Elsewhere in Minnesota news this morning …

ST. PAUL: T-Paw references Goethe on Fox. Pawlenty called health care reform a shiny fishing lure and a Faustian bargain (hmm, is he familiar with those?). [Fox News via YouTube]

METRO AREA: Jets scrambled too late, says general. Military planes should have been in the air to protect the Twin Cities when an errant jet with preoccupied pilots passed by this month. [MPR News Cut]

MINNEAPOLIS: Fake folk? A local donor gave the Weisman Art Museum five paintings by folk artist Clementine Hunter that the FBI suspects are forgeries. [Associated Press]

WOODBURY: Dog bites man, hard. A retired cop lost an ear and much of his face. [Associated Press]

ST. CLOUD: Bridge open. The Granite City Crossing replaces the old DeSoto bridge found unsafe in post-I-35W collapse inspections. [St. Cloud Times]

STATEWIDE: Schools go begging. The 57 districts asking voters to approve new tax levies next week are among the 90 percent in Minnesota now levy-dependent to cover operating costs. [ECM Publishers]

In September, 9 A.D., Hermann, whose statue (shown in photo before assembly) towers over New Ulm, triumphed in a running battle through Germany’s Teutenborg Forest over Tiberius’ forces, who were left in urgent need of medical services.

Here’s how the battle looked as captured on YouTube:

Ludeman’s corps may be able to avoid such treatment if they enter Germany singing the theme song from his 1986 race for Minnesota governor: “Cal LUUUdeman, He’s WUUUnderbar!”

If you’re thinking about running for governor, here’s some advice: “You can’t just rush into it.” That’s from House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, who has set a news conference for 11 a.m. this morning — a full 21 hours since Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced he won’t seek re-election. If he were to run, Seifert says it wouldn’t be right to seek Pawlenty’s endorsement: “I wouldn’t even ask him.” The Marshall Independent notes Seifert would be the first area legislator to seek the post since Cal Ludeman (now state commissioner of human services) in 1986.

Elsewhere in Minnesota headlines this morning …

STATEWIDE: More mercury found in fish. Big-game fish in most lakes show rising levels of the toxin; officials blame coal-plant emissions from Asia. [Alexandria Echo Press]

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS: Suit says strip club broke law on wages … by not paying any. Dancers’ only income came from tips, they say, and even those they had to share with bosses — an arrangement that’s OK for Starbucks but not the King of Diamonds club. [St. Paul Pioneer Press; Associated Press]

MINNEAPOLIS: Sketches show how turning vehicles killed two. In incidents only one block apart on Park Avenue last month, a truck hit a bicyclist and a bus hit a pedestrian — both while turning, as seen in new illustrations. [Twin Cities Streets for People]

WHITE BEAR LAKE: Driest May ever has consequences. Cattails thrive, but the city has to pump more water for (restricted) lawn-watering, and lake levels dropped so low authorities closed the county beach for the season. [White Bear Press]

SHAKOPEE: Scott County puts penalty on hosting underage drinkers. The state’s first county ordinance against allowing teen booze-fests raised rural hackles. [Shakopee Valley News]

WORTHINGTON: New police-dog patrol cites man. On only their second shift since K-9 training, Thor led his human partner to man who allegedly chased children with his pants down. [Worthington Daily Globe]