A bill that puts a constitutional gay marriage ban in front of voters in 2012 passed late Saturday.

Gov. Mark Dayton symbolically vetoed the ban. Southwest Minneapolis Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis) praised the veto, despite the fact that it has no impact on the amendment. Dibble also wrote a letter to the entire state, urging Minnesotans to work against the ban. Dibble also rallied protesters and made statements to the press after the bill's passage. Southwest's House Minority Leader Paul Thissen called the bill a "fundamental failure."

Contributor James Sanna did a couple great pieces on the marriage ban. He told the stories of Southwest residents who protested against the ban at the State Capitol over the weekend. He also used both sides' statements to help forecast where the debate over the amendment, which some fear will divide the state, is headed.

Dayton also vetoed nine Republican budget bills, guaranteeing a special session. PDFs of each of the governor's veto letters can be viewed here. But Thissen said the break provided by the end of session gives Minnesotans the opportunity to give their input on budget solutions.

Contributor Mike Wilkinson covered the fate of Minneapolis pension reform, which Mayor RT Rybak and the City Council have pushed for at the legislature.

In business, contributor Ashle Briggs Horton told us about the new environmentally-friendly building planned by Lehman's Garage in Southwest. She also profiled Uniquely Yours, a longtime Linden Hills business that recently relocated to a street-level storefront. A new craft and gift shop is planned at 3800 Grand Avenue in Kingfield.

We also put together photo galleries of the opening days of both Fulton and Kingfield farmers markets.

Contributor Alison Nowak did another great history piece (did you see her article on the 1890s Minneapolis biking craze?), this week's piece focused on the creation of Minneapolis' great park system.

As the city dealt with the aftermath of the tornado, we repackaged Patch tornado coverage from across the state.

Contributor Justin Horwath, who will be handling the police blotter from now on, put together a list of incidents from the preceding week, including robberies and burglaries. Patch also covered the charges against a local man in a bizarre Edina robbery. Two Southwest Minneapolis men were also charged in a violent Uptown robbery, more charges are expected. The beloved Butter Bakery Cafe was burglarized in the middle of the day.

Washburn High School's softball season came to an end, but check out the neat season-ending gallery. Both Southwest and Washburn baseball prepared for the post-season.

In school news, the Washington Post named Southwest High School the top school in the state. Lake Harriet Community School students raised over $1,000 for environmental causes, and learned about math and science along the way.