The Supreme Court of Minnesota has ruled that Al Franken is now Senator Al Franken. Here are five reasons we should all be happy Franken starts midsession from change.org.

In its final line of the ruling, the state Supreme Court said Franken is “entitled” under Minnesota law to “receive the certificate election as United States senator from the state of Minnesota.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty plans to sign the certification today, clearing the way for Franken to be sworn in early next week when the Senate returns from its weeklong recess.

“The Supreme Court of Minnesota has spoken, and I respect its decision and will abide by the result,” Coleman said. “It’s time for Minnesota to come together under the leaders it has chosen and move forward. I join all Minnesotans in congratulating our newest United States senator: Al Franken.”

Franken, in remarks outside his Minneapolis home about an hour after Coleman’s concession, said he expected to be seated early next week. Franken has already been told that he’s been named to two key committees — Health, Education and Labor and Pensions and Judiciary.

“It is time to bring the whole state together,” Franken said. “Over the past eight months, … Minnesotans have earned the right to take pride in the transparency and thoroughness of our election process.”

Artist Howard Salmon just finished a comic series on legendary Tucson rocker Al Perry.

Salmon, no stranger to the Tucson music scene, was drummer for the legendary Phantom Limbs on the band's first two albums, and has played with Al Perry and the Cattle, as well as Rainer and Das Combo. From 1980 to 1983, Salmon wrote and published Slit, a fanzine about Tucson's early punk scene.

Al Perry Comix is a 24-page tribute to Perry following a series of interviews Salmon did with the guitar hero. Read Salmon's own description of the comic after the jump.

In case you want a break from watching Michael Jackson tribute shows or updates on his funeral arrangements, try the Arizona State Legislature's live media service at azleg.gov. Look to the left, and click on Live Proceedings to see if our hardworking legislators are working on the budget. After all, they have until midnight to decide our future, so why not watch and see if any wrestling occurs.?

I'm hoping for a few headlocks. Is that too much to ask?

The lastest from the Arizona Daily Star's Daniel Scarpinato:

With only hours left until the end of the fiscal year, the likelihood of the Legislature passing a budget tonight that Gov. Jan Brewer will sign is still uncertain.

Republicans are openly criticizing the plan in the Capitol hallways. An important Senate committee knocked-down a key element of the package Tuesday morning. And Democrats, having been shut out of the process until now, are turning down efforts to jump onboard.

The compromise was dealt a blow Tuesday morning when the Senate Rules Committee rejected the portion that would have asked voters this fall to support a temporary one-cent sales tax increase. That’s after lawmakers spent all of Monday trying to keep it alive.

This is latest episode in the Republicans’ troubled efforts to pass a budget that Brewer will sign.

Brewer met with House Speaker Kirk Adams Tuesday afternoon, summoning in Democrats for support.

None appeared moved.

Asked if he’d be onboard when leaving the meeting, Rep. Cloves Campbell, D-Phoenix, responded: “What do you think?”

Surrounded by reporters in the stairwell while exiting the building, Brewer would not entertain the scenario of a government shutdown.

Her message to Arizonans: “I’m very hopefully that when they wake up Wednesday morning that we have a budget and that everything is good.”

The budget battle at the Arizona Legislature seems to be going off track, with the Arizona Republic reporting that Republicans and Democrats in the Senate Appropriations Committee have blocked a proposal that GOP leadership and Gov. Jan Brewer have agreed on. Since it strikes us as a stinky compromise—cutting taxes for Arizonans wealthiest citizens while asking them to raise a sales tax that would disproportionately hit the poorest—we're glad to hear it has stalled.

In case you're wondering what's happening with some other bills, here's the latest report from Sierra Club lobbyist Sandy Bahr:

Here is the longest update yet - there is a pretty comprehensive list of key bills we are following at the end. If you do not see a bill and you are wondering about it, just send me an email. As of this evening, the plan at the Legislature is for the House to finish doing the budget trailer bills on Monday and for the Senate to also do them on Monday. All of this could change depending on where the votes are. The trailer bills generally amend the budget the Legislature already passed and then they add in some significant tax changes. It is unclear if they have the votes. They are trying to convince the Democrats to vote for the sales tax referral, but it would make no sense for them to do that, especially in light of how god-awful the rest of the budget is and as the Governor has made no attempt to negotiate with them.

Here are a few of the things they are proposing in these budget trailer bills.
In the strike everything amendment on HCR2037, they are proposing to refer to the ballot a one percent increase in the sales tax with most of the revenues directed to education and health and human services. This does not increase funding for those programs, but just helps to

KUAT-TV's Roundtable gang talks about the state budget troubles and the Rialto Theatre's troubles, after the jump...

If your name is Dave or David, I've got a hot tip that'll get you a free meal tomorrow.

Famous Dave's barbecue restaurant at 4565 N. Oracle Road is giving away a free entrée to all Daves from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday, June 30. All you have to do to claim the special is prove your Daveness with a photo ID.

There is a catch: All Daves planning to take advantage of the special must be accompanied by a paying non-Dave customer.

The Humane Society of Southern Arizona has run out of cat food, which is bad timing, because it's litter season, and the shelter is currently caring for more than 200 kittens.

Food donations—paté-style and ground food are preferred—can be dropped off at the shelter at 3450 N. Kelvin Blvd, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily.

If you can't make it during business hours, donations can be left on the doorstep. Cash donations can be made by calling 321-3704, ext. 174.

The facility is also running low on dog food, so feel free to drop some of that off, too, if you can.

First Ed McMahon, and then Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson the same day. Ed was old, Farrah had cancer, and Michael ... what will happen to his kids?

It's no secret that those canned quotes in press releases are usually an invention of PR agents rather than words that flowed from the mouths of those getting quoted. An particularly amusing example landed in our mailbox today, in separate releases from Senate President Bob Burns and Speaker of the House Kirk Adams, who were reacting to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling regarding English-language learners.

Burns: “This opinion vindicates the Legislature and Arizona. Now we need to roll up our sleeves and get on with it and teach these children English.”

Adams: "Now we need to roll up our sleeves and get on with it and teach these children English."

Do you suppose they said it in unison?

Speaking of rolling up those sleeves: How's that budget coming along?

Real-estate developer, former Arizona Democratic Party chairman and unsuccessful Senate candidate Jim Pederson announced yesterday that he would not be running for governor. That's good news for Attorney General Terry Goddard, who also wants the job.

But it's bad news for Dave Bradley, the state lawmaker from midtown Tucson who was mulling a gubernatorial run. Given how little name ID he has statewide, Bradley's odds were long to begin with, but in a contest where the vote isn't being split between Goddard and and Pederson, his chances of winning just dropped through the floor.

And that, in turn, is bad news for all the local would-be lawmakers who were trying to line up an appointment to Bradley's House of Representatives seat, since he's less likely to resign to concentrate on a gubernatorial run.

Bradley is termed out in 2010 and there's a pack of Democratic candidates considering a run in District 28, including blogger Ted Prezelski, former lawmaker Ted Downing, former city councilman Bruce Wheeler and Tim Sultan. (Feel free to add any others to the list in the comments.)