The teacher union landscape in Wisconsin changed dramatically following the passage of Gov. Scott Walker’s 2011 budget repair bill, more commonly known as Act 10. Union recertification elections restored workplace…
I taught in the lowest paying state for the average teacher salary when adjusted for wage and cost-of-living differences, so I can empathize with concern over teacher pay. There are…
Grand Forks has racked up some $235,000 in legal bills this year in the effort to win approval for a controversial $700 million Fufeng Chinese ag plant that remains in…
Mostly, the idea is to hire more bureaucrats. Hoping to avoid a repeat of the Feeding Our Future scandal, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has proposed a package of measures. Of…
Customer service at the post office has always had a bad rap. Yet at least citizens could look forward to and rely on their cards, letters and packages being in…
It’s become all too common — criminals under court and correctional control remaining free to commit horrendous crimes of violence. The latest example comes from Friday night’s murder at the Mall…
On Boxing Day, the Minneapolis Star Tribune published an article documenting concerns in the state’s nonprofit sector of a backlash arising from the Feeding Our Future scandal. The paper quotes…
Many residents of the eastern United States received an unwelcome Christmas gift this year: rolling blackouts during cold weather. I received this email on Christmas Eve from Appalachian Power Company,…
Merry Christmas! As you’re hopefully inside warm somewhere for the holiday, or maybe warm-ish outside (Florida, anyone?) I wanted to share my rendition of “All I Want For Christmas.” All…
State and local taxes and spending MPR News: Cities, counties head back to Capitol, sales tax wish lists in hand Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal: Minnesota’s corporate tax rate limiting economic…
Definitions of a small business vary, sometimes depending on the type of industry. But generally, firm size is defined by the amount of revenue or level of employment. In some…
We are experiencing one of the coldest Christmases in years, and our energy system is increasingly unable to keep up with dipping temperatures. Centerpoint Energy and Xcel Energy are warning…
Minnesota’s economy shrank in the first two quarters of 2022. Data released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis today show that, in the third quarter, our state’s economy grew again,…
Minnesota school districts are not required to provide written or in-person feedback to teachers regarding their evaluation, according to an analysis of teacher evaluation policies by the National Council on…
The Star Tribune reports on new Minnesota population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau this month. The Bureau reports that in the 12 months ending June 2022, the state…
A year ago yesterday, I wrote that: New Census Bureau population data show that Minnesota’s population grew by just 225 people in 2021. One particularly alarming aspect of this was a loss of…
Declining drug prices show Inflation Reduction Act’s focus on drug price controls missed the mark Not long after the President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, the Department of Health…
More states every week take action to ban the controversial Chinese app TikTok on state government phones and devices due to security concerns over the vulnerability of state and private…
Xcel Energy is warning Minnesotans that wholesale natural gas prices are rising, which could cause sticker shock for heating bills this month. Fox 9 reports: In a message on Wednesday,…
Teacher shortages are hardly new, but recently it has been described as a national problem. Is it? Given that there is no real national consensus on how to define a…
One of my favorite replies to my last article about the Northern Lights Express was “Have you ever been to Europe?” Well, yes, actually, I lived there for the first…
Residents in St. Paul will face a 14.65 percent property tax hike come 2023. Things could have been worse, however, at least according to the City Council. Initially, the Mayor…
Rider beware. As American Experiment recently revealed, federal data shows the Twin Cities light rail line system ranks as the most dangerous in the country. It’s not even close. The…
The Minnesota House of Representatives is considering a $500 million renovation of the State Office Building. That’s $200 million more than we spent renovating the State Capitol. The current proposal…