Almanac: At the Capitol

Odd timing, leaving when the heat is off, but Health Commissioner Mandernach is calling it quits. Interesting that more pressure is on Transportation Commissioner Molnau. This could come as a blow to Gov. Pawlenty, who's enjoying record approval ratings — and that was before the floods. People tend to rally around a leader in crisis and Minnesota has certainly had more than its share this summer. The governor's swift response and media savvy have helped him through the tragedies, but Mandernach's resignation will stir up the controversy of earlier this summer. Here's the story that it appears MPR's Tom Scheck broke.