ST. PAUL (AP) St. Paul DFLers accuse Governor Pawlenty of targeting their city with his line-item vetoes.

Pawlenty stripped out a sizable chunk of a 925 million dollar construction bill, cutting out individual projects.

The Central Corridor light-rail line linking Minneapolis and St.

Paul, a Como Zoo gorilla exhibit and the proposed new Bell Museum of Natural History in St. Paul are among the 52 projects he rejected.

St. Paul DFL Senator Ellen Anderson says she wants to know why in her words "the governor hates the people of St. Paul." House Majority Leader Tony Sertich (SIR'-tich) of Chisholm (CHIS'-uhm) says the Republican governor singled out projects in Democratic districts for line-item vetoes particularly St. Paul, the home city of the lead House negotiator on bonding, Representative Alice Hausman.

Pawlenty says legislators overspent because they were unwilling to say no to projects. He denied that he chose projects based on political representation in the districts they appear.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 04-08-08 0620CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list