Like some epic medieval battle, the two sides in Minnesota's budget balancing battle are spending each fine spring day adding to their arsenals, drilling their troops and scouting and testing enemy fortifications. At the Strib, Mike Kaszuba, with help from Mark Brunswick, examines the front lines in the health care quadrant in reaction to the DFL Senate's proposal to lop $625 million out of state health spending over the next two years. The usual suspects -- Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, House Minority Leader Marty Seifert -- are quoted saying pretty much the usual things, with everyone acknowledging, tacitly and otherwise, that Gov. Pawlenty will veto anything the DFL sends to him on the grounds that cuts aren't deep enough. The PiPress's Jason Hoppin leads with the shrinking "safety net" amid a severe economic downturn.

As we wait to see how bad it'll get, we may have already hit a wall on how much more we can say about preparations for swine flu. The Strib's Josephine Marcotty and Maura Lerner walk us -- meaning everyone who has paid attention to this point -- through a familiar list of how hospitals will deal with symptoms-presenting patients, what employers should tell employees and what to avoid, like "no more affectionate kissing or handshakes." The office won't be the same, will it? The PiPress has John Welbes reporting on the surge in demands for 3M's respirator masks.

MPR's Anne Baxter looks into the anxiety spreading among Minnesota GM dealers, with as many as 50 state Chevy, Pontiac, GMC, Cadillac, etc., dealers likely to be closed under GM's draconian restructuring. She quotes a state Automobile Dealers Association spokesman presuming that the deep cuts mean bankruptcy. "I don't think they could do that outside of bankruptcy," he said. "I think it would be very difficult to reduce the dealer count that dramatically that fast." The figure of 2,000 lost jobs associated with closing dealerships is used.

Tom Scheck and Ken Paulman cover Rep. Keith Ellison's arrest Monday in front of the Sudanese Embassy, protesting the genocide in Darfur. The two MPR reporters get Ellison saying, "That is a dramatic condition, which requires some dramatic action. Five members of Congress getting arrested is a news-getting event. This morning, they weren't talking about this issue on the news, and this afternoon, after we were arrested, they are." MinnPost coverage here. Minnesota Republican chair Ron Carey responds, "... as a member of Congress, I think Congressman Ellison has the responsibility to be a role model and set an example," Carey said. "What does it say to other citizens when you have a congressman who is blatantly, on purpose, violating the law?" We're guessing Ellison knows exactly what it says to other citizens.

Patrice Relerford previews today's announcement that Minneapolis will close three elementary schools and a middle school, along with other changes, in cost-savings moves. The closings will affect more than 900 students. Superintendent Bill Green is quoted by the Strib saying the closings will save $7.5 million a year or the cost of 100 teachers annually.

The Strib's editorial page offers a recap of its four-part investigative series on police corruption, without getting in anyone's face ... too much. The piece closes by boldly saying, "The Star Tribune's series detailed how racial issues appeared to have affected an important corruption investigation. It also revealed that the Minneapolis Police Department has more work to do to get its internal house in order." We're certain they'll be getting angry calls about language that harsh.  

The phrase "violent girl fight" usually catches viewer attention. Fox9 gives an even-handed report on a staged fight between two girls in a St. Paul high school bathroom that -- wait for it -- was uploaded to the Internet. What? You haven't bookmarked worldstarhiphop.com? Wassupwithat?

The PiPress's tech guy, Julio Ojeda-Zapata, gives a comprehensive run-down on what exactly you can do with that tiny Mac Mini, you know, the thing the size of a chunk of Irish cheese? Says Ojeda-Zapata, "For nerdier types, the Mac Mini can serve as a media-center computer when hooked up to an HDTV and tricked out with a television tuner for TiVo-ish functionality (along with the option to Web-stream TV shows via sites like Hulu)." We're getting right on it.

Still on the topic of "attention getting," City Pages's slide show of costumes from Ground Zero's 15th Annual Rubberball, a celebration of all things latex is funny if "barely PG." We assume that full latex attire is effective against swine flu, but is it appropriate for "casual Fridays"? Check with HR first.

The Twins played like they all ate 10 Dome Dogs and two plates of nachos before last night's game with Tampa Bay. The 7-1 snoozer/loser was the first of nine "All You Can Eat" nights and the Strib's Michael Rand walks you through the -- why be polite? -- nauseating combinations of wretchedly bad food you can gorge on if Scott Baker, Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young and a few others are underperforming on the field. One level of ingestion, worthy of Monty Python's Mr. Creosote is actually called The Belly Blast. Do the French do this at soccer matches?