As usual, local governments, state agencies and public universities are pushing for the Minnesota Legislature to pass a big borrowing bill to fund infrastructure and maintenance projects this year.

Will they get their wish? If recent history is any indication, they shouldn’t expect an all-encompassing bill.

Bonding has been a key part of partisan negotiations in the last few years at the Minnesota Capitol, where minority Republicans used the 60% threshold for borrowing bills to push for concessions from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor majorities.

When lawmakers passed the last $2.6 billion capital investment package in 2023, it was possible because DFLers agreed to give Republicans $300 million for struggling nursing homes.

The next year, a nearly $1 billion proposal failed. Republicans refused to approve a bonding proposal when DFLers tried to advance a bill that would create a path for abortion rights in the state Constitution. The session ended in chaos.

This year

This year could be different. Republicans now have a 67-67 tie with the DFL in the House, giving them a little more bargaining power. There was optimism about a bonding deal after a meeting between Gov. Tim Walz and key leaders of both parties in the House and Senate on April 10.

Gov. Tim Walz. (Jose. F. Moreno / The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS)

“What I heard from everybody in that room is a desire to proceed and hopefully that won’t get wound up in the politics of this place and that we keep our eyes and our focus on what the people of Minnesota need,” said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul. “When we tie other politics to a bonding bill — that is the way you see it end.”

Sen. Erin P. Murphy. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Senate)

Complete bonding bills aren’t likely to emerge until the Legislature resumes business after Easter, but the governor and legislative leaders already have targets. They’ll be smaller than past years as the state has a significantly smaller budget surplus for the next two years and a $6 billion deficit projected for the 2028-29 biennium.

Walz has proposed a plan to borrow $700 million — what budget officials expect the state can take on in the next year — plus spending $10 million from the general fund and $97 million from the Trunk Highway Fund.

All the highway funds in his pitch will cover a new $97 million Minnesota State Patrol Headquarters building. Another $69 million will go to the construction of a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Office and Laboratory in Mankato.

Other projects

Other major projects include:

• $85 million for asset preservation at the University of Minnesota system’s campuses.

• $99 million for water treatment.

• $50 million for Department of Natural Resources repairs and maintenance.

• $80 million for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.

Senate and House leaders have an idea of how much they want to borrow, but haven’t released anything as specific as the governor has.

DFL and Republican House leaders have not formally released targets but have signaled their bonding bill will adhere to the $700 million one-year borrowing limit set by state forecasters at the Department of Management and Budget.

Senate DFLers say they want to pass a bonding bill of $1.35 billion this year but haven’t released specifics yet, either.

Sen. Sandy Pappas (Courtesy photo)

Project requests

Either way, there will be a narrow group of projects approved this year. There are billions of dollars in requests in any year, and only some are granted.

From St. Paul, there are bills with requests from the Como Zoo, Jimmy Lee Recreation Center, CHS Field and the Ordway Center, just to name a few. The city of Hastings is seeking state money to help address contamination of its city water supply with so-called forever chemicals.

Another request — for state funds to cover half of the $769 million renovation of downtown St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center — likely won’t be included in the bonding bill. If the state approved such a large project, it likely will be in a separate specific appropriation bond, bonding committee leaders said.

State Sen. Sandy Pappas, a St. Paul DFLer who chairs the Senate Capital Investment Committee, told Minnesota Public Radio that general obligation bonds wouldn’t be what cover a project like that, and that it was too soon to renovate the arena, which opened nearly 25 years ago.

Rep. Lisa Demuth. (John Autey / Pioneer Press).

However, despite debt constraints and what appears for now to be a big gap between the House and Senate positions on bonding, the Xcel request may not be dead yet.

“Nothing’s actually ruled out at this point,” said House Majority Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, when asked about the project at an April 10 negotiation meeting.

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After two fabulous weeks in Portugal and Northern Spain with readers, I took a few days to get over the jet lag, then set about eating around town.

This week, I hit a Grand Avenue newcomer, walked to a favorite in my own neighborhood and visited an Asian spot I’ve been meaning to check out for a long time.

It was a good week.

Russell’s

Roast chicken at Russell’s on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

This was my second visit to this Grand Avenue newbie, in the former Tavern on Grand space. The first time was a bit chaotic and busy, so I thought I’d give them some time to settle in before trying it again.

This time, things were more dialed in. We started with some cocktails. My husband enjoyed his old-fashioned, and while my espresso martini was pretty good, it was a little too creamy for my liking. I prefer mine black with a foamy top.

While waiting for our entrees, we nibbled on some chicken Swedish meatballs covered in a sauce that contained some untraditional tomato flavor that I really dug. It offered a bit of tang and interest to a dish that is often simply rich and salty.

My son ordered the restaurant’s burger — I had just one bite, but it was a beefy delight that I’ll be back to try again before our annual burger guide comes out.

My husband’s salmon was prepared well and served over a tasty little German potato salad, and my chicken was super juicy and flavorful, but I didn’t love the overly sweet honey carrots it came with. A side salad was tasty, though, and I enjoyed the squash puree that was more of a sauce.

Overall, the room is cute and the vibe is befitting the neighborhood. It’s great to have a new option on Grand.

Russell’s:  656 Grand Ave., St. Paul; 651-313-5839; russellsstpaul.com

FoodSmith

Goulash at FoodSmith on Smith Avenue in West St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

It was a beautiful Tuesday, and our neighbors joined us for a lovely walk through the neighborhood for dinner. We tried to hit El Cubano, which is still on its winter schedule, so the kitchen closed just as we were walking in.

No matter — we ambled a few more blocks and hit FoodSmith on West St. Paul’s Smith Avenue. The neighborhood pub has great food and decent cocktails — a true neighborhood gem.

We started with some excellent crispy Brussels sprouts, sprinkled with a sweet balsamic glaze, crisp smoked almonds and parmesan.

I was craving a good burger after Russell’s, so I ordered the Austrian Hunter Burger, topped with crisp bacon, mushrooms, sautéed onions and gruyere. It was a behemoth of a sandwich, and the meat was juicy and the toppings flavorful. I do think the patty was a bit underseasoned, but that’s splitting hairs. The hand-cut fries here are also worth the calories.

My husband enjoyed a Reuben, and the neighbors loved their tender steak and goulash, a sort of tomatoey pot roast served with irresistible, crispy spӓtzle that reminded me a lot of my favorite of those I tried in Austria.

FoodSmith: 973 S. Smith Ave., West St. Paul; 651-330-0896; foodsmithpub.com

Soul Lao / Wandering Leaf

The plant-filled taproom at Wandering Leaf Brewing in St. Paul. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

I had been meaning for ages to get to the bricks-and-mortar version of this Lao restaurant, so a friend and I stopped by for weeknight beers at Wandering Leaf and a few fantastic noodle and rice dishes here.

The operations are next door to each other, so you can just place an order on your phone and go get it when they text you.

We liked our first beers, a hazy IPA and a juicy West Coast IPA, but our second, called Pickles Are a Girl’s Best Friend, was a real showstopper. Infused with pickles and hot chiles, it’s probably not for everyone, but the slightly puckery flavor with tingly notes at the end from the chiles was right up our alley and it went great with the food.

We tried the Naem Khao, or crispy coconut rice, and the Khao Soi Haeng, a spicy rice noodle number. The rice had tons of phenomenal crispy bits and little pieces of fermented pork that kept my fork returning, and the spice level on the noodles was perfect. I highly recommend a side of their super flavorful habañero hot sauce if you are a spice lover like us.

Wandering Leaf’s plant-filled taproom is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. There were even plenty of friendly dogs for petting on the day we were there.

Soul Lao: 2465 W. Seventh St., St. Paul; 651-363-3469; soullao.com

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Ten of the state’s leading environmental nonprofit groups are joining forces for an Earth Day fundraiser, in hopes of raising money to protect the environment.

The goal? Raise more than $250,000 to protect Minnesota’s land, water and wildlife — and spark action on urgent issues like climate change, polluted lakes and disappearing pollinators, organizers said.

The “One Day, One Earth, One Minnesota” collaboration will raise funds to protect Minnesota’s natural resources while also addressing the state’s most urgent environmental challenges like climate change, water pollution, habitat loss and environmental injustice.

Tuesday, April 22, marks the 55th anniversary of Earth Day but organizers encourage people to donate early.

Money raised will help account for a shortage in public funding, with recent federal cuts widening the gap, they said in a news release Friday.

“This initiative empowers individuals to step up, take action, and drive meaningful change. Every donation will directly support critical, on-the-ground efforts across the state, including ecological restoration, habitat protection, community engagement, and climate resilience,” organizers said.

Proud to participate

Members of the participating organizations all said they felt proud to be involved in the collaboration.

