AFTERNOON EDITION

Even by the score-settling and petty enemy-debasing standards of the average state Legislature, this is a little weird. First, Mike Kaszuba of the Strib covers the latest GOP move to re-direct Legacy Amendment funding ... away from those considered unhelpful: “House Republicans are reexamining state funding for some key arts and cultural heritage groups — a move that may take political aim at Minnesota Public Radio, the Minnesota Zoo and other entities that have gotten special appropriations. In an unusual move on Tuesday, Rep. Dean Urdahl, who chairs the House Legacy Funding Division panel, introduced a new version of a Legacy amendment funding bill that would remove specific money recommendations for the state's influential public radio network and other cultural organizations and said they would instead compete for grants. Urdahl, who struggled at times during a hearing to explain the sudden move, said it was partly the suggestion of Republican legislative leaders.”

Kaszuba’s story also includes this classic : “House Majority Leader Matt Dean said he reminded Urdahl of the "importance of making sure he has [Republican] caucus support" for Legacy funding for arts and cultural heritage projects, an area of spending that Dean acknowledged had rankled some Republicans. ‘MPR, it's safe to say, has been a concern in the past,’ said Dean. Dean also singled out a $45,000 payment of Legacy money that was made last year to science fiction writer Neil Gaiman for a four-hour speaking appearance. Dean said that Gaiman, ‘who I hate,’ was a ‘pencil-necked little weasel who stole $45,000 from the state of Minnesota.' "

Since it’s not every day you hear that you, a private citizen, are “hated” by some politician, much less described as “pencil necked,” Gaiman, not exactly defenseless when it comes to verbiage, has been firing back. Laurie Hertzel of the Strib reports: “Wow.  I'm speechless.  But Gaiman isn't. He's been Tweeting all morning ... On Twitter, Gaiman fired back. ‘Sad &  funny. Minnesota Republicans have a 'hate' list. Like Nixon did. I'm on it,’ he posted this morning, followed by, ‘It's strange watching a grownup high school bully in power. But the bully vocabulary remains the same.’ A few minutes later, ‘Any nice, sane Minnesota Republicans reading this, please vote for someone who isn't a bully with a hate list next time.’ And, a few minutes after that, ‘Bizarrely, the twit who called me a pencilnecked weasel has posted my blog on his and claims copyright on it.’ Gaiman then posted a link to Dean's blog, which very quickly crashed. Gaiman tweeted one more time to apologize.” As usual, I’m not certain where the jobs-generating benefit is in this one.

The high-profile national lefty blog Firedoglake gets in on the action, with a post saying: “What is your major malfunction, Matt Dean? I mean, really? Are cheap shots wrapped in non sequiturs your strong suit, or what? Are you jealous that Gaiman’s fantasy writings are much better than our party’s fantasy writings — such as that pathetic excuse for a budget bill your party had Accenture write?  And for this they put you in charge of the House? And as for your partners in crime at the StarTribune, who are trying to stick up the state’s taxpayers for $791 million for a new Vikings stadium (that works out to 17,577.77 four-hour appearances by Neil Gaiman, or 17,250.77 more appearances than the Vikings will make in that stadium during its likely thirty-year lifespan), they should be ashamed of themselves for their hypocrisy as well as their facilitating your idiocy. What’s next, attacking Terry Pratchett?”

Exciting morning in St. Paul, and I’m not talking about the Capitol. As the PiPress tells it: “Just after 9 a.m., a Route 94 bus was traveling through the intersection at Cedar and Sixth streets. A black Chevrolet Silverado went through a red light and hit the bus, [Metro Transit spokesman John] Siqveland said. The bus and the truck went onto the sidewalk, and at least the bus struck the side of the Alliance Bank Center, Siqveland said. The truck driver was trapped in his vehicle, he said. ‘It was a tangled mess there on the sidewalk,’ Siqveland said. ‘It was a pretty dramatic scene.’ Seven people on the bus, including a baby and the driver, were taken to the hospital, Siqveland said. Four people were in the pick-up truck and two of them went to the hospital, he said. All the injured were conscious and breathing at the scene.”

