Again, like voter fraud, the precise numbers related to the perceived problem are kind of murky, but the solution is at hand nevertheless, and this time there’s a gun in it. Dennis Lien’s PiPress story says: “The Minnesota Senate on Thursday passed a bill giving people greater discretion in using deadly force to defend themselves in threatening situations. The Republican-controlled Senate spent two hours debating the proposal before approving it 40-23, largely along party lines. The measure would broaden the definition of where people could use deadly force to defend themselves outside their homes, eliminating a requirement that they retreat first if possible. It also would force Minnesota to recognize firearm permits from states that oftentimes have lower standards for providing them and would bar police from confiscating weapons during states of emergencies. ‘I think we need to empower people to allow them to protect themselves,’ said the bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Gretchen Hoffman, R-Vergas ... At press conferences over the past week and in the floor debate, opponents portrayed ominous outcomes, in part because they said the measure creates a presumption that deadly force can be used against people who enter dwellings by force or stealth and expands the definition of dwellings to include porches, fenced-in areas, tents, and other structures, as well as occupied cars or boats. Under it, they said someone feeling threatened could shoot a youngster stealing an apple from someone's tree, a camper stumbling along in the dark at a state park, or a child sneaking home at night and could go unpunished. ‘You have the right to shoot first and ask questions later under this bill,’ said Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park.”

Pleased, the NRA releases a statement saying: “This important reform legislation, sponsored by state Senator Gretchen Hoffman (R-10) and state Representative Tony Cornish (R-24B), will now be sent back to the state House of Representatives for its concurrence, before being sent to Governor Mark Dayton for his consideration. ... Currently, Minnesota has reciprocal agreements with only fifteen states and 23 states recognize Minnesota's permit to carry. Unfortunately, Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety has not sought out any additional reciprocity agreements. By adding our proposed language, Minnesota will recognize every state that offers a carry permit and drastically improve Minnesotans’ abilities to carry for self-defense in other states. This legislation would also require Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety to enter in to reciprocity agreements. ... This legislation would prohibit any government agency from confiscating or regulating the lawful possession, carrying, transfer, transportation and defensive use of firearms or ammunition during a state of emergency, such as occurred in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.”

Tim Pugmire’s MPR story says: “Rick Dusterhoft, a prosecutor in Ramsey County, said he opposes the provision to recognize handgun carry permits issued by other states. ‘Other states don't necessarily require training and a background check to get a permit. This bill would require Minnesota to honor permits from other states that don't have the same stringent standards that Minnesota does,’ Dusterhoft said. ‘And I don't think we want to put guns in the hands of people that we're not sure should have guns.’ Sen. Gretchen Hoffman, R-Vergas, said her bill ensures people can defend themselves in all situations. ‘If you are anywhere you can legally be, you can defend yourself against a criminal,’ Hoffman said. ‘If I'm out on the street and I'm doing what I can legally do, and someone comes at me and I feel imminent danger of physical harm, I should be able to react with equal or greater force.’ " Ms. Hoffman must run with a tough crowd.

Pretty good day Thursday for a Maple Plains business. Neal St. Anthony and Patrick Kennedy of the Strib write: “Proto Labs Inc., a quick-turn manufacturer of custom parts for product designers and manufacturers around the globe, raised nearly $70 million in an initial public offering late Thursday, selling 4.3 million shares of stock at $16 per share. Proto Labs, the first Minnesota-based initial public offering of the year, will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange Friday morning under the ticker symbol ‘PRLB.’ The website IPO Scoop.com, which tracks the performance of IPO offerings, had been estimating that the Proto Labs IPO would price in the range of $13 to $15 per share. The Proto Labs deal, which was said to be ‘oversubscribed’ by interested investors, is the largest Minnesota-based IPO since AGA Medical raised $199 million in 2009.”

Lest anyone forget downtown St. Paul’s stadium dreams, Frederick Melo of the PiPress writes: “Eager to move the city's minor league baseball team from an industrial corner along Energy Park Drive to St. Paul's Lowertown neighborhood, Mayor Chris Coleman joined St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce President Matt Kramer on Thursday before a panel of key state lawmakers. Together, they asked members of the Republican-led House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee to smile on their request for $27 million for a new regional ballpark. The $54 million ball field, they said, will draw up to 7,000 fans downtown on game nights, incubate 500 jobs and pump as much as $10 million a year into the burgeoning arts and entertainment district.”

As you might expect, that $255K pay-out to a Burnsville school administrator has caught the public’s attention. Christopher Magan of the PiPress writes: “A mix of frustration, confusion and silence hung over the Burnsville school district Thursday, two days after it was revealed that board members OK'd a quarter-million-dollar payout for an administrator to resign. ‘I'm very much aware of the reaction of the public,’ school board chairman Ron Hill said regarding the community outrage about the district's separation agreement with Tania Zaverta Chance. ‘We've gotten feedback. What I would expect in this situation is the kind of feedback we have gotten.’ … As human resources director, Chance served as the district's chief union negotiator, and her departure was cheered by teachers at [a] rally Thursday. Although not mentioned by name, it was clear union members felt she played a part in delaying the settlement of their contract. ‘We are here because the district made a horrible hiring decision,’ said Joe Meyer, the Burnsville Education Association's Teacher of the Year, who spoke at the rally. ‘Thankfully, SHEgo,’ Meyer said, referencing the title of Chance's self-published book, and the crowd of teachers roared.” You know there’s a good story here.

The Strib editorializes on the case, saying,:“The settlement was struck, as one school official put it, to ‘allow both sides to move forward.’ That may serve the parties, but it's not in the best interests of taxpayers, the schools or their students. Given the financial challenges facing schools today, these kinds of buyouts seem especially wasteful. And school administrators lose credibility with the public by reaching such deals without a full explanation. … Conspiracy theories abound in the Burnsville case, but unless more details are made public, the $255,000 mystery will continue. This and similar cases demonstrate the need for more disclosure, even stronger data practices laws, and more-taxpayer-friendly public employee contracts that don't leave public bodies on the hook for excessive payouts. For now the Burnsville School District isn't talking — and that's wrong. When school boards or other public entities make decisions that cost tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars, the public deserves to know why.”

Ex Strib reporter and editor Robert Franklin writes a commentary for the paper on the gay marriage amendment. (He leads with a mention of MinnPost’s Eric Black.) Says Franklin, “Imagine how else the full force of the law and the Constitution could "protect" marriage:
• Make it illegal (or unconstitutional?) to rent or sell housing to unwed heterosexual couples.
• Outlaw divorce. Or at least make it more difficult to abandon a marriage, by narrowing the grounds for divorce, raising fees or (as bills now actually before the Legislature would do) require a waiting period or counseling when minor children are involved.
• Reinstitute prosecution of the long-neglected fornication law against sex between a man and an unmarried woman. …
• Those who contend that the purpose of marriage is primarily (or solely) to produce children could advocate premarital fertility tests for couples of child-bearing age. Flunk the test, and you don't get a marriage license unless you agree to acquire children by adoption or some other method.”