With an eye toward the state and U.S. Supreme Court, Norm Coleman's forces declared the Senate election "fatally flawed," The Uptake reports. Carver County officials properly checked absentee votes for witness registrations while Scott County didn't, the Strib's Pat Doyle writes, which sets up a constitutional claim that votes were not treated equally.

More "flawed": Problem for Coleman: Scott's accepted ballots are comingled, but an honest, uncorrectable error isn't the same as the Bush v. Gore "no clear state standard" on which Norm rests his hopes, the PiPress' Rachel Stassen-Berger notes. Coleman attorneys also claim some of the 24 absentee ballots the court accepted last week fell into the 12 categories judges later excluded.

U.S Bankcorp CEO Richard Davis claimed the feds "told" his relatively healthy institution to take TARP funds, but the bank later changed his tune, the PiPress' Nicole Garrison-Sprenger reports. "A U.S. Bancorp spokesman said Davis had misspoken, and meant that because the largest banks in the country took TARP money, U.S. Bancorp and others were forced to do so as well, for competitive reasons." I love a good rip on bank bailouts as much as the next guy, but fellas, at least don't fib while you're pocketing our money.

It hasn't even started running yet, but Northstar commuter rail fares just went up, the PiPress' Brady Gervais reports. Actually, this is a Met Council proposal (and likely fait accompli): The two furthest-flung stops would see fees rise 50 cents, to eight bucks one-way from Big Lake and $6 from Elk River. Anoka and Coon Rapids remain at $4 and Fridley is $3.25.

You burn 16 billion tons of coal and what do you get? Increasingly mercury-laden pike, says the PiPress' Dennis Lien. Methylmercury readings fell nearly 40 percent in the '80s and early '90s, but have since risen 15 percent, according to a study. The DNR says a consistent statewide rise means local sources probably aren't the culprit; they blame Asia's coal-fired economy and global warming generally. Forecast: Eat even less bioaccumulating fish.

Ah, contrasts. The Strib's Steve Alexander reports Life Time Fitness, which jacked up membership rates during good times to encourage attrition, is now instituting price cuts. It will miss already-reduced earnings targets as its stock has fallen from $40 a share to $10. Meanwhile, Medtronic is one of the few thriving local businesses; its profits and sales both rose, the Strib's Janet Moore notes, but market share in a cardiac area declined, MPR's Annie Baxter adds.

By the way, another local business doing well: Gander Mountain, which saw same-store sales decline a mere 0.2 percent. One reason why, the Business Journal's Sam Black notes: ammo sales. Hmmm.

Entertaining column from the Strib's Jon Tevlin on well-known songwriters tied up in the Petters fiasco. Alleged co-scumbag and rageaholic Michael Catain controls the rights to tunes by Smokey Robinson, Midnight Oil and Maggie Roche of The Roches; they say the "palooka" did them wrong and lament court-required hurdles. A couple of Willie Nelson songs may also be in the mix. Catain also fomented some Vanilla Ice melodies, which should be an aggravating factor come sentencing time.

Speaking of rage, an undercover FBI informant in the RNC 8 case faces assault and burglary charges after allegedly wilding on his wife's buddies, the Strib's Randy Furst reports. Andrew Darst is accused of busting a door and bloodying partygoers because he didn't like his spouse's crowd. The FBI won't confirm an RNC 8's contention that Darst is the informant, but Hennepin County says the agency won't let Durst's mug shot be released.

If you like your writing vivid, dispatches from the heartbreaking murder trial in a 90-year-old woman's killing are the order of the day. Twenty-eight-year-old numbnut Corey Posley-Wells did the deed, and tried Bible verses to mitigate his sentence, but the victim's outraged relatives threw papers, yelled "Punk!" and generally would have none of it, the PiPress' David Hanners reports. The robber told the Hopkins nonagenarian he wouldn't hurt her, then slit her throat with a kitchen knife.

A desperately needed $66 million Lowry Avenue Bridge is the biggest-ticket item on Hennepin County's $202 million stimulus wish list, the Strib's Mary Jane Smetanka writes. The dossier, culled from county requests, also includes $31 million for expanding satellite medical clinics, $49 million for energy-efficiency such as solar and green roofs and oh yeah, $4.6 million for Twins stadium-area bike and pedestrian improvements.

Related: City Pages' Bradley Campbell says federal cash is needed to make Minneapolis' ambitious bike-sharing program work. There are good details on how the program will function. Of note: Organizers plan for a 10 percent theft rate among the estimated 1,000 bikes. I guess that will stimulate two-wheeled juvenile drug-dealing.

Meanwhile, the stimulus won't plug St. Paul's budget sinkhole, the PiPress' Dave Orrick reports. A Chris Coleman aide says the fed money might allieviate some of Gov. Pawlenty's local-government aid cuts — though with some health cuts off the table, I'm not sure of that — but that the "shovel-ready" emphasis can't fill the yawning $40-million-plus operating deficit. Coleman rejected a suggestion that Highland residents buy their way out of rec-center cuts that poorer neighborhoods would have to swallow.

Final stimulus notes: MPR's Martin Moylan says Minnesota's Marvin Windows and Andersen Corp. could benefit from a 30 percent tax credit for insulated glass. Also, WCCO's Jason DeRusha looks at just when government gets those stimulus funds.

Sign of the times: Moylan takes a long look at the enticements employers use to keep laid-off workers from suing. Extra pay and benefits are the usual carrots, but some workers later regret taking the lucre. Lawyers advise taking a deep breath and learning the minimum payout employers have to give whether you sign or not.

End of an error: The Strib's Steve Brandt notes that among 3,000 Hennepin foreclosures is a riverfront condo repossessed from ex-Minneapolis schools chief and Cadillac-denter Thandiwe Peebles. Peebles is scraping by on $1,400 a day as a consultant in New Jersey.

Losing its cherry: The Downtown Journal's Dylan Thomas reports that the Walker's Spoonbridge will be fruit-free for the next month as a new cherry-red coating is applied to its preposterously positioned pitted pinnacle.

Nort spews: The Jefferson-less Wolves were plucky but lost on the road to the terrible Washington Wizards, 111-103.