It’ll be a relief not to hear anything more about this story. The ex-nurse in Faibault convicted in those creepy online assisted suicides has been handed a 360-day sentence. Randy Furst of the Strib writes: “[William] Melchert-Dinkel was found guilty on March 15 by Rice County District Judge Thomas Neuville, who concluded that the defendant had ‘intentionally advised and encouraged’ Mark Drybrough, 32, of Coventry, England, and Kajouji, 18, of Ottawa, Ont., to commit suicide. Under the unusual terms of the sentence, Melchert-Dinkel would serve 160 days in jail for the death of each victim and an additional two days a year for each death for the next 10 years; those two-day periods would be served in the month in which each person died. Melchert-Dinkel also was placed on probation for 15 years and ordered to have no contact with the victims' families or access to the Internet except in connection with work, and that must be approved by a probation officer. He also is prohibited from having any contact with vulnerable adults.”

MPR’s PoliGraph blogger Catharine Richert gives low credence to GOP 8th District Congressman Chip Cravaack’s recent assertion about Paul Ryan's big Medicare reform plan. She writes: “U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal includes a big change to Medicare. Most notably, the Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee aims to convert the program into a system that offers what he calls "premium support," which his detractors call vouchers. Among those defending Ryan's proposal is Rep. Chip Cravaack of Minnesota. ‘The [new Medicare] benefits being proposed is what I receive in Congress right now,’ Cravaack assured listeners of April 14, 2011, ‘Midmorning’ broadcast. ... The Verdict ... There's a nugget of truth in Cravaack's claim: the Republican plan envisions that Medicare and federal employee benefits would have to meet standards set by the same branch of government, and that both groups would get to choose from an array of private plans. But Cravaack's statement that the GOP Medicare proposal is 'what I receive in Congress right now’ is misleading to the point of being false because the government is guaranteed to cover 75 percent of his premium costs, regardless of how expensive health care gets. That's not the case for the new Medicare plan proposed by the GOP; in fact, it is likely beneficiaries will end up paying far more than they do now.” But ... but ... what if the word “same” doesn’t mean the same to Mr. Cravaack as it does to you and me?

Our guy T-Paw had better do well in Thursday’s big GOP presidential contenders debate in South Carolina ... since he may be the only one there. Reuters is saying: “In the latest evidence of the sputtering start to the 2012 White House race, Republicans will hold their first candidate debate on Thursday with a depleted line-up without the party's most high-profile contenders. The nationally televised debate in South Carolina will feature only one top-tier candidate, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, and four lesser-known contenders for the right to challenge President Barack Obama next year. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who has formed a committee to raise money and explore a possible run, is skipping the event. Four other potential candidates who score well in early opinion polls — Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump and Newt Gingrich — have made no move to run. The debate's co-sponsors, Fox News and the South Carolina Republican Party, decided to go forward despite the no-shows.” Obviously, it can’t be a first-class event unless Trump is there. "Joining Pawlenty at the debate will be Representative Ron Paul, former Senator Rick Santorum, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and former Godfather's Pizza executive Herman Cain."

If you’ve been out on St. Alban’s Bay in Lake Minnetonka, you’ve seen the house. I mean it’s on its own island! Jim Buchta of the Strib notes that the place poses a bit of a mystery: “The house is basically on a private island connected to the main land by bridge in St. Alban's Bay with almost 1,200 feet of shoreline. The house has nearly 19,000 square feet and there's a 15-car subterranean garage. There's a catch: The house is unfinished, it's corporate-owned and is being sold as-is, so you'll have to finish it yourself.” Did I mention that $5.9 million asking price? Oh, and the comments are pretty good. Like the one that says, “I've heard a lot of stories about that house. That it was a rich divorced couple and the woman spent all of her portion on it. That the little bridge that they built to get to the ‘island’ cost tens of thousands of dollars. Bunch of old wives tales ... I would be curious to know the truth.”

Sam Black of the Business Journal covered the formal curtain-raising on the Block E Casino concept. He writes: “The downtown Minneapolis casino project proposed by Alatus LLC is a one-time opportunity for the Minnesota state Legislature, according to Alatus Principal Bob Lux. If the proposal isn't approved this session, Alatus plans to start working on another plan for the property, Lux said in an interview after Wednesday mornings press conference. ... The bill calls for the state to own and run the casino. It's unclear what role Alatus will play when the project is complete, besides owning and operating boutique retail on the site, Lux said. Alatus would control and be able to lease out between 20,000 and 40,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space in the first phase. Lux said the second phase hasn't been ‘programmed’ yet so he didn't have a number of square feet to share.”