“We’re proud to be part of One Day. One Earth. One Minnesota, because real environmental change doesn’t happen alone — it takes collaboration, creativity, and collective action,” said Kateri Routh, executive director of Great River Greening. “This Earth Day, we’re joining forces with nine incredible organizations and leaning into community-centric fundraising to turn individual passion into collective impact — for our land, our water, and future generations.”

The collaboration is especially important in light of recent cuts in government funding.

“For months, we’ve felt uncertainty and dread about the loss of environmental funding at the national level. It feels great to join with other Minnesota environmental groups to fight that uncertainty,” said Patricia Ohmans, founder and director of Frogtown Green.

“Not only will this campaign raise much-needed funds to continue our important work in environmental restoration, but it also demonstrates our commitment to working together to improve green spaces for the future of all Minnesotans,” said Hayley Ball, executive director of Urban Roots.

When Rebecca Otto, board chair of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, first heard her organization was participating in the collaboration, she said, “I thought, ‘Yes — that’s exactly what this moment needs.’” She said she was proud to be part of an organization that recognizes the future is in partnerships.

Luisana Méndez, founder and executive director of Huellas Latinas, said that every step taken in nature “can be an act of transformation — not only personal, but also collective.”

‘Stronger together’

All of the organizations said they believe strength is in numbers.

“We believe everyone deserves clean air, land, and water, and we won’t get there alone. Community is the heart of our work, and it only makes sense for us to carry that commitment to collaboration through our fundraising. We are stronger together,” said Laura Scholl, executive director of Metro Blooms.

Participating organizations include:
● Environmental Initiative. The Minneapolis organization “brings people from communities, businesses, nonprofits and government together to solve environmental problems.” They do this by: Convening and facilitating conversations on environmental issues where collaboration is needed most; planning and hosting events for people to network, share ideas, and learn from one another; and managing on-the-ground projects to improve our air, land and water.
● Friends of the Mississippi River. The St. Paul organization “engages people to protect, restore and enhance the Mississippi River and its watershed in the Twin Cities region.” It works with public and private landowners, local governments and concerned community members to protect and restore critical lands ecologically linked to the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities metro. In addition, it works and protects habitat and improves climate resilience through planning, land protection and natural resources restoration services.
● Frogtown Green. This St. Paul organization is “a resident-led, volunteer-powered group that began with the creation of Frogtown Park & Farm. (…) Since that success, we have created six more parklets and gardens; planted more than 1,000 free fruit and shade trees; created 10,000 square feet of pollinator habitat; and sponsored dozens of events.”
● Great River Greening. This St. Paul organization’s goal is “to inspire, engage and lead local communities in conserving and caring for the water and land that enrich our lives.” They work to “increase biodiversity, cleaner water and air, improved soil health, stronger natural systems, and enhance habitats for pollinators, wildlife, plants and people.”
● Huellas Latinas. The St. Paul organization “was born to inspire and empower Latino communities to embrace and participate in outdoor recreation through inclusive and culturally responsive year-round outdoor recreation programs that promote wellness and connections to nature, foster a sense of belonging, and strengthen community ties.”
● Metro Blooms. This Minneapolis organization “partners with communities to create resilient landscapes and foster clean watersheds, embracing the values of equity and inclusion to solve environmental challenges. It “works with individuals, community groups, local government, nonprofits, business owners, artists, elders, renters, youth and people most impacted by environmental injustices.
● Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy. The St. Paul and Duluth-based organization said it uses “law and science to protect Minnesota’s environment, its natural resources and the health of its people. For 50 years, we’ve worked in the courts, at the Legislature and with public agencies to enact, strengthen and enforce smart environmental law. (…) We work in solidarity with communities to protect the environment, especially where people are disproportionately impacted by pollution and social inequities.”
● Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light. This Minneapolis organization “works in partnership with faith and spiritual communities and all Minnesotans to build transformative power and bring the lights of people’s unique gifts to addressing the climate crisis.”
● Owámniyomni Okhódayapi. The Owámniyomni project (previously called the Falls Initiative) in Minneapolis is “an effort to create a place of healing, restoration, connection and education at Owámniyomni (St. Anthony Falls), on 5 acres of property adjacent to the Upper Lock. The lock closed to commercial navigation in 2015 and is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Owámniyomni Okhódayapi is the city and Park Board’s agent in negotiations with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is also a cost-sharing partner.”
● Urban Roots. The St. Paul organization’s mission is to “cultivate and empower youth through nature, healthy food and community.” It “operates as a youth development program and is one of the largest youth employers on the East Side of St. Paul. We create economic and educational opportunities for under-resourced, majority BIPOC youth. Its vision is “a world where all communities have unlimited access to nature and healthy food.”

