Minnesota Supreme Court upholds law limiting state auditor’s duties

Case closed. The AP reports (via the Pioneer Press): “The Minnesota Supreme Court has upheld a 2015 law limiting State Auditor Rebecca Otto’s duties. … Wednesday’s unanimous decision ends Otto’s years of challenges and mounting legal fees. A district court and the Minnesota Court of Appeals had previously ruled against Otto, triggering her appeal to the Supreme Court. … The legal saga began after the Legislature passed a law allowing more counties to hire private firms for annual financial audits. Otto has argued that law was a constitutional breach of her duties that significantly downgraded the state’s oversight of county finances.”

Probably going to be an unpopular ask. The Pioneer Press’ Josh Verges reports: “Minnesota State university leaders want the freedom to raise tuition in order to pay for initiatives they say will improve student outcomes. … In the past six years, the Legislature has effectively frozen tuition for the state’s two-year colleges and authorized the seven state universities to raise tuition by less than 8 percent. … And although the Legislature has sent schools tens of millions to replace much of the lost tuition, the practice isn’t working for many leaders.”

If not here, where? The Minnesota Daily’s Katrina Pross reports: “The University of Minnesota and the National Loon Center Foundation are working to build a center for loon education and conservation near Brainerd. … The first-ever National Loon Center is expected to be built by 2021, and members of the University’s Department of Applied Economics are conducting a feasibility study to confirm the center’s location in Crosslake. Experts say the center will help protect the area’s natural resources and loon population, as well as provide education for the community and tourists to learn what they can do to help Minnesota’s loons.”

Ask the gardeners how they feel about having more deer around. In the Grand Forks Herald’s Brad Dokken writes: “A northwest Minnesota legislator who had the opportunity to trap a gray wolf during the three years the state offered a season said the ongoing wolf debate highlights the split between urban and rural Minnesota. … Rep. Dan Fabian, R-Roseau, said he doesn’t hide the fact he trapped the wolf, the pelt of which hangs in his St. Paul office. … ‘We talk a lot about the lines that are drawn between urban-suburban and rural Minnesota, and this is one of them,’ Fabian said. ‘The vast majority of people that live in northern Minnesota, I believe, are strong supporters of managing the wolf populations because there’s an awful lot of deer hunters up here, there’s a lot of pet owners up here and people who would like to see moose here again and whatnot. … And if we’re going to manage the other species, we should be managing the wolf species, too.’”

In other news…

A little self-reflection: “Did MPR give Keillor’s bad behavior a pass?” [MPR]

Going to be a Park Nicollet facility: “Mann Theatres in St. Louis Park will close, as will Bruegger’s next door” [Star Tribune]

Impressive: “Twins Minor-Leaguer Pulls Off The Hidden-Ball Trick” [Deadspin]

Do we hear wedding bells? “Best Buy, Amazon Put Rivalry Aside to Sell Smart TVs” [Forbes]

Toast trend: “Toast — avocado and otherwise — is popping up all over Twin Cities menus” [Pioneer Press]