St. Paul's fire department will cut one rescue squad next year -- leaving only two specialized groups to perform search-and-rescue and hazmat tasks. The Pioneer Press reports the department will also cut all overtime pay in order to close the gap.

St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman has avoided a planned protest at the annual mayor's budget address Monday thanks to an agreement with the firefighter's union. Union officials were angry this week after Coleman announced he would decommission Rescue Squad 2 and leave only two rescue squads in the city. The squad will remain with the agreement, but have one less member.

No one was injured after a fire started in a resident's kitchen early Tuesday morning.

The ink is barely dry on state bonding legislation that created new economic development grants, but St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman is already chasing more than half the money to pay for part of a proposed downtown ballpark for the St. Paul Saints. Coleman said the minor league park is "shovel-ready" and, if funded, could open in time for the 2014 season.

Mayor Chris Coleman proposed a St. Paul budget that reduces spending by $1 million. A 1.9 percent increase in the tax levy would help offset the loss of state funding. Coleman's budget would fill seven vacancies in the police department and would add a lawyer to the city attorney's office.