Tonight: the Lowertown Ballpark’s minority report debuts in St. PaulMarch 27, 2013 10:08 AMBy Tim NelsonIt’s hard to muster a lot of love for the Gillette building — the hulking, erstwhile shampoo factory in downtown St. Paul that looks like a corrugated concrete warehouse. But downtown gallery owner, artist and one-time city council contender Bill Hosko says he doesn’t want it demolished to make room for the new Lowertown Ballpark. In…
The Clean-up Committee: Lawmakers who may eye the Vikings stadium problemMarch 27, 2013 8:31 AMBy Tim NelsonGov. Mark Dayton yesterday made reference to the appointment of a legislative committee that may grapple with the Vikings stadium’s ongoing issues. He dropped a few names, but here’s the official list of the members of the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Sports Facilities. Here’s the Senate side: And the House membership: For the record, Dayton…
Dayton: Industry SHOULD be part of pulltab projectionsMarch 26, 2013 12:06 PMBy Tim NelsonGovernor Mark Dayton today sounded a different tone after critical remarks on whether the Gambling Control Board was as open as it should have been about the gambling industry’s role in estimating the revenue the state could expect from electronic pulltabs. Asked about the industry’s role for a second day, he defended his administration’s previous consultations with the…
Play5min 37secGophers hiring after firing Tubby SmithMarch 26, 2013 11:30 AMThe University of Minnesota is in the market for a new head coach for its men's basketball team. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Howard Sinker, digital sports editor for the Star Tribune, for his thoughts on Tubby Smith's firing and who might be the next coach of the team.
Play8min 08secGambling revenue from e-pulltabs falls victim to old-school habitsMarch 26, 2013 6:26 AMBy Tim NelsonNew electronic pulltab gambling is falling far short of its promise. Some blame cost, others say the games aren't as much fun. But behind the scenes, the games are becoming a casualty of the battle between old school paper pulltab suppliers and the internet-driven upstarts trying to reboot the industry.
Dayton administration said in 2011 e-pulltab predictions relied on gambling industryMarch 26, 2013 1:08 AMBy Tim NelsonThe Dayton administration seems to be of several minds regarding the role the gambling industry played in the revenue estimates for electronic pulltabs, now of such concern for the financing of the Vikings stadium. The revenues are coming in far below the initial estimates, and the locations that have the machines are lagging far behind…
More signs the Strib is getting restless, ready for Vikings stadiumMarch 25, 2013 5:23 PMBy Tim NelsonSam Black, over at the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, says the Star Tribune is starting to eye alternate office space if the expected Ryan Cos. deal for the paper’s land pans out. Black describes the search as focusing on nearby downtown properties, some of them well known: “Sources familiar with the search say the…
Play4min 59secTubby Smith fired: U of M men's basketball coach out after disappointing seasonMarch 25, 2013 11:49 AMBy Jon Krawczynski, Associated PressTubby Smith spent six seasons with the Gophers, helping to bring the program back to respectability. He arrived in 2007 from Kentucky, immediately ramping up expectations for a team that had been buried by an academic cheating scandal.
Electronic pulltabs: what was Minnesota thinking?March 25, 2013 3:00 AMBy Tim NelsonThe Star Tribune’s Jean Hopfensperger has a look at those initial revenue projections that the Legislature was counting on when it passed the stadium bill last year. The story details the circuitous route the state took to putting a number on what it could expect from the new games. Turns out, the only people who would…
5 Minn. hockey teams forming new tournamentMarch 24, 2013 9:13 AMBy Rupa ShenoyFive Minnesota hockey programs are joining to form the state's first Division 1 men's hockey tournament.