The news today is dominated by the deaths of three Minnesota National Guardsmen serving in Iraq. Here's the lead from the Star Tribune story by Bob von Sternberg and Chuck Haga:

One was a freshly minted suburban police officer. Another was a beloved math teacher. And one was advancing through the sergeant ranks of the Minnesota National Guard. All three were newly married; two of them wed just days before they headed for Iraq last fall.

All three died Monday, killed when a roadside bomb was detonated where their military convoy had been brought to a stop in Baghdad. Eight others were injured.

It was Minnesota's costliest day in Iraq and apparently the deadliest day of combat for the state since May 5, 1968, when nine died in Vietnam. Nineteen Minnesotans have died in Iraq since mid-2003; 18 were military members.

Staff Sgt. David Day, 25, of St. Louis Park, First Lt. Jason Timmerman, 24, of Tracy and Sgt. Jesse Lhotka, 24, of Alexandria were killed in southwest Baghdad. All were members of the 151st Field Artillery based in Montevideo, a unit that had retrained for urban street patrol.

Timmerman, Day and Lhotka -- all of whom grew up in western Minnesota -- were among about 330 members of the 151st mobilized in the fall for a deployment that was to last a year to 18 months. The 151st includes units based in Montevideo, Marshall, Olivia, Morris, Ortonville, Appleton and Madison.

Virtually every media site in the state (including MPR) has more information about the three soldiers today. It's all worth reading. It's pretty clear all three of these young men represented the best of Minnesota. I was struck how the news contrasted with an NPR piece this morning by Cheryl Corley about the celebration around the homecoming of some Guard troops. It should be on the NPR site sometime today.

In some more mundane political news, the Minnesota House has finally taken the plunge on funding for the Northstar commuter rail line. MPR's Laura McCallum has a look at some of the politics behind the vote on the House Bonding bill:

Opponents of the project tried unsuccessfully to remove Northstar money from the bill. Northstar supporter Kathy Tinglestad, R-Andover, says getting $10 million for the project through the House is a major milestone.

"Typically, third time is the charm, but this project took a few more years," she said.

Tinglestad says the election results changed the dynamics in the House. She says two Republican legislators who opposed Northstar were defeated by DFLers.

Opponents argue that the line won't reduce congestion in the northwest corridor.
Lakeville Republican Mary Liz Holberg, who chairs the House Transportation Finance Committee, says the project is fiscally irresponsible.

"We have no plan to fund the operating costs of this particular line, but nobody wants to talk about that. The truth to this is it's irresponsible! We haven't taken care of the whole project, she said.

Holberg was one of 12 House members who voted against the bonding bill, while 121 members voted for it. It would authorize the state to borrow $781 million through bond sales for construction projects. The remaining $35 million in the bill would be financed by state colleges and universities.

There was an interesting debate in the House Health Care Finance and Policy Committee Tuesday about the proposal to raise the cigarette tax by $1 per pack and use the money to reduce some taxes on small businesses. MPR's Tom Scheck had the story:

But several members of the committee wonder if money raised from a cigarette tax increase could be better spent. Several lawmakers say they would prefer to see the money used to offset Gov. Pawlenty's proposed cuts to MinnesotaCare. About 27,000 people would lose coverage in the state-subsidized health insurance program under the governor's budget.

Rep. Barb Goodwin, DFL-Columbia Heights, supports that alternative move. She doesn't think the state's small businesses would actually see the benefit of the HMO fee cut.

"I don't believe that the cost savings will be passed on. I think this is a nice thing for the industry but I don't think it's going to help people maintain or keep health insurance," says Goodwin.

Increasing cigarette taxes has backers among anti-smoking advocates who believe higher taxes will reduce smoking rates.

Matt Flory, with the American Cancer Society, says a dollar-a-pack cigarette tax increase would especially reduce rates among teenagers who don't have as much discretionary income as adults.

Gov Pawlenty is going to China. The trip is in November. This is from the Associated Press:

"If you look at the future, it's undeniable China will be an economic powerhouse in the world," Pawlenty said in a news conference at the Science Museum of Minnesota, currently exhibiting a set of dinosaur fossils from China. "We would be foolish not to reach out to them and build friendships that are mutually beneficial."

And finally there's another Republican candidate in the race for the 6th District Congressional seat. Here's more from the St. Cloud Times:

Republican activist Jay Esmay said he'll seek his party's nomination for the 6th District U.S. House seat, which is being vacated by Rep. Mark Kennedy who is hoping to be elected to the Senate.

Esmay, a manager at Cold Spring Granite and co-chairman of the local Republican Party, is a first-time candidate for public office.

The 43-year-old made an informal announcement Tuesday and plans
a more formal announcement later. In his letter to delegates and in a brochure, he touted his military experience and business career, and stressed that he is not a career politician.

"I think it is my duty to step forward and do this," Esmay said.

Esmay, a Coon Rapids native, spent 14 years in the U.S. Air Force and has lived in St. Cloud for six years. He and his wife, Leticia, have four children.

He said he would not run in the primary without the Republican endorsement.

Two other Republicans have also said they'd run for the 6th District seat. They are state Rep. Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud, and state Sen. Michele Bachmann, R-Stillwater.

At least six others are considering seeking the Republican endorsement.