Pioneer Press

twincities.com — Minnesota legislators are putting the finishing touches on the state's $38 billion two-year budget during late-night debates that paved the way to adjourning by midnight Monday, May 20, the deadline for the session.

twincities.com — Twins pitcher Mike Pelfrey was leafing through the team's media guide during spring training when he came upon a disturbing entry under Vance Worley's bio. "Worley!" Pelfrey yelled across the room to his new teammate. "I gave up your first big-league hit?" Pelfrey had no recollection of this factoid, but two years later, Worley remembers it perfectly.

twincities.com — When Ryan Pressly struck out Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks in the ninth inning of Saturday's 12-5 loss, it had a little extra meaning for the Twins' rookie reliever. The two friends and fellow Texans entered pro ball in the same Red Sox draft class.

twincities.com — As Vikings vice president of public affairs/stadium development, Lester Bagley was the franchise's point man in its bid for a new stadium. Now that the design for the new stadium is out, it seemed like a good time to check in with Bagley. So we connected Thursday to talk about the stadium.

twincities.com — The Legislature has sent Gov. Mark Dayton a school funding bill that boosts education spending in a number of areas. The Senate passed the bill Sunday, May 19, by a vote of 41-26. The House signed off on the bill hours earlier in a 2 a.m. vote. Dayton is expected to sign it.

twincities.com — It started with an acoustic jingle in a Minnesotans United for All Families Internet video during the gay-marriage debate at the Legislature. Since then, Suburbs leader Chan Poling has watched the title of his band's 1983 classic single "Love is the Law" pepper political speeches and form a kind of musical backdrop for a downtown St.

twincities.com — Dan Williams was born during the summer solstice -- the day when the Earth's Northern Hemisphere receives the most hours of sunshine. Appropriate, he says, given what he does for a living. Williams and his partner, Rebecca Lundberg, own Powerfully Green, a Twin Cities-based solar energy system installation company.

twincities.com — The men and women who clear snow-covered streets, lay asphalt over potholes, fix broken streetlights and install flags on the Wabasha Street bridge don't often make the press, let alone invite the public to kick the tires on their trucks and dozers. In fact, St.

twincities.com — There was a time when the mere mention of the Minnesota Twins would cause David Ortiz to grimace. He carried a bit of a grudge. Big Papi is over it now. And it's mostly the Twins doing the grimacing these days.

twincities.com — A compromise health and human services bill being debated Friday, May 17, in the House would help nursing homes and spare hospitals from a surcharge while taking a bite out of HMOs. With net spending of $11.3 billion over a two-year period beginning in July, the health budget bill constitutes more than 30 percent of total general fund spending for the state.