Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced his line-item vetoes Monday afternoon on the $925 billion capital investment bill. He trimmed down to $717 million. St. Paul took 60 percent of the cuts, according to the Pioneer Press. 

Among the victims of his veto pen were $70 million for the Central Corridor light-rail line linking Minneapolis and St. Paul, $11 million for a Como Zoo gorilla exhibit, $24.5 million for a proposed new Bell Museum of Natural History, $46.7 million for property acquisitions and classroom renovations on Minnesota State Colleges and Universities campuses, $5.5 million to study or plan for passenger rail routes connecting the Twin Cities to Duluth and another to Chicago, $5 million for a St. Paul Asian Pacific Cultural Center, $3 million toward planning for a Minnesota Orchestra Hall renovation.

Despite the $46.7 million cut from MNSCU, institutions of higher education were seen by some as the big winners. They will split $335 million — more than half the money in the bill — even after the reductions.

But will they raise tuition? 

 The state also authorized the University of Minnesota to borrow $233 million to build four biomedical research laboratories over the next eight years. The state will reimburse the U for 75 percent of its costs.

DFLers, except those from St. Paul, praised what remained in the bill, according to the Pioneer Press report.

"It's a good bill," said Senate Capital Investment Committee Chairman Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon. Despite the cuts, "we did well at that level ($717 million)."