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Metzen told police that he had had three or four drinks. Metzen failed field sobriety tests and, according to an Intoxilyzer reading, had a 0.15 blood-alcohol content, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an average 170-pound man must have more than four drinks in one hour on an empty stomach to reach a .08 percent blood- alcohol concentration.
Does that mean Metzen had eight drinks? The session was only over for a little more than two hours when Metzen was pulled over. The bar, at the Kelly Inn, St. Paul, where Metzen went after the session, is less than a mile from the Capitol building. Just when did Metzen start drinking?
In 2004, KMSP-TV, aired a hidden-camera report on drinking at the Capitol that captured a DFL House member and lobbyists drinking in Metzen’s office.
Metzen has been at the Capitol as a state representative and now a senator since 1974. In his seventh term as senator, he is the Senate’s presiding officer; he is chairman of the Senate Business, Industry and Jobs Committee.
He got the final word in at the Senate’s closing session. Metzen said, “Good work all … let’s go home.”
He should have taken his own advice.
Session is over, but the verdict isn’t in
As local politicians rush to put their summary on the 2007 Minnesota Legislative session, some of the paperwork has yet to hit the governor’s desk. Once the proposed spending and laws hit Tim Pawlenty’s desk, he has three days to review the bills.
He can sign it, throw out the whole bill by vetoing it or he can go into the bill and veto parts of it.
When a session gets slapped together in the final minutes to avoid a special session, it’s nice to have a cooler head to look over the work. The Democrat-controlled Legislature did just what they promised during their campaigns. Increased spending was the promise and the Legislature delivered. It will be up to the governor to assess whether he thinks we can afford the increased spending.
He approved $2 million in flood relief for Browns Valley. That was a no-brainer. While spending was the focus of this “non-budget” session, other laws you may see coming your way by Aug. 1, include:
SOFA opinion loses its steam
I rushed to be critical of Winona Senior High School’s spring musical. This year’s musical was held without the aid of the Save Our Fine Arts group that was formed when the district tried to drop the program in 1988.
Last year, the district and SOFA had a falling out. It befuddles me to understand why the district wouldn’t be flexible and work with SOFA to keep the group involved. In my column last week, I stated that the musical didn’t have a licensed teacher in charge and that some of the expenses weren’t included in the financial report.
I heard from Ruby Oian, the musical director of the play. Ruby has kept her teaching license current and is a substitute teacher in the district. She was kinder than I deserved; I should have checked out my facts.
I was also corrected from Fiscal Affairs Director, Jeff Seeley, that electricity and janitorial staff weren’t included in the report. He says they were and it’s an expense the district pays every year.
Blowing two facts like that cheapens the other five really solid claims I made in the opinion piece. I feel like I just put my own spin on an opinion. While opinion pieces don’t have to be balanced, they shouldn’t stray from the facts. I stand corrected.
My piece was all opinion. It wasn’t a scientific survey, but it was flawed. Luckily, I didn’t charge $17,000 for it.
Jim Galewski is the retired editor and Opinion page editor of the Winona Daily News. His views don’t necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper. If you have an idea or tip about a Winona issue, call Jim at (507) 452-3960. His email is editor@luminet.net.
blog news is nonsense news wrote on May 29, 2007 10:38 AM: