ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- By now, this city an hour northwest of the Twin Cities was supposed to be a stimulus boomtown.
Home to New Flyer, the largest manufacturer of hybrid buses, St. Cloud was poised to benefit from a big chunk of the $8.4 billion in public transit money tucked into the stimulus package.
In March, the city drew Vice President Joe Biden and four Cabinet secretaries for a town hall at the factory. They promised that the stimulus would invest in transportation, energy and education and create a new "green" middle class and good-paying jobs -- not a year from now but this spring and summer.
So where do things stand?