Minn. Senate vote clears Vikings for new stadium

The Minnesota Vikings moved to within a governor’s signature of getting a new $975 million stadium on Thursday after the state Senate approved a plan that relies heavily on public financing. Gov. Mark Dayton has said he’ll sign the measure, meaning the Senate’s 36-30 vote was effectively the final barrier for the stadium. The House passed it overnight. After the Senate vote, jubilant Vikings vice president Lester Bagley hugged another team official and shouted, “Let’s build it!” Vikings fans broke out singing the “Skol Vikings” fight song and the Senate president admonished them to take it outside the chamber.
The team chased a new stadium for more than a decade but had little leverage until its lease expired this past year on the 30-year-old Metrodome. Dayton led a newly urgent charge for the team, arguing that without a new building the state could lose its most beloved franchise. The deal guarantees the Vikings’ future in Minnesota for three decades.
Read the full story here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBN_VIKINGS_STADIUM?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT