Allegations of an improper relationship with a legislative staffer are what pushed former Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch abruptly resign her post Thursday and announce she would not seek re-election in 2012, GOP caucus leaders confirmed at a Capitol news conference Friday. They would not identify the staffer in question, citing legal concerns, but said it was a male staffer and someone who reported directly to Koch.

By conventional wisdom, 2012 is a bonding year. It’s during even-numbered years that the Minnesota governor and Legislature usually assemble and pass a large package of bonding projects. And at present, that prospect is further sweetened by historically low interest rates and a voracious appetite for construction work, sources say.

Planners for a new Vikings stadium may have come up with a solution for one part of the financing puzzle — one that improves the stadium’s opportunities in the bond market but also may threaten new skirmishes at the Legislature.

Jeff Hilger describes himself as first and foremost a horse guy. He owns a sprawling farm in Stillwater where he breeds thoroughbreds. He has also worked in the corporate world. One thing Hilger’s a bit low on is political experience.

Gov. Mark Dayton’s crusade to get a Minnesota Vikings stadium bill passed before Thanksgiving has been turned on its head by a series of objections from legislators about the financing of the project and the timeline for a special session.

A steady downpour didn’t keep Indian gambling workers from flocking outside the state Capitol in St. Paul last April. At least 1,500 people gathered outside on the building’s steps, some arriving by the busload from reservations hours away. Clad in raincoats and shielded by a canopy of umbrellas, workers thrust signs into the air that read, “Rural jobs count too” and “Don’t gamble with my job!”

In an ordinary environment, state lawmakers would be poised to pass a large bonding bill in 2012. But Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders this year took the unusual step of passing a sizable bill in an odd-numbered year.

Early on in the 2011 legislative session, racino lobbyists fashioned a proposal to suit the jobs-focused agenda espoused by legislative leaders.

After the framework of a budget deal was announced last Thursday, commissioners, chairs and fiscal staff members went to work, turning the still-closed Capitol into a hive of private meetings on each bill, featuring shuttle diplomacy visits from the leadership as needed.

Several high-profile Republican pet projects have faded amid a particularly contentious budget battle, including a repeal of the nuclear construction moratorium, pension reforms, corporate income tax cuts and slots at racetracks.