Daily Digest: Stadium suite use crossed ethical line
Good morning and look, it's Wednesday already. Lots of news, so let's go to the Digest.
1. The agency that runs U.S. Bank Stadium made ethically questionable use of the stadium luxury suites it controls, but its use of event tickets did not violate state law. That's the conclusion of a report released Tuesday by Minnesota Legislative Auditor James Nobles. The report criticizes the five-member Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and its staff for inviting friends, family and political allies into its suites for Minnesota Vikings games, concerts and other events. After the report was released Republican legislators released a plan to restructure the stadium board. (Star Tribune)
2. A new push to curb cell phone use by Minnesota drivers aims to make it illegal to use anything other than hands-free devices while at the wheel.The bill outlined Tuesday has bipartisan sponsors and backing from safety advocates and the insurance industry. But past efforts to clamp down on smartphone activity by drivers has encountered resistance, aside from a texting-while-driving ban that took years to enact. (MPR News)
3. Gov. Mark Dayton has opted for surgery to remove his prostate after a recent cancer diagnosis. Dayton posted on his Facebook page that he would have the surgery on March 2 at the Mayo Clinic. He says he will need to spend a night in the hospital but expects to remain in contact with staff and the lieutenant governor throughout his stay in Rochester. Dayton intends to resume his regular schedule on Monday, March 6. (MPR News)
4. The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Betsy DeVos as President Trump's education secretary, 51-50. The vice president had to cast an unprecedented tie-breaking vote, after two Republican senators defected, and Democrats held the floor overnight in protest. The 59-year-old philanthropist and activist from Michigan takes over the leadership and management of a federal bureaucracy with 4,400 employees and a $68 billion annual budget. Some Republicans call her an education innovator. DFL Sen. Al Franken called her incompetent. (NPR)
5. Republican members of Congress talked Tuesday about how to keep themselves and their staff safe when talking to groups of constituents angry over plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act. “The message was: One, be careful for security purposes. Watch your back. And two, be receptive. Honor the First Amendment, engage, be friendly, be nice,” said Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker (R-N.C.). “Because it is toxic out there right now. Even some of the guys who have been around here a lot longer than I have, have never seen it to this level.” (Politico)
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