Vikings Stadium Bill Approved in Committee, House

A conference committee dealt with the Vikings stadium bill yesterday.  During negotiations, the team agreed to pay another $50M.  The House then passed the bill, 71-60, at 3:30 AM.  I wasn't awake.

The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to spend $477 million - $50 million more than they had planned - to get a new stadium under a deal that was given final House approval early Thursday morning.

The results of a furious, final stadium negotiating session were released after hours of closed-door meetings Wednesday, in which top lawmakers conferred with the Vikings and the state's top business leaders out of public view.

The Senate, which had earlier passed different versions of the stadium plan, was expected to take a final stadium vote later Thursday.

It would seem that the Vikings will get their stadium, here in Minnesota, largely at public expense, like it or not.