Could this really be the end of Gov. Pawlenty's casino plan?
It sure looks like Pawlenty's quest for gambling cash, or fairness as he called it, has met its Waterloo in the House tax committee. Here's the lead from the Star Tribune story:

Admitting that they faced imminent defeat, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his allies Tuesday withdrew their plan for state-sponsored casinos at Canterbury Park racetrack from a House committee hours before a scheduled showdown.

"That was done because we had lost a couple of votes over the last 24 hours and no longer have enough votes to pass the bill today," Dan McElroy, Pawlenty's chief of staff, said Tuesday.

The decision underscored the serious obstacles confronting the casino plan. While supporters said the proposal remained alive and could resurface in the House Taxes Committee or become a bargaining chip in budget negotiations, their decision to withdraw the bill is the latest in a series of setbacks for it and other plans to use casinos to help fund state government. One leading DFLer said the proposal was finished.

But you know what they say about the Capitol--nothing is ever dead until lawmakers go home. MPR's Michael Khoo has a look at how the casino bill might return:

What might come up next is a plan that focuses solely on a Canterbury casino without any Native American participation. Such a "racino" plan passed the House two years ago and is widely believed to have more support than options that include Indian bands.

Canterbury President Randy Sampson says he's encouraged that GOP lawmakers in both the House and Senate are committed to a pure racino and have suggested that that option has the best chance of passing this year.

"We certainly do want to keep our options open. I think that will play out, obviously, as the session finishes," he said.

But McElroy says Pawlenty is committed to making sure struggling Native American communities have a chance to benefit from any casino deal. He says the governor is unlikely to support a straight racino plan.

The House is scheduled to debate the handgun permit law today, and this unsettling note comes from the Pioneer Press:

Members of the Minnesota House on Tuesday received a threatening e-mail that purported to be from a supporter of an effort to allow Minnesotans easier access to gun permits. But the supporter and Capitol Security said it was a hoax.

"You better vote for us or else," said the e-mail, which appeared to be from Joel Rosenberg, who has worked to change Minnesota's law governing who can get a permit to carry a loaded weapon in public. Minnesota House members are expected to debate the gun bill possibly as early as today.

"If you don't vote for what we want, we will use the Information we have from a former Police Database to blackmail any opponents in our way. This MEANS YOU in the HOUSE," the e-mail said. "This means that people will be sent to your homes, like people were sent to Wes Skoglund's home, to intimidate, and harass, and look in his window," the e-mail said. Skoglund is a state senator from Minneapolis.

"It's fraudulent," said David Gross, an attorney representing Rosenberg. "We have contacted law enforcement and are hoping they can help us get to the bottom of this."

Minnesota Capitol Security and the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension worked Tuesday to figure out who sent the e-mail. In addition, the FBI is investigating.

Something tells me whoever sent the message will realize what a dumb move it was when the FBI shows up.

Finally, a long-time fixture of Minnesota's public police scene has died. Former Minneapolis Mayor Art Naftalin was 87. This is from MPR's Art Hughes:

Art Naftalin referred to himself as an "unreconstructed liberal". In a 1985 interview with MPR he traced his political roots to growing up Jewish in his hometown of Fargo, North Dakota. He remembered his father receiving the first loan in the state under a depression-era federal program which saved the family's home from foreclosure.

"When people talk about getting government off our backs, when people talk about decentralization and abandoning welfare, this doesn't strike a very firm chord in my soul," he said.