Latest Minnesota news, sports, business and entertainment:

WACONIA EXPLOSION NEW: 1 dies in explosion at Waconia farm supplier WACONIA, Minn. (AP) One young man is dead and another injured after a propane tank exploded Wednesday at a farm supply company in Waconia.

The victim was an employee of Waconia Farm Supply. His name has not been released, but friends tell the Star Tribune he was a teenager and senior at Waconia High School.

Carver County Sheriff's Lt. Dave Williams says he can't confirm what the victim was doing when the tank exploded about 5 p.m., but he says the young man was definitely near the tank. Authorities are investigating.

The injured young man has wounds that are not life-threatening.

Waconia Farm Supply has more than 100 employees and sells farm equipment, lawn and garden supplies, fuel and feed.

Sheriff Bud Olson called the explosion "a pretty traumatic event." HOLOCAUST MUSEUM SHOOTING-MINN NEW: Robbinsdale kids at Holocaust Museum during attack MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Forty-one eighth-graders from Robbinsdale were in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday when a gunman opened fire and fatally wounded a security guard.

The suspect was shot and wounded by other officers.

WCCO Radio News says four chaperones were with the Robbinsdale students. Chaperone Shelly Phernetton (FUR'-net-en) tells the radio station the group didn't see or hear the shooting. She says the group was escorted out of the museum, and everyone remained calm.

A school district spokesman says the group continued on with their activities in Washington.

The eighth-graders are from three middle schools in Robbinsdale.

Information from: WCCO-AM, http://www.wccoradio.com MINNESOTA SENATE NEW: Minn. court orders Coleman to pay $95K to Franken ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Republican Norm Coleman owes Democrat Al Franken almost $95,000 stemming from his Minnesota Senate election lawsuit, with the amount subject to interest.

A Ramsey County court administrator officially entered the judgment today. It's a holdover from the two-month trial that ended with Franken up by 312 votes.

Minnesota law required Coleman to cover some of Franken's court costs because he didn't change the outcome of the race. The judgment excludes Franken's attorney fees.

Franken's lawyers had pressed for as much as $161,500.

The Minnesota Supreme Court is still considering Coleman's appeal and hasn't said when it will rule.

AUDIT-GOVERNMENT LOBBYING-MINNESOTA NEW: Audit: Lobbying by Minn. governments increases ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) The Minnesota State Auditor is reporting that local governments spent $8.5 million lobbying at the state Capitol last year, a nearly 10-percent increase over 2007.

The Auditor's annual report released Wednesday shows that of the total amount, local governments spent $3.9 million directly on staff and contract lobbyists, 9 percent more than they spent in 2007. The total also includes $4.6 million that local government associations spent on lobbying in 2008.

Among local governments, the City of Minneapolis spent the most last year at over $401,000. Next came Hennepin County then St.

Paul, Anoka County and the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

Cities and counties spent about two-thirds of the $8.5 million on lobbying. School districts spent about 10 percent of the total.

Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com MINN BUDGET UPDATE NEW: Minn. tax revenue flowers in May ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Minnesota saw an uptick in monthly tax revenues in May, but is still on course to end its fiscal year in the red.

The Minnesota Management and Budget Department reports that the state took in $28 million more than anticipated last month. The additional revenue helped make up for a similarly sized dollar dip in April.

For the budget year, which ends June 30, the state treasury is $42 million short of expectations.

Wednesday's report only gives revenue figures and doesn't provide updates on state spending patterns.

It doesn't have much bearing on Gov. Tim Pawlenty's upcoming decisions regarding the next two-year budget. He plans to announce soon how he'll deal with a projected $2.7 billion shortfall through unilateral cuts called unallotment.

GOVERNOR-HAAS NEW: Ex.-Minn lawmaker Haas gets into governor's race (; Will be led.) ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) A former Republican legislator who has been out of electoral politics for five years is his party's first declared candidate for governor.

Bill Haas says he'll seek his party's endorsement next spring, bowing out if he doesn't get it. He's the first in what promises to be a full field of GOP candidates now that Gov. Tim Pawlenty has ruled out a third term.

Haas served a decade in the Minnesota House, representing the Champlin area until 2004. He was the city's mayor before that.

He now runs a small business advising companies on health insurance and is a registered lobbyist for some northern Minnesota Indian tribes.

Haas says he'll be committed to running a positive campaign, swearing off one where he'd attack his opponents.

HECKER-BANKRUPTCY NEW: Hecker's creditors include hotels, banks, lawyers MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Fallen auto magnate Denny Hecker has 95 creditors, including auto finance firms, banks, attorneys, and a business partner.

Hecker filed for personal bankruptcy protection last week, saying he owes up to $1 billion to up to 1,000 creditors.

So far, 95 creditors are listed in court documents, including the Bellagio and Mirage hotel-casinos in Las Vegas, the city of Aspen, Colo., Royal Jewelers, and his business attorneys.

The amounts each creditor is owed are not listed.

Hecker's largest creditors are expected to be auto finance companies. The 56-year-old Hecker was one of Minnesota's largest car dealers, but with the economic downturn he has shuttered or sold 25 of his 26 dealerships.

BRIDGE IMPLOSION-MINNEAPOLIS NEW: County to implode aging Lowry bridge in Mpls.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) With a boom and a splash Hennepin County plans to take down the historic Lowry Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis to make way for a modern replacement.

The county says in a news release Wednesday that it plans to implode the bridge on Sunday morning, June 21.

Officials say the implosion will sever what remains of the steel trusses, dropping them into the Mississippi River. Residents will probably hear a loud, deep boom.

The bridge was built in 1905 and was substantially renovated in 1958. It was closed in April 2008 amid safety concerns about one of its piers, which had shifted out of place.

The bridge connects north Minneapolis with northeast Minneapolis and once carried about 12,000 cars a day.

The riverbed is expected to be cleared by the end of June.

MINNESOTA ZOO-PRETENDERS NEW: Pretenders concert moved from Minn Zoo APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (AP) A rock concert featuring the Pretenders has been moved from the Minnesota Zoo after the band's frontwoman expressed dismay over treatment of some animals.

Chrissie Hynde, an animal rights advocate, sent a letter to the zoo's director last week questioning how the zoo can invite children to pet animals at a farm display then later sell the animals for slaughter.

A zoo spokeswoman says the "Family Farm" exhibit is meant to reflect an actual working farm.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says the zoo canceled the Aug. 19 show. But the zoo and the show's promoter say it was a mutual decision based on ticket demand, the size of the show and the zoo's 10:30 p.m. curfew.

The show may be held at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis instead.

Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 06-11-09 0130CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list