Around MN: raising the roof

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"Partisan Fail" by Colarusso via Flickr

Congress voted to raise the debt ceiling Monday night. Minnesota's delegation was split with four voting to support the measure and four against. The split wasn't among party lines.

Two Minnesota liberals, Democratic Reps. Keith Ellison and Betty McCollum, joined two conservatives, Republicans Michele Bachmann and Chip Cravaack, in opposition to raising the debt ceiling.

Bachmann has used her opposition as a regular talking point during stump speeches in early presidential primary and caucus states.

Cravaack also 's vote is seen vital to his political future. He narrowly won his seat in 2010. The Freshman Republican recently announced that his family is moving to New Hampshire, Cravaack said he'll continue to reside in the Eighth Congressional District. Unlike the vast majority of congressional races in 2012, Cravaack's race is considered competitive by political observers.

MPR's Brett Neely has a comprehensive breakdown of the vote.

Also on MN Today

State's rating by Moody's goes from stable to negative

Moody's Investors Service expressed concern over the size of the state's reserves and the short-term fixes used to reach a budget deal last month (MPR News).

Homeowners are 'in better shape than you thought'

A new Twin Cities home price index takes aim at the high-profile monthly Case-Shiller report (Star Tribune).

Cost of weddings fluctuates with economy

Ups and downs of the economy affect more than just unemployment and debt. Brides and grooms have also been playing catch-up with the fluctuating economy (Faribault Daily News).

IDs of 4 of 6 water accident victims released

The identities of four of the six people who died in Minnesota waters over the past few days have been released by authorities (Star Tribune).

No doe permit required this year in much of Northeastern Minnesota

Hunters will be allowed to take either a buck or an antlerless deer without applying through a lottery process. Minnesota deer licenses went on sale to day (Duluth News Tribune).

SCSU, police survey neighbors to learn concerns

St. Cloud police and university officials went door to door to 68 houses in the campus area to ask residents about problems in the neighborhood (St Cloud Times).

OP-ED

Editorial: Let's make it a short lockout

The company said its offer late last week, rejected soundly by the union on Saturday, was its "final" one, but if this situation is going to move toward some type of solution, that really can't be the case, can it? (Crookston Times)

Debt ceiling should never have been used as a weapon

The debt-ceiling crisis that has been roiling the nation is an absurdity that has no rational basis. It should never have happened, and steps must be taken to prevent it from occurring ever again (Star Tribune).

Why is middle class bamboozled?

Someone to explain why Corporate America is raking in the dough but not creating jobs; why banks are sitting on tons of cash but not making loans; how a single Wall Street hedge fund manager could earn $4.9 billion last year -- that's about $155 a second -- while most of us barely make ends meet (Brainerd Dispatch).

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