AM.MN: Eight hundred cities, a thousand cuts

There are a thousand stories in Minnesota’s 850 cities — and in most of them, it seems, City Hall is laying someone off. Winona is cutting its library director along with the school liaison officer and 10 others. Fergus Falls is firing Ranger, the police dog. Austin already cut its crossing guards but now is hiring them back — as some Bemidji city councilors would love to do with the development director they wish they hadn’t axed. This message brought to you by state cuts to local government aid.

Elsewhere in Minnesota news this morning …

ST. CLOUD: School-supply lists violate state law on fees. That’s the view of a former teacher who says buying scissors and tape for classrooms is a burden on the poor. [St. Cloud Times]

RAMSEY COUNTY: Tammy Pust running for county attorney too. The Roseville City Council member announced the same day as did St. Paul City Attorney John Choi, joining two others already in the race. [MinnPost]

METRO AREA: It gets worse: Metro Gang Strike Force violated open-meeting laws. Public meetings via email are a no-no. [Star Tribune]

AKELEY: Officials quit. The new mayor and a new city council member are both resigning, due to illness and leaving town, respectively. [Park Rapids Enterprise]

THIRD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Erik Paulsen is safe. Unless you think he’s going to do something no first-term Minnesota congressman has done in more than 60 years: lose.[Smart Politics]

ST. CLOUD: Mayor was there. Dave Kleis got a ticket from U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann and sat about 10 seats away from First Lady Michelle Obama for the president’s address to Congress last night. [St. Cloud Times]