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THE VERY LATEST: Minn. Senate vote clears Vikings for new stadium

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The Minnesota Vikings are on the brink of getting a new stadium after the state Senate approved a plan that relies heavily on public financing.

Gov. Mark Dayton has said he'll sign the measure, which makes Thursday's Senate approval the final hurdle for the nearly $1 billion stadium. The House passed it overnight.

The team has been chasing a new stadium for nearly a decade. Dayton led the charge this year, fearing the team might leave the state if it didn't get a replacement for the 30-year-old Metrodome.

Under the bill, the team's future in Minnesota would be guaranteed for three decades.

The Vikings would pay 49 percent of construction costs. The public expense is high: $348 million for the state and $150 million for the city of Minneapolis.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- A fast-moving Minnesota Vikings stadium bill is just a successful state Senate vote away from reaching the desk of a supportive Gov. Mark Dayton.

The Minnesota House voted 71-60 early Thursday on a reworked $975 million stadium bill. Passage came within hours of the Vikings signing off on a proposal requiring them to pay $50 million more than franchise owners had previously agreed to.

The deal puts the team and its private partners on the hook for $477 million. The public would pay $498 million through and expansion of legalized gambling and a redirected sales tax now collected in Minneapolis.

The Vikings have pursued a new stadium for more than a decade, but the push gained urgency when its lease expired after last season.

The Senate is due to vote Thursday afternoon.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)