As the federal government shutdown entered its second day, Gov. Mark Dayton’ s administration told reporters they are piecing together information about state government functions that could become affected.

Despite the ruling, the state still considers the team owners financially viable partners on their planned $975 million joint public-private stadium project.

The MNsure board of directors voted unanimously on Wednesday to take over control of the state-run health insurance exchange that's slated to open for business on Oct. 1. Previously it had been under the authority of the Minnesota Department of Management and Budget (MMB).

One of the big three New York bond rating agencies has improved its outlook on the state of Minnesota’s fiscal condition. Moody’s Investors Service revised its view of Minnesota’s financial status to “stable” from “negative,” which had been its view of the state since August of 2001.

The audit is the latest evidence of problems with the state's internal tracking system.

At age 70, after 26 years as Minnesota’s top economic soothsayer, Tom Stinson’s retirement hardly came as a shock. He was already by far the longest-serving state economist — none of his predecessors held the position for more than five years — and he had a comfortable side job teaching economics at the University of Minnesota.

Current University of Minnesota applied economics professor Laura Kalambokidis will take over as state economist, making her the first woman to serve in the role since the position was created in 1975. Stinson, 70, was first named state economist since 1987, holding a job for decades that economists before him only held for several years at a time.

As the first committee deadlines of 2013 loom, Minnesota legislators have spent the week holding hearings on high-profile legislation ranging from the legalization of same-sex marriage to state funding for a Mayo Clinic-driven “destination medical center” development push in Rochester.

Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Jim Schowalter went before the House Ways and Means Committee on Monday to give an overview of the February forecast, which had cut the projected budget deficit from $1.1 billion down to $627 million over the next two years.

After two months of negligible action at the Capitol, serious work will now begin on the main agenda for the 2013 legislative session: crafting a budget for the next biennium.