How the One Big Beