ST. PAUL ASKS LEGISLATURE TO PAY FOR NHL PLAY

          In an effort to "sweeten their bid" for an NHL
     franchise, St. Paul, MN, officials asked the State
     Legislature Thursday to "pay for the entire $51 million cost
     of renovating the aging Civic Center," according to Curt
     Brown of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE.  The plan, which
     would pay for the arena through state-backed general
     obligation bonds, replaces an earlier proposal "requiring
     that a hockey team pay part of the renovation bill and that
     diverted income taxes generated by the team pay the
     balance."  The money would build 60 luxury suites, replace
     old seats with 18,000 new ones, and add offices and a club
     restaurant.  The "approximately" $3M-a-year in revenue the
     team would generate from naming rights and on-ice
     advertising would go to the owners.  St. Paul Mayor Norm
     Coleman: "The reason we're doing this is we don't have close
     to a competitive opportunity unless the team gets the
     revenues it generates" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/28).