Polinaut: November 30, 2007 Archive

The Daily Digest: 11-30-07

Posted at 9:40 AM on November 30, 2007 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)
Filed under: Daily Digest

It's a busy morning so we'll be brief.

Finance officials release the budget forecast today. All signs point to a gloomy one. MPR, the Star Tribune, the Pi Press and AP have stories.

Gov. Pawlenty and lawmakers announce some short term relief for I-35 W bridge victims. MPR, the Star Tribune and AP have stories.

Republicans say Secretary of State Mark Ritchie should sit out the special election. He says nope.

Several agencies will investigate the pipeline explosion in Clearbrook.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson sues another firm over annuities.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wonders if Wisconsin will become "the ashtray of the Midwest" now that Minnesota bars are smokefree.

A commission to end poverty meets in St. Cloud.

The SEED show continues the world tour. This time it stops in northern Minnesota.

An ethanol plant gets hit with a $300 thousand fine.

Congress

GOP Sen. Norm Coleman wants the Ag Secretary confirmed soon.

He also called the sticker shock related to the pipeline explosion as "frightening."

DFL Rep. Collin Peterson is telling farmers to oppose any extensions to the Farm Bill.

2008

The race for Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District ranks sixth on The Fix's "The Line." Here's the entry:

6. Minnesota's 3rd District (R): Among the newly open seats, none is more difficult to analyze than this one. On its face, the district should be very competitive; President Bush won it with just 51 percent in 2004 and the suburbs surrounding the Twin Cities, which are at the heart of the seat, have been moving Democratic of late due to dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq. But, the race simply hasn't developed as quickly as some ranked ahead of it on the Line. For Republicans, state Rep. Erik Paulson seems like the establishment choice. There is no such consensus among Democrats as state Sen. Terri Bonoff, Iraq war vet Ashwin Madia and Edina Mayor Jim Hovland are all in the contest. Minnesota politics goes at its own pace and this race just isn't gelling yet. (Previous ranking: 3)

The AFL-CIO backs DFLer El Tinklenberg for Congress in Minnesota's 6th.

Former Rep. Ray Cox is running to replace GOP Sen. Tom Neuville.

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