Gov. Tim Pawlenty is in Aspen, Colo., today and Friday participating in the Aspen Institute Ideas Festival, which is billed as "one of the nation’s premier gathering places for leaders to engage in discussion of the ideas and issues that shape our lives and challenge our times."

He's listed as a panelist on this program Friday:

 “How to Get Great Teachers Into Every Classroom”— round table discussion with Tim Pawlenty, Governor, Minnesota, Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers, John Deasy, deputy director of education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and moderated by Matt Miller, senior fellow, Center for American Progress; host, NPR’s "Left, Right & Center."

It's not likely that funding shifts will be mentioned.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she wants to give northern Minnesota resorts a shot in the arm in this time of declining tourism, so she's co-sponsoring a bill to attract more foreign visitors.

The Bemidji Pioneer says Klobuchar wants to fund the overseas tourism effort with a $10 fee on foreign travelers' visas.

“Since 9/11, we’ve lost 20 percent of the international tourism market in this country,” Klobuchar said Wednesday during a meeting at the Beltrami County Administration Building. “That has little to do with the economy right now, as the trend really started with visa restrictions and how difficult it was for people to come visit.”

The recession is really hurting northern Minnesota resorts, said Jack Frost, a Beltrami County commissioner and resort owner who belongs to several state resort associations.

“I would suspect that we’re going do be down roughly 20 percent,” Frost said.

“That’s what I’m hearing; I heard it up on the North Shore, too,” Klobuchar said.

“By and large, I’m really excited about the notion of garnering more international trade,” Frost said. This summer, his resort had visitors from Germany, who'd heard about the place from a foreign exchange student.

Klobuchar, chairwoman of the Senate Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation and Export Promotion, is working with Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., on the Travel Promotion Act, which awaits action on the Senate floor. A similar version was approved by the House last year and has only recently been reintroduced.

“We’re really trying to put a focus on tourism, with both smaller and larger communities in the United States,” Klobuchar said of her subcommittee. “There isn’t as much focus on tourism in our country as there is in other countries.”

Marvin Ramstad, the father of former 3rd District Congressman Jim Ramstad and Minnesota tax court judge Sheryl Ramstad, died Wednesday of respiratory failure at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park. He was 89.

The elder Ramstad, who had grown up on a farm in North Dakota, panned for gold in the Yukon, lettered in football at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash., served in the Navy and was active in the political campaigns of both of his children after retiring from his car dealership in Jamestown, N.D., and moving to the Twin Cities in 1984.

Jim Ramstad, who retired from Congress after last session, said his father instilled the work ethic and a love of country and sports in both of his children.

(Sheryl Ramstad lost, by a razor-thin margin, in a race for Hennepin County district attorney to Amy Klobuchar in 1998. She later became commissioner of corrections before being appointed to the tax court by Gov.Tim Pawlenty.)

Services for Marvin Ramstad will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Wayzata Community Church.

The flap over 6th District Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's planned boycott of the U.S. Census continues, with three fellow Republicans on the subcommittee that oversees the census asking her to stand up and be counted.

A New York Times political blog says Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia and John Mica of Florida, members of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census and National Achieves worry that if Bachmann boycotts, others might, too.

 “Boycotting the constitutionally mandated Census is illogical, illegal and not in the best interest of our country,” they said in a statement Wednesday. “Furthermore, a boycott opens the door for partisans to statistically adjust census results.”

Responded Dave Dziok, Ms. Bachmann’s spokesperson:

“We appreciate their views and hope to be able to work with them to keep ACORN — which has earned public mistrust through its repeated voter registration fraud — out of the census.”

Plans for a $15.8 million early childhood education center are being discussed in Stillwater, even though some school board members worry about the political fallout that might arise because of the tax increases needed to pay for it.

They're talking about building a new 46,000-square-foot facility to replace the 12,000-square-foot building the district currently leases, says the Stillwater Gazette.

District 834 Community Education Director Doris Karls said the proposed facility would give the school system's early childhood program 33,000 square feet and include an additional 13,000 square feet that would be leased by community partners with complementary offerings, including Courage St. Croix, a private day-care provider and Intermediate School District 916, which is looking to establish a program for hearing-impaired children and their families.

"This is not an unusual idea," said Karls, listing about a dozen facilities throughout the metro area that house multiple early childhood groups. "This kind of one-stop shop improves the effectiveness of community organizations and is more efficient for the families that visit them."

The proposed facility would allow the district's early childhood program to go from serving about 17 percent of the school system's preschool population to more than 50 percent, Karls said. This year the program has enrolled 1,211 children and family members in daily or weekly classes.

The concern, though, is cost.

"I understand the need for more space and the value of what you do ... but I'm concerned about the potential backlash if we build a new building and then turn around and ask for more levy dollars two years later," said board Chair George Hoeppner.

The district currently spends $105,000 a year to house its early childhood programs but its long-term lease on the facility expires at the end of 2010. About half of the program's funding comes from the state, with local levy dollars and participation fees accounting for the rest of its revenue.

"We need to try to keep this as cost-neutral to the taxpayer as possible," said board member George Dierberger. "Given the state of the economy, I think we need to be very sensitive to that."

Karls said $1 million has already been contributed to the project in a bequest by Lee and Dorothy Whitson.

Minnesota Tea Party groups have scheduled three Fourth of July rallies around the state.

The groups say they're in favor of fiscal responsibility, limited government and free markets. Lower taxes also seems to be a common theme.

The July 4 events are:

Twin Cities: State Capitol Mall,  3 to 6 p.m.

Chanhassen:  Marching in parade from 2 to 4 p.m. in downtown Chanhassen.

Owatonna: Central Park, 5 to 9 p.m.

With today's start of the 2010 state fiscal budget year, Gov. Tim Pawlenty gave final approval to the nearly $2.7 billion in unallotments and administrative action he says are needed to balance the budget.

Here is the final tracking document that lists the cuts and shifts.

When city budget problems threatened to cancel summer programs in an Albert Lea park, Grace Lutheran Church -- just across the street from the park -- donated $1,800 to keep the programs going.

The money will be used to fund the park leader who works at Hawthorne Park, along with the other program activities there, says the Albert Lea Tribune.

Budget problems, plus low attendance last year at Hawthorne, led to the parks department's initial decision to cancel its playpark program there. Playparks provide adult supervision and child-oriented activities at selected parks in the Albert Lea parks system.

Sue Barber of the Grace Lutheran Church Council said many children who come to the church — both members and nonmembers — use the playpark activities, and it looked like a good place the church could help out so they could still have activities there.

“Our mission statement for our church is bringing people together and being disciples for Christ,” Barber said. “We’re trying very hard to implement that statement.”

City officials happily accepted the donation.

“It was awesome,” said Jennifer Davis, recreation program supervisor. “I didn’t expect it at all. It was very, very generous of them, and they were more than happy to do it.”

The Minnesota pork industry -- still feeling the effects of the public's association of swine with the H1N1 flu virus -- hopes to drum up some support for its products with a cookout today at the state Capitol.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Ag Commissioner Gene Hugoson will attend the 4:30 p.m. event, which is designed to "celebrate and raise awareness about Minnesota's pork industry before the upcoming Fourth of July weekend."

Let's hope it warms up a bit for the big noon rally today at the Capitol for Sen.-elect Al Franken.

The UpTake is planning live coverage of the event.

Franken and Sen. Amy Klobuchar are scheduled to appear at the event, hosted by the Alliance for a Better Minnesota, Americans United for Change, MN AFL-CIO, AFSCME Council 5, Working America, SEIU MN State Council, DFL Party, UAW, St. Paul Trades and Labor, Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council.