MORNING EDITION

In a Strib editorial, state GOP leaders Kurt Zellers and Matt Dean offer a bold and fresh new agenda for this year’s legislative session: “This session, we will restore confidence in our economy to foster private-sector job growth, improve education to provide a highly skilled workforce, and make government more-efficient and cost-effective through reform. Business owners aren't looking for government handouts. They need government to get out of the way and allow them to do what they do best — create jobs. Our reform agenda will focus on creating a more competitive tax climate, reduced regulatory burdens, fewer mandates and rules, and reduced government interference in order to get our economy back on track.” As I said, a startling departure.

Today in Bachmannia: Our Gal made her triumphant return to her home state ... of Minnesota. Rupa Shenoy of MPR paid attention: “Bachmann made her first appearance in Minnesota since dropping out of the Republican presidential race on Sunday at an annual anti-abortion protest. Hundreds of people opposed to legal abortion came by school buses from across the state to mark the 39th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision. Bachmann said the Supreme Court decision should be repealed within the next year. ‘Here on our watch we will stand, we will stand for life, we will never forget, we will never give up, and next year we will gather in a day of celebration when we have finally ended abortion in this all important election,’ she said.”

Unless you were hibernating all weekend, you’ve probably already seen theInternet video of Jewel the mama bear giving birth to two cubs. If you missed it ...

Good story from Dan Browning of the Strib on a guy who faces allegations that might rate him as “The King of Fraud” … if it weren’t for a couple of local legends: “Jim Hoffman had big plans when he dropped out of college to run the family's lucrative farming operation in central Minnesota after his dad died. But before long, bills went unpaid, creditors came calling and his family lost faith. Hoffman's 30-year run of alleged frauds, bad dealings and dishonesty had begun. ... Former business associates, creditors and attorneys depict Hoffman in court records and interviews as a man who's spent most of his life living large on other people's money, then ducking for cover when the bills came due. ... The FBI said in a recent court filing that Jim Hoffman apparently ‘has done nothing but fraud schemes’ to make a living since 1995.”

While not quite in the same league as Mr. Hoffman, above, this guy may have an ironic sense of humor. According to the AP story: “A Duluth man convicted in North Dakota for impersonating a lawyer has filed an appeal in federal court. A Bismarck jury found Howard O. Kieffer guilty in 2010 on charges of mail fraud and false statements. Authorities said he lied on his application to practice law in federal court and worked on federal cases in at least 10 states. Kieffer was sentenced to four years and three months in prison and ordered to repay $152,750 to clients. Kieffer claims in an appeal filed last week that his lawyers did a poor job of representing him. He's asking for a new trial or sentencing hearing.” I repeat, your honor, this has been a grievous breach and miscarriage of injustice.

If climate change continues as it has, the mosquito may have competition for state insect.  Says Bill McAuliffe at the Strib: “Midges are also at the heart of the study because of their unusual ability to thrive in the winter, when they serve as trout food. When most other insects are idling, with eggs and larvae hidden away from the cold, midges, armed with a sort of internal antifreeze, produce several generations of offspring. Stream anglers, skiers and others who might poke into the deeper recesses of southeastern Minnesota during winter see them flying in clouds above the water or speckling the streamside snow.”

Frederick Melo of the PiPress casts St. Paul’s thinking regarding either the Minneapolis or Arden Hills Vikings stadium as ... resigned: “One facet of a Minneapolis stadium plan, the proposed debt forgiveness for the Target Center, would create an uneven playing field for Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul leaders say. The two arenas compete for national acts. Other concerns abound, including a possible new commercial district in Arden Hills hurting St. Paul businesses, and the possibility of removing thousands of potential riders from the Central Corridor Light Rail line at a time when rail still is trying to prove itself as a viable transit option. ... if a stadium deal materializes in Minneapolis, it could include a proposal to forgive the debt on Target Center, a downtown Minneapolis hot spot that competes with the Xcel in St. Paul for big-name arena acts like Lady Gaga and Bruce Springsteen. That would put the Xcel at a competitive disadvantage, as shows often are able to land bigger profits at sites that are more publicly subsidized and cheaper to book. Officials privately have said that St. Paul and Minneapolis already enter into virtual bidding wars for shows.”

Taking a break from mewling about taxes in the PiPress, Ol’ Sooch weighed in on the stadium scuffle over the weekend: “We were told that the Metrodome was going to be the biggest boost to downtown development since the invention of the flour mill. Hotels were going to spring up, bars, restaurants, plazas. By the time they got done spinning their web of deception, Dad was going to be at the football game while Mom was going to be lost in a sea of jewelry stores and arcades and haute-couture salons. Mom was going to dazzle them when she got back to Crookston. With the exception of Hubert's, lonely Hubert's, it never happened. So make it happen now. That's the challenge. The bar scene already exists at the Basilica end of town, which would seem to diminish the governor's idea of additional development. Not only is the Metrodome the cheapest site — and already a light-rail stop — but the land around it, the ironically named Industry Square, remains undeveloped and begging for the updates that were promised 32 years ago. If the Vikings have to play at TCF Bank Stadium for a couple of years, that's too bad.”

After its flop in Britain, Best Buy may have another buyer for its “sheds,” as the Brits refer to our big boxes. The story in the Telegraph, by Harry Wallop, says: “[Decathlon] The family-owned French company is understood to be in negotiations over several of the 11 Best Buy shops, though not all of them. This would put it head-to-head with Morrisons, the supermarket group, which is in the lead for most of the sites, as revealed by The Sunday Telegraph this month. The 11 Best Buy sites, all of which are enormous ‘sheds’ in retail parks, are up for sale following Carphone Warehouse's decision late last year to pull its disastrous joint-venture with the American electrical goods giant.”