mn_amToday’s record-setting chill still won’t be as cold as the water thrown on Republican Steve Sviggum’s plans to run for governor. The former Speaker of the Minnesota House had planned to announce his candidacy any day now, but the U.S. Office of Solicitor General says Sviggum’s oversight of OSHA matters in his current job as state Commissioner of Labor and Industry constitutes federal employment under the Hatch Act, barring him from seeking public office. At least that’s the feds’ first take; Sviggum, calling it “a curveball out of left field,” is seeking a formal opinion.

Elsewhere in Minnesota news this morning…


BEMIDJI: Fellow DFLer announces bid to unseat state Sen. Mary Olson. Greg Paquin told DFL Chair Brian Melendez that Ojibwe Native Americans should hold all legislative offices in Senate Districts 2 and 4; now he’s running for one (SD 4). [Bemidji Pioneer]

STATEWIDE: State shed 16,700 jobs in June. The state’s unemployment rate rose to 8.4 percent, still below the national 9.5 percent. The staggering loss since June 2008 is 112,000 jobs. [Associated Press]

DULUTH: Surf’s up, and so are the ‘No Water Contact Recommended‘ signs. As if today’s fall-like weather isn’t enough, illness-inducing bacteria is spoiling the summer fun at five Duluth beaches. [Duluth News Tribune]

ST. PAUL: Journos withhold bylines to protest layoffs. No talks, no names — that’s the word from St. Paul Pioneer Press news workers who say management wouldn’t consider concessions as an alternative to pink slips. [MinnPost; St. Paul Pioneer Press]

ALEXANDRIA: Council considers putting teeth in golf-cart ordinance. A proposed $25 permit fee would put a price on puttering down city streets. [Alexandria Echo Press]

MINNEAPOLIS: Sign ban would leave sandwich-seekers hungry. So-called sandwich signs guide shoppers to locally-owned businesses, but a council member wants them gone. [MPLS Mirror]