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Minnesota Shutdown Slowed Fiscal '12 Tax Collections

The Associated Press — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:34:20 +0000

Minnesota's government shutdown pushed state tax collections below projections for the first two months of the new fiscal year, as the state's budget office sounds a note of warning about the U.S. economic outlook.

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I-94 Resurfacing Project To Start Between Albany And Collegeville

Lee Voss — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 05:01:15 +0000

Work will finally get underway on Interstate 94 between Albany and Collegeville after the state government shutdown delayed the project. You can expect lane closures along I-94 just east of Albany to Stearns County Road 159 at Collegeville starting tomorrow

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Government Shutdown Impacting Highway Road Construction Projects

Lee Voss — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:01:23 +0000

The state government shutdown has made life difficult for officials at the Minnesota Department of Transportation who are trying to complete projects before winter. We already told about some projects that have been pushed back to next year, but there are some that were impacted by the shutdown.

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Shutdown Over, Dayton To 'Do What I Can' On Jobs

The Associated Press — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:29:54 +0000

Governor Mark Dayton starts a statewide jobs tour next week hoping to build a legacy as a jobs governor, with last month's government shutdown behind him. The first-term Democrat will kick off the tour in Fergus Falls on Wednesday.

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Minnesota Sees Revenue Drop During July Shutdown

Lee Voss — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 20:58:14 +0000

Minnesota's 20-day state government shutdown hurt state revenue collections last month as tax auditors stayed home and lottery sales halted. The state's top finance official said Wednesday that the state took in $16.2 million less than anticipated for the month, a 1.7 percent drop from expectations.

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Minnesota Shutdown Added To Government Job Losses

Lee Voss — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:40:53 +0000

Minnesota's 20-day government shutdown made the national hiring picture in July a little bit gloomier than it would have been otherwise. The U.S. Labor Department's July hiring report showed a slight uptick in hiring by private business, with about 154,000 jobs added nationwide. But that didn't correspond to government jobs, with about 37,000 lost.

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Government Shutdown Has Little Impact On Stearns County Road Project

Lee Voss — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:06:39 +0000

Stearns County's Highway Department dug into its own bank account to keep the West Metro Corridor project going during the government shutdown. Stearns County Assistant Engineer Jodi Teich says they paid less than $3,500 in materials testing and one contract payment of about $685,000.

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GOP Senators Aim To Prevent Future Minnesota Shutdowns

The Associated Press — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:18:16 +0000

A group of Republican state senators hope to prevent future Minnesota government shutdowns through a plan to continue spending even if politicians can't agree on a budget. The proposal outlined Thursday by Senator Ted Lillie and colleagues would extend current spending levels if the state began a new budget cycle without a new budget in place.

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MnDOT Must "Ramp-Up" Projects Following Shutdown

Lee Voss — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:56:49 +0000

It's back to work tomorrow for thousands of MnDOT workers now that the government shutdown is over. But, MnDOT's Kevin Gutknecht says the staffers will need to get up-to-speed on their paperwork and impending duties before you start seeing things get back to normal.

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Canterbury Park To Reopen Thursday

The Associated Press — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:39:44 +0000

With the Minnesota government shutdown over, Canterbury Park in Shakopee plans to reopen Thursday morning. President and CEO Randy Sampson says the doors will open at 10 a.m. for the card casino, simulcast racing will start around midday and live racing will return at 7 p.m. for the first time in three weeks.

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State Parks Could Re-Open For Day Use Friday

The Associated Press — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:30:21 +0000

The end of Minnesota's state government shutdown means state parks will soon start re-opening, but it will take some time. Department of Natural Resources spokesman Chris Niskanen says parks need to be cleaned up and checked for safety.

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Minnesota State Employees Recalled To Work Thursday

The Associated Press — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:28:20 +0000

Minnesota state employees have been recalled to work beginning Thursday now that a budget showdown is over. About 22,000 state workers have been off the job since the government shutdown July 1 because Gov. Mark Dayton and Republicans could not agree on taxes and spending in a new budget.

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Minnesota Govenor Signs Budget, Ends State Shutdown

The Associated Press — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:16:55 +0000

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has signed a new budget that ends the nation's longest state government shutdown in the past decade. Dayton's signature came Wednesday after lawmakers met in special session starting Tuesday afternoon to give their own approval to the deal.

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Minnesota Lawmakers Okay Budget, Assure End To Shutdown

The Associated Press — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:48:16 +0000

Minnesota lawmakers have approved a budget deal that will end a 20-day state government shutdown as soon as Gov. Mark Dayton signs it.

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Minnesota Special Session Called To End Shutdown

The Associated Press — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:10:46 +0000

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has called a special legislative session in hopes of ending the state's nearly three-week government shutdown.

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Dayton Orders State Capitol To Reopen Today

The Associated Press — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:50:11 +0000

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton is ordering the state Capitol and State Office Building to reopen to the public in advance of a special session to end the state's government shutdown. Dayton's order calls for the buildings to reopen at 9 a.m. today.

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No Shutdown Relief For Minnesota Liquor Sellers

The Associated Press — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:22:32 +0000

The judge who oversees the Minnesota government shutdown is refusing to let the liquor keep flowing. Judge Kathleen Gearin on Monday denied a request from the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association to order back the state workers who process "buyer's cards" required of bars, restaurants and stores to purchase liquor from wholesalers.

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Minnesota Special Session Won't Happen Today

The Associated Press — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 10:48:55 +0000

There won't be a special session of the Minnesota Legislature on Monday but officials say work is continuing to end the state's government shutdown.

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Minnesota Special Session Expected Early Next Week

The Associated Press — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:50:37 +0000

A special legislative session to end Minnesota's state government shutdown could start as early as Monday. A spokeswoman for Gov. Mark Dayton said Friday that Dayton plans to call lawmakers back to the Capitol when the details of budget bills are finalized in private meetings expected to continue throughout the weekend.

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Local Lawmakers React To Governor Dayton's Offer [AUDIO]

Jim Maurice — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:11:41 +0000

Republican State Representative Steve Gottwalt of St. Cloud is reacting to the latest news from Governor Mark Dayton. He says it's a good sign. And Republican State Representative Tim O'Driscoll of Sartell says he's cautiously optimistic about today's (Thursday) news.

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