Elephants on West Seventh

The Associated Press is reporting the GOP has chosen Minneapolis-St. Paul as the site for the 2008 Republican National Convention. Also in the running were New York City, Cleveland, and Tampa/St. Petersburg. The convention itself will be held at the Xcel Energy Center, September 1-4. The Twin Cities was rumored to be a leading candidate, along with Denver, for the Democratic Convention, with MSP gaining an edge due to the Mile High City's dearth of union hotels. The DNC has not announced their site choice. State government officials predict a national convention would boost the local economy by about $150 million.