With yesterday’s budget announcement by Gov. Tim Pawlenty as the backdrop, let’s jump right into this first one:

*Tonight, at the McNamara Alumni Center here on campus, University President Bob Bruininks will address staff, faculty, students and alumni about how (and why) to address their legislators on making the U a top priority. With the big cut the school took yesterday, this annual event seems to be be even more important for University administration desperate for some help at the Legislature this session. Here is a link to more details on the event.

Susan Hagstrum Photo by Sara Rubinstein

*Via MinnPost, here is a feature article on Susan Hagstrum. Who is Ms.Hagstrum, you may ask? She is wife to the aforementioned President Bruininks. I have to warn that this isn’t the hardest-hitting piece of journalism you’ll see today, but if you’ve ever wanted to know all about the University’s First Lady, this story is for you. *Lastly, if you’re looking for a job with graduation approaching, you might have a tough time finding employment at Target. The Minneapolis-based retail giant laid off 600 workers yesterday, The Star Tribune reported. Many of these people work in Target’s downtown office on the Nicollet Mall. Target has not had layoffs since 1994, making Tuesday’s news quite a stunner to employees. From the article: Some workers said vice presidents cried as they delivered the news, while other meetings were said to be more stoic, with managers reading from a prepared statement "People were just numb. It was such a shock," said one downtown Minneapolis worker who didn’t want to be identified. "We’ve had so few layoffs over the years that even with all of the news [about Target’s sales and the economy], we didn’t think it’d happen here.”

Good afternoon and good luck.