Articles

Historic Minnesota session ends with funding for Capitol, flooding and veterans

ST. PAUL - The Minnesota Legislature ended a historic 2013 session seconds before midnight Monday after voting to renovate the state Capitol building, help communities fight floods, give veterans a new facility and provide disaster assistance.

Minnesota outdoors, agriculture provisions include paint, bees and farmers

ST. PAUL – Paint will cost more and be recycled. Bees will be protected. Financially troubled farmers will be able to access state aid.

Minnesota budget bills begin march to governor’s office

ST. PAUL – Minnesota legislators have taken baby steps in passing a $38 billion, two-year budget that must be finished by midnight Monday.

Highlights of the gay marriage issue in Minnesota

ST. PAUL – Here are highlights of the gay marriage issue in Minnesota: The law Minnesota law has restricted marriage to between men and women, but a bill the governor signed Tuesday evening allow “civil marriages” between any two people other than close family members.

• 6,000 people crowd Minn. Capitol to celebrate signing of gay marriage bill

6,000 people crowd Minn. Capitol to celebrate signing of gay marriage bill

ST. PAUL – Minnesota’s gay community never has known such joy. That joy showed Tuesday night as American and rainbow flags flew in front of the state Capitol when Minnesota became the 12th state to embrace same-sex marriage.

• Gov. Mark Dayton signs bill
• Highlights of the gay marriage issue in Minnesota

Minnesota senators ‘vote yes for love’

ST. PAUL – Love and marriage soon will go together for Minnesota gays like they do for straight couples.

• Capitol fills up
• Sen. Scott Dibble

Gay Minnesotans come to see history as Senate prepares to vote (live video)

ST. PAUL - Gay Minnesotans and their supporters streamed into the Minnesota Capitol today expecting to witness history. They sang “America” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and celebrated, anticipating senators to approve gay marriage this afternoon.

• Gay marriage supporters
• Opponents pray

Minnesota Political Notebook: Political positions change based on power

ST. PAUL - The gay marriage debate illustrates how being in or out of power affects how politicians look at the world.

• Don Davis

‘Freedom for everyone’: Minn. House passes gay marriage bill

Senate likely to pass it as well; opponents say it’s ‘not the right time’
ST. PAUL - Minnesota is a Senate vote and a governor’s signature away from becoming the 12th state to allow gay marriage.

• Sponsor of bill and partner
• Photo gallery: Gay marriage debate in St. Paul
• Moorhead-area backers elated by House vote
• Both sides of gay marriage debate pack Capitol

Minnesota Senate passes smaller minimum wage bill

ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Senate voted 39-28 Wednesday to approve a minimum wage far lower than the House and governor favor.

Columns

Capitol Chatter: Minnesota Capitol to see another round of gun law discussion

St. Paul - Call it Gun Week 2 in the Minnesota Legislature. The Senate Judiciary Committee plans meetings Thursday and Friday on bills written to curb gun violence. They likely will include proposals to ban so-called assault weapons and magazines with large numbers of bullets.

• Don Davis

Minnesota Political Notebook: Nolan may use insider connection on farm bill

St. Paul - Rick Nolan sounds thrilled to sit on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, and he hopes a personal relationship with the House speaker could help the cause.

• Don Davis

Minnesota Political Notebook: GOP leader in Minn. House understands his place

St. Paul - Kurt Daudt knows he leads a group that has little say in what happens around the Minnesota Capitol.

• Don Davis

Minnesota Political Notebook: Bills faces long odds against popular Klobuchar

St. Paul - Gov. Mark Dayton told a crowd gathered to hear former President Bill Clinton that each one of them is needed to elect Democrats on Tuesday because races are so close.

• Don Davis

An agreement: Minn. senator not a prom queen

St. Paul - U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and challenger Kurt Bills agree on little in their campaign, but there is one little area they can agree.

• Don Davis

Minnesota election notebook: Supreme Court challengers face uphill climb

ST. PAUL – Challengers to Minnesota Supreme Court justices say their job is tough.

Professor to presidential candidates: All small businesses not alike

St. Paul - The two major presidential candidates say they love small businesses and want to help.

• Don Davis

Davis: Obama touts advances in wind power

ST. PAUL – Wind was a major topic on President Barack Obama’s campaign swing through Iowa, and not by chance the White House released a report showing wind power use is growing.

• Don Davis

Davis: Candidates’ forum answers get repetitive

REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. – Farmers listening to the two major-party candidates for U.S. Senate may not have understood just where they stood on some issues after a Farmfest forum, but they could not have missed two points: • Republican challenger Kurt Bills is a teacher, a fact he managed to work into nearly every answer during the 90-minute forum. • Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar works with Senate Republicans on a range of issues, something she squeezed into many answers.

• Don Davis

Media probes Pawlenty’s past in anticipation of Romney’s VP choice

ST. PAUL – Tim Pawlenty could get his wish to join a national ticket in the next few days.

• Don Davis