Minnesota to join federal unemployment extension program, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
• Economy hurts restaurants while 'fast casual' niche soars, Finance & Commerce
• Minneapolis marketing agency opens Hong Kong office, BusinessWire
• Judge finds Wal-Mart violated Minnesota labor laws, Reuters
• Judge: Wal-Mart owes Minnesota workers $6.5 million for off-clock work, lost breaks, Pioneer Press [includes ruling as PDF]
• NWA pilots to get 2.4% equity in new Delta, AP
• Survey: Minneapolis among best cities to get rich, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. [Ranked #4! --PIM staff]

Campaigns-Senate:

• Sen. Coleman accused of ethics lapse for D.C. housing arrangement, Pioneer Press
• Franken changes position on the gas tax, MPR
• Watchdog group files ethics charge against Coleman, MPR
• Will Ventura run for Senate?, KSTP

Campaigns:

• Filing opens for candidates in Minnesota, MPR
• Index of all state (House, U.S. House and U.S. Senate) campaigns (except judges) officially filed and processed at the Secretary of State's office and all the other races.
• Obama fans sweat it out for tickets, Fargo Forum
• New mayor is an old pro at city politics, Star Tribune
• West St. Paul/Familiar faces in mayoral rematch, Pioneer Press
• Scott County Board chair to step aside, Star Tribune
• Eleven Olmsted County and Rochester candidates file on opening day, Rochester Post-Bulletin
• North St. Paul councilman elected to serve remainder of late mayor's term, Pioneer Press
• Abeler, who bucked Pawlenty, seeks reelection, Star Tribune
• Tax vote earns Washington County commissioner a party snub, Star Tribune

Congress-Senate:

• Can Congress bring order to presidential primary chaos?, MinnPost. Features Sen. Klobuchar's primary reform proposal.

Crime/Police:

• Wind-power pioneer admits to inflated bills, Star Tribune

Education:

• Open for business, Fargo Forum. New MN School of Business opens in Moorhead.
• The new Pratt, The Bridge
• School budgets gain a bit of breathing room, Star Tribune
• Schools wondering where their lunch money went, Star Tribune

Environment:

• Monticello nuclear plant's storage opens, St. Cloud Times
• Polluted waters list grows, St. Cloud Times
• Algae analysis: Study to look for cause of Little Rock Lake's woes, St. Cloud Times

Events:

• Somalis mark their country's independence day with dance, food, St. Cloud Times
• Minnesotans celebrate world refugee day, African News Journal

Foreign Affairs:

• Ethiopian bombs land in Minnesota via cell phones, TC Daily Planet

Government-Local:

• Cities compromise on thousands in sewage fees, Star Tribune
• Metropolitan Council awards almost $4 million in cleanup funds, Finance & Commerce
• Plan for eventual New Hope city center hits snags, Star Tribune
• Ramsey County looking at raising salary cap for top staffer, Pioneer Press
• Could scofflaws cover library merger's cost overruns?, MN Independent
• Duluth needs to slash millions from city budget, MPR

Health Care:

• Teens choose to donate blood as new law takes effect, Duluth News-Tribune

Judicial:

• Attorney General's office won’t appeal ruling on violent video game sales, Finance & Commerce
• A day in the life of a Minnesota public defender, MPR News Cut
• Boy can’t be in church, AP. Fargo judge decides autism case.
• Minnesota justices debate about cameras in courtrooms, AP

Labor:

• Wind turbine workers reject union, AP

Legislature:

• Capitol hearing reveals specifics of allegations against Swanson and Hatch in AG’s office controversy, MN Independent
• Office on the Economic Status of Women 2008 Legislative Summary, Legislative Reference Library

Non-Profits:

• United Way sidewalk ads quickly removed, Finance & Commerce

Opinion-Commentary:

• Joe Soucheray: Pain at the pump? Yes, but article is more a pain in the rump, Pioneer Press
• Nick Coleman: Bus-fare hike couldn't come at a worse time, Star Tribune
• Sarah Stoesz: In South Dakota, a blow to abortion rights, Star Tribune
• Katherine Kersten: Navy's SEAL recruiting finds success in heartland, Star Tribune
• Craig Westover: A bite here, a bite there, pretty soon we're limping, Pioneer Press

Opinion-Editorial:

• Why in Minneapolis?, Nogales International (AZ). A publisher's conference in June: why here?
• Public defender cuts hurt everyone, St. Cloud Times
• Charter schools need stronger oversight, Star Tribune
• Good news for health care, Pioneer Press
• Blocking democracy in St. Paul elections, MN Daily
• Bachmann should explain farm funds, St. Cloud Times
• Pioneer Editorial: Star Lake boosts state lakes, rivers, Bemidji Pioneer

Pawlenty:

• Pawlenty talks to CBN: "I am defined by my commitment to Christ," MN Independent
• Pawlenty takes over national education organization, MPR
• Pawlenty to speak at GOPAC, MPR - Polinaut

Public Health/Safety:

• More women cite economy as reason for their abortions, Pioneer Press
• Fewer filing against MPD, MN Daily
• Will Minnesota go beyond Thunderdome?, The Rake - Defenestrator. Public safety budget cuts kick in.
• State abortions rates have declined; why not for teens?, Star Tribune
• Abortions rise 5.6% locally, St. Cloud Times

Republican National Convention:

• Activist wants Bush arrested at GOP convention in Minneapolis, LA Times. Ed Felien's writ of mandamus.
• Pawlenty, Coleman spearhead RNC money hunt, MN Independent
• UnConvention: Artists want voices heard during RNC, WCCO [Video]

St. Paul/Minneapolis:

• St. Paul's Penfield condos canceled, Star Tribune
• Making waves: proposed Mississippi River turbine stalled, MN Daily
• Plans to further remake the East Bank, Star Tribune

Stadiums:

• Burnsville: Dirt might get in the way of ballpark, Pioneer Press

Technology:

• Wilderness goes wireless at Itasca State Park, Pioneer Press
• Internet Broadcasting debuts Slantly polling tech, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

Transportation:

• Bicycling: an emerging subculture in Minnesota, MTN [Video]

Wisconsin:

• With Obama atop Dem ticket, candidates from Mississippi to Wisconsin use race as wedge issue, AP

Z-File: Irresistible stories beyond the purview of PIM

• Lullaby greets babies' arrivals, Chicago Tribune
• Dry ice blasting puts a shine on historic state lighthouse in Minnesota, Finance & Commerce