Gov. Pawlenty's new budget pits everyone against health-care recipients. Fueled by $2.6 billion in Democratic stimulus funds, Pawlenty hiked K-12 spending, restored higher-ed cuts, threw $10 million at the courts and relieved counties of $8 million in jail expenses, the PiPress' Dennis Lien writes. But the guv would also toss adults off subsidized medical care, borrow $1 billion, and delay education payments. The Strib's Pat Lopez notes Pawlenty would prevent indigent adults from being treated in hospitals.

More guv budget: The Strib's Lori Sturdevant writes, "Seldom, if ever has a Minnesota governor produced a budget plan so dependent on one-time money. It comes in the form of $2.6 billion in federal stimulus dollars, $1.3 billion in delayed payments to schools and $1 billion in borrowing ... ." Lopez says 110,000 Minnesotans would be dumped from health care as soon as federal law allows, in 2011; MPR's Tom Scheck has more.

Still more guv budget: Pawlenty claims Senate DFL tax plans would hike the top rate to 12 percent and hit people making as little as $65,000, Lopez notes. Senators say Pawlenty can't do math. The Uptake provides video of the governor's dubious claims, noting that just because the top bracket starts at 65K doesn't mean that's where the hike would begin. Dems have proposed a new top-tier bracket beginning at $250,000.

Final budget: The courts would still face a $15 million cut, rather than the $25 million initially proposed.

The PiPress' Emily Gurnon says Sara Jane Olson was paroled shortly after midnight. She'll first visit her mom in California and has a week to make it back to the state. One of her probation conditions is not associating with Symbionese Liberation Army figures for a year, including her brother. Another PiPress headline notes Olson "Is not Osama Bin-Laden"; the paper's Ruben Rosario compares her case favorably to that of a cannibal! Rosario look back at the harder road of another famous parolee, Stanley Dean "Fingers" Baker, who came to Minnesota after dismembering a California social worker.

Mama D. died at 94, the PiPress' Richard Chin reports. The bighearted restaurateur fattened many a skinny U student, including this one, at her Dinkytown location. Mama D's closed eight years ago after moving to St. Paul.

Yikes: Gay marriage opponents say blocking the state initiative is "an issue of life." How so? Ruining people's lives? The Strib's Kevin Duchschere and Bob von Sternberg write that opponents want a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. It has no chance of passing.

Election contest minute: The Strib's Pat Doyle says Al Franken wants Norm Coleman to pay some court costs and lawyer's fees. The dough relates to a controversial witness who initially worked only with the Republican. As for ballots, the Coleman camp wants 1,984 counted, while Franken forces want 430, the PiPress' Rachel Stassen-Berger reports. Saddest sentence: Stassen-Berger writes that "The final ruling may be weeks away."

Related: The Strib's Duchschere says Wikileaks, the organization that disclosed credit-card information about Coleman donors, claims no one gave them the information; it was just "floating" around the Internet. There's no word about the group's dubious and unsubstantiated claim that media organizations were working with the site to get donors' comments.

The PiPress' John Welbes says Northwest cut its midweek Minneapolis-to-Chicago fares to $39. Of course, with baggage fees, the actual price is $435. New entrant Southwest has $49 no-fee fares.

Minneapolis and St. Paul may sue Internet travel agents for not paying full occupancy taxes, the Strib's Chris Havens notes. Apparently agents are only paying on the discounted wholesale room rate, not the higher resale rate. Anaheim, California reaped $21 million through such a complaint; no word on how much our Disneyland-free towns would net. Havens also says that the two cities are exploring joint-purchasing plans, though details are sketchy.

St. Paul may have to fork out $6 million for a former Bremer Bank building to enable light-rail, the PiPress' Dave Orrick reports. The city hoped a private developer would jump on the downtown transit-corridor property, but not in this economy. The city wants to get $37 million for LRT-line needs; the plan involves smushing together and extending four taxing districts. The Strib's Havens says the move would keep about $2 million a year from Ramsey County until 2029, but commissioners aren't livid.

I've never been convinced we need another renovated theater, but Hennepin County officials will apparently try to nab $2.5 million of stimulus cash for the Shubert Theater, the Strib's Mary Jane Smetanka reports. The endless project remains $5 million short of its $41 million goal. Officials say the shovels are ready if the funds come in because bank loans will fill the funding gap. Tell me which banks they are so I can anticipate the bailout.

WCCO's Jason DeRusha asks a Dangerous Question: Are the Irish really drunks? St. Thomas' director of Irish Studies says yes, more or less. One author claims the Irish live up to the racist stereotype initially inflicted on them in America. On their native sod, the Irish drink more alcohol per-capita than anyone else in the western world.

Nort spews: The Wild climbed to within one point of the playoffs with a 3-2 shootout win over Colorado. The Wolves lost 93-86 at San Antonio.WCCO's Heather Brown says two state Republicans want to prohibit scholarship aid from any foreign athlete playing for a state school.