Ramsey County Commissioner Tony Bennett will not advance to the November general election after 16 years in office. Bennett championed the controversial effort to build a new Minnesota Vikings stadium in Arden Hills. The longtime incumbent came in third behind two of his challengers -- Blake Huffman and Frank Mabley. Former Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher came in fourth.

An exhausted Ramsey County commissioner tells the Pioneer Press they've "jumped every friggin' hoop there is in town" in their efforts to build a stadium in Arden Hills. Meanwhile, the possibility of building the facility across the river in Minneapolis seems to be gaining favor at the Capitol.

Stadium proposals landed on Mark Dayton's desk Thursday and the governor says he may pick a favorite next week. Minneapolis promised to kick in $6.5 million per year if the Vikings choose to stay in the city. Ramsey County, meanwhile, hiked its contribution to an Arden Hills site by another $75 million and boosted the total price tag over $1.1 billion by including road improvements.

Members of the Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce wrote a letter to some key state leaders accusing them of holding the Arden Hills site to a higher standard than Minneapolis. They're also questioning why Ramsey County was not invited to tap revenue from electronic pull-tabs and entertainment taxes.

Ramsey County commissioners Tuesday morning voted unanimously to buy land in Arden Hills for a future home for the team.

A third proposal from Ramsey County for a Vikings stadium in Arden Hills fell flat Friday. The newest proposal funded a stadium through user fees instead of county sales taxes. The Star Tribune reports that Vikings VP Lester Bagley quickly ruled it out.

Ramsey County commissioners Tony Bennett and Rafael Ortega have proposed a county-wide three-percent food and beverage tax to help fund a Vikings' stadium in Arden Hills. The tax would raise $24-million/year.

Ramsey County officials are looking at new options to build a Vikings stadium. Among those options are taxes on hotels and liquor. The move comes as the team agrees to sit down again with Minneapolis officials. The Vikings say they'll work with Minneapolis to narrow down the options in that city to one site.