Routh of Great River Greening said the donations will “help fuel efforts to restore lakes and rivers, safeguard forests, protect pollinators and build a healthier Minnesota for future generations.”

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How to help

To donate to the “One Day, One Earth, One Minnesota” fundraiser, go to givemn.org/organization/Earth-Day-Collaborative.

The Timberwolves preached ball and body movement all week in preparation for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Lakers on Saturday.

Yet none of either was evident over the first six minutes of basketball. The offense struggled mightily out of the gates, as Minnesota scored just seven points over the first seven minutes of action.

The stagnancy needed to stop. Luckily for the Wolves, their pacemakers entered the contest. Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid stepped onto the floor, and the game immediately started to shift. Decisions and actions were quicker.

The Lakers have long, savvy defenders. But they aren’t the most athletic. So if you can move them, you can find creases. Such was the case after the slow start. Whether it be through transition or half-court execution, the Wolves put Los Angeles on its heels nearly every trip down the floor.

Seemingly every possession ended in a good look for the Wolves, who buried a large portion of them.

“Ball movement and body movement. I think they go hand in hand,” DiVincenzo said. “One, when you get stops, you get out in transition, you can get some easy shots. And then also, when the ball is popping around, bodies are cutting, it’s contagious. So getting downhill, screening the ball, finding your shooters and taking shots that are easy to take and make.”

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch noted it was when Minnesota settled into its offensive gameplan and upped its pace and decision making that “things started to come together.”

“Of course, our bench was huge,” Finch added. “Outstanding job by those guys really coming in and giving us a jolt at the right time.”

That’s what they’ve done all season. Finch coined the phrase that Minnesota has “eight starters.” DiVincenzo, Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker would start on the majority of NBA teams.

“Spoiled for choice there,” Finch said. “When we go to our bench, they’ve often given us this lift.”

To the degree that Reid led Minnesota in net rating this season, with the Wolves out-scoring opponents by 7.4 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor. Alexander-Walker was third in that category among Minnesota’s top eight players, and DiVincenzo was fifth.

Eight of Minnesota’s top nine two-man pairings in net rating feature at least one of its key reserves.  Three of Minnesota’s top four five-man lineups this season feature all three reserves.

They’re talented players. The Lakers may have two of the three best players in this series. Minnesota certainly has the best top eight.

Prior to Game 1, Lakers coach J.J. Redick noted the countless examples in recent history of “role players” that have swung playoff games, series and even title runs.

Minnesota has three guys coming off the bench that can do just that.

Reid scored 23 points on the strength of six triples on Saturday. Finch noted the forward “got us some easy buckets when we couldn’t find anything else.”

“His activity, he’s such a quick decision maker for us. Got to the hoop, shot the ball well,” Finch added. “We did a good job of finding him.”

The stat lines for DiVincenzo and Alexander-Walker weren’t as sexy, but the coach highlighted their gritty players and defensive efforts Minnesota has come to expect from the wings.

“Those guys give you everything they got. They are glue guys, they make shots, they can have big nights, they create flow and rhythm for their teammates,” Finch said. “And they guard and they like to guard. They’re really fun players to coach.”

Perhaps most importantly, all three reserves play offense with the pace and movement Finch yearns to see on that end of the floor.

“I don’t dislike the brand of basketball the starters play, it’s just different,” Finch said. “That’s one thing that I think is a strength of ours. We can play different styles, we can go to different lineups, we can change the complexion of the game. But we focused on trying to play faster from about December on. Those guys were really the key and catalyst for it.”

The value of Minnesota’s depth extends far beyond minute management and energy conservation. Those three are often the lifeblood for the brand of basketball the Timberwolves want to play.

They need to be. It’s not that the starters are incapable of playing with pace and execution. They also did so over the final three quarters of action Saturday. The starters blitzed the Lakers to open the third quarter with an 11-0 run.

But, frankly, it’s difficult to come out of the gates every game with instant rhythm and flow. Mike Conley said “it’s great” to have DiVincenzo, Reid and Alexander-Walker come in and change the terms under which the game is played.

“It’s kind of like what that unit is known for a little bit,” Conley said. “They come in and they have a different pace, but I think it kind of jumpstarts our team once we start mixing in lineups a little bit, got a couple starters in there with a couple off the bench and everybody kind of maintains that level of play. Hats off to (the reserves in Game 1), they were the reason we kind of turned this game around.”

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