It’s unallotment day! Gov. Pawlenty will announce a $2.7 billion plan at 2 p.m. TPaw is the first to sign a knowingly unbalanced budget, claiming the right to cut unilaterally. MPR’s Tom Scheck notes Pawlenty bragged nationally about the first budget drop in state history, and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher terms a lawsuit “very likely.” (Good luck with that one.) No details have leaked, but the PiPress’ Bill Salisbury reprises the governor’s May plan that featured $950 million in cuts.
Related: Forum’s Don Davis says cities and counties at least hope the guv sticks to his pledge to cut no more than 5 percent of their property-tax-plus-state-aid amounts. Dave Orrick and fellow PiPress staffers encapsulate various cities’ 2009 spending; this story needs that sweep. St. Paul’s Chris Coleman is the only local mayor to cut his salary. The Mankato Free Press’ Mark Fischenich notes that the city probably faces a 12 percent hike to make up lost state funds, with a bigger jump the following year.
An already immuno-compromised 5-year-old died from the swine flu, the state’s first death, the Strib’s Maura Lerner and Paul Walsh report. The unidentified victim is precisely the type authorities said would succumb. In this sense, the swine flu is like every other kind of flu. However, the Stribbers say kids are disproportionately affected (because schools were an early nexus?) and Children’s Hospitals admissions are up 50 percent. MPR’s Lorna Benson notes the fatality rate is 3 per 1,000 cases, and the majority of flu victims require hospitalization.
The Favre Threat Level has been raised to Severe, as the diva-like quarterback confirmed on HBO last night he’ll be a Viking if his throwing arm rebounds from surgery. You coulda said this weeks ago, ya jerk. The Vikes are no princes here, either; they asked Favre to attend offseason workouts (he declined because of arm uncertainty) but didn’t tell the media. As everyone notes, Favre at one point referred to the Vikes as “we.”
The Minneapolis cop cleared repeatedly in the Fong Lee shooting was arrested for domestic assault, WCCO’s Reg Chapman reports. Jason Andersen pleaded not guilty and remains on the job, though an internal affairs investigation awaits. He was taken into custody Sunday after allegedly assaulting a female acquaintance at his Big Lake home. His attorney notes the woman was also arrested, but she was cited and released while Andersen was booked. The court date is next month.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar tapped Minneapolis Assistant Police Chief Sharon Lubinski for federal marshal, the Strib’s Kevin Diaz writes. She’ll be the top enforcement officer for the federal courts, the 13th woman marshal ever. Minnesota Independent’s Andy Birkey asks if she’s also the first acknowledged gay or lesbian. The Minneapolis cop shop will have to find someone new to oversee daily operations; Lubinski was a former finalist for the chief’s job.
Jammie Thomas-Rasset’s file-sharing retrial opened, the Strib’s Alex Ebert reports. Music-industry lawyers again presented data linking her to 1,702 illegally shared songs; the defense says they can’t prove she was the one typing. Her team — which the Duluth News Tribune notes includes an attorney who graduated from Harvard Law at 19 — objected aggressively, noting, “That’s our style.” But will it be the judge and jury’s?
More Jammie: Ebert notes “all jurors either own an MP3 player or are close to someone who does.” AP’s Steve Karnowski says Judge Michael Davis instructed the jury not to Twitter or otherwise blog until case’s end.
In what may be the day’s best read, MPR’s Laura Yuen profiles a “conscience of the [Somali] community” who tried to stop teenage boys from fighting in their homeland. Abia, a Hennepin County worker, runs a girl’s program at the controversial Abubakar As-Saddique mosque. Abia says she’s been accused of encouraging the emigres to fight, but she confronted a travel agent and did other interventions when she learned of the trips.
In a Strib op-ed, David Green and Grant Stevensen of the religious coalition ISAIAH take the editorial page to task for pooh-poohing the group’s civil rights complaint over Central Corridor LRT planning. They note the Strib encouraged resolution with big cheeses MPR and the University of Minnesota, so why not relatively powerless community members.
Speaking of LRT, the existing Hiawatha Line is still spurring spending. The Airports Commission will spend a whopping $17 million to enclose the “five- to 10-minute walk” between Terminal 2 — er, the Humphrey Terminal — and the train station, the Strib’s Susan Ziegler reports. Officials say they were spurred by the good bidding climate; can you imagine the cost otherwise? The project will be done by December 2010.
Minnesota charter school students perform “slightly worse” than similar traditional-school students, the Strib’s Emily Johns notes. No state-level breakout, but nationally, 17 percent of charters overperform while 37 percent underperform. Despite the slight decline, Johns says Minnesota’s drop is statistically significant. However, the scores may represent a transition problem; by the third year, Minnesota kids perform better in charters.
Smart Politics’ Eric Ostermeier calls Michele Bachmann the U.S. House’s “boldest” ideologue because her district is the least conservative among those held by Congress’ top right-wingers. Bachmann won by 3 percentage points; the average ultra-conservative won by 31. She’s also one of the few lacking seniority, and her district, both at the presidential and legislative level, is trending blue.
California officials say Target is a major polluter, the Strib’s Jackie Crosby writes. A.G. Jerry Brown alleges the company “routinely” dumps “bleach, paints, pesticides, oven cleaners and aerosol products” as well as mercury-laden light bulbs into the Golden State’s landfill. The state seeks $25,000 for each of 300 suspected violations, or at least $7.5 million overall. Target officials are “disappointed” Brown went to court despite a “constructive and productive” dialogue. K-Mart just shelled out $8.5 million for similar misdeeds.
And an especially smelly whistle at that: The PiPress’ Jason Hoppin says St. Paul is poised to shell out $50,000 and a promotion to a sewer worker who alleges leaky pipes mix raw sewage and stormwater runoff. Whistleblower Thomas Walters’ charges haven’t been proven, and the city is not admitting guilt.
Alleged drunks with cash: The woman accused of hitting a Minneapolis pedestrian was freed after posting $150,000 bail, KSTP reports. The victim remains in critical condition.
Nort spews: As expected, Crystal native Todd Richards will coach your Minnesota Wild; the ex-Gopher has never been an NHL head man but did work for new GM Chuck Fletcher in the minors. He’s an up-tempo coach for what has been a thuddingly defensive squad. PiPress hockey nut Tom Powers assesses Richards’ chances; Minnesota Hockey Journal’s Fiona Quick interviewed him in April.
