King Banaian

The clock is ticking, time is running out, forth down -- pick your sports cliche' -- the big question is, "who's going to blink first on the Vikings stadium issue?"

State Senator John Pederson, and State Representatives King Banaian and Steve Gottwalt will host a town hall meeting tonight (Tuesday).

It's another nervous day for investors on Wall Street. Standard and Poors downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+, which has investors selling off stocks. However, St. Cloud State Economics Professor King Banaian says the bigger picture is the overall global economy, which is also struggling.

It's expected that a $500 million bonding bill will be part of the deal struck between Governor Mark Dayton and Republican Legislative Leaders. St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis says he expects St. Cloud to get some of that money for the Civic Center parking ramp.

Governor Mark Dayton and GOP Leaders have started an all-day meeting aimed at bridging their state budget differences. And that's given local lawmakers hope that a budget shutdown can still be avoided.

We know the State Legislature adjourned the regular session without getting a deal done on a budget or a Vikings stadium. But there are a lot of other issues that have been left in limbo as well.

At some point the State Legislature is going to have to go into a special session to complete the budget for the next biennium. Exactly when and how long that special session will is yet to be determined. However, we do know that whenever it happens several of our local lawmakers have pledged to not be paid for it.

As the State Legislature and the Governor continue to spar over high profile issues like the budget, gay marriage, and a Vikings stadium -- there's also bills that have quietly passed that tinker with the State Land and Legacy Amendment. The Land and Legacy Amendment brings in hundreds of millions of dollars, and state lawmakers have been voting on conflicting bills on where that money should go.

At least one St. Cloud Republican lawmaker does not support the plan to fund a new Vikings stadium. Two Republican State lawmakers sent a letter outlining the plan to their colleagues last (Thursday) night. It basically calls for the team to pay for one-third, a local government such as Ramsey county to pay for a third, and then the state to finance the final third.

You'll have a chance to give your input on what's happening at the State Capitol tomorrow (Saturday). Local lawmakers from both major political parties have planned town hall meetings at the St. Cloud Public Library.