Constitutional. But get some help. The Pioneer Press’ Rachel Stassen-Berger reports: “The Minnesota Supreme Court on Friday decided that Gov. Mark Dayton’s veto of the House and Senate budgets earlier this year was constitutional. … The justice wrote that the court does not find it has the authority to order the Legislature funded, as did a previous district court, while the dispute goes on. Therefore it ordered Dayton, a Democrat, and the Republican Legislature back into talks with a mediator.”
Flood diversion diverted. The Fargo Forum’s Tu-Uyen Tran reports: “Work on the flood diversion to protect Fargo-Moorhead must stop immediately pending the outcome of a years-long lawsuit, a federal judge ordered on Thursday, Sept. 7. … The $2.2 billion project is opposed by Minnesota, and John R. Tunheim, chief judge in the District of Minneapolis, said there is a likelihood that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Authority will have to get a state permit. … The corps has maintained that, as a federal agency, it’s immune from state environmental regulations. Tunheim suggested Congress waived that immunity by requiring the corps to follow state laws.”
New episode in ongoing Frenz saga. The Star Tribune’s Randy Furst reports: “Facing legal pressure by a coalition of tenants and the city of Minneapolis, embattled landlord Stephen Frenz said this week in court that he has sold all of his apartment buildings. … The sale, which could include more than 40 apartment buildings, has touched off another major legal confrontation. … Tenant lawyers with Faegre Baker Daniels asked the Hennepin County District Court in a new lawsuit filed this week to either void the sale of 17 of the properties, place them in receivership or put them under control of the court.”
A little bipartisan agreement on clean energy. The Brainerd Dispatch’s Zach Kayser writes: “State lawmakers joined members of the renewable energy industry Thursday to tout a new report about clean energy jobs in Minnesota and to call for a higher state energy standard. … There’s a new standard being considered at the Legislature: 50 percent renewables by 2030. [Lieutenant Governor Tina] Smith and bill authors [Republican Sen. Karin] Housley and [DFL Sen. Nick] Frentz said the initiative would boost jobs, the environment and energy independence. … Housley said the bill received more feedback from constituents than any other bill she put forward in the last year.”
Honestly, from this story, Bemidji sounds very Minnesota Nice. MPR’s Bob Collins reports: “We’re going to go out on a limb and predict that Bemidji will not be in Minnesota Monthly’s final list of best Minnesota towns, not after a request to compete has caused a kerfuffle over whether the city is ‘Minnesota Nice.’ … It started when the magazine invited the city to compete to win editorial features and an advertising campaign on its behalf. … That sounds pretty simple. Round up the usual brochures and try to beat Minneapolis and whatever off-the-trail town the editors consider to try to punch and otherwise yawning feature. … Visit Bemidji official Cindy Habedank suggested a collaborative submission on the part of the city’s movers and shakers, which earned this response from City Manager Nate Mathews.”
In other news…
Another Franken interview: “Sen. Al Franken talks Trump, ‘SNL’ and 2020” [CNBC]
Baja so long: “Baja Sol restaurants close without notice” [Star Tribune]
Hear ye, hear ye: “Renaissance Festival looks to Jordan for 2020 relocation” [Star Tribune]
Yellow journalism: “Cheerios just lost its bid to trademark the color yellow” [Quartz]
Safety on, people: “Duluth police say man wounded by gunshot accidentally shot himself” [Duluth News Tribune]
Spam was made for this kind of thing: “Hormel Foods sends small plane for Harvey relief” [Rochester Post Bulletin]
In other Austin, MN news: “World Series of swine shows starts Saturday” [Rochester Post Bulletin]
The catch is, if you accept the award, you’re automatically disqualified: “Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame inductees announced” [Mankato Free Press]
A Minnesotan of note: “Postscript: Kate Millett’s Radical Spirit” [New Yorker]
Right on
MN Supreme Court!