The Star Tribune’s Jessie Van Berkel writes : “Nicole Smith-Holt had been hopeful up until the final hours of the legislative special session that there would be enough support at the Capitol to pass an emergency insulin program this year that had been inspired in part by the death of her son. But what had seemed like almost a sure thing instead was lost in the confusion of 11th-hour budget negotiations, potential clerical oversights, contradictory accounts from lawmakers and, ultimately, industry opposition. … The proposal’s fate was ultimately decided in complex end-of-session negotiations that happened outside the public eye. ” From MPR’s Briana Bierschbach : “Gov. Tim Walz doesn’t want to call this a status-quo legislative session, even though some of his political allies and fellow Democrats have already started calling it that. … Yes, lawmakers adjourned the regular session without a budget, and yes, Walz did have to call a one-day special session to finish the work. But he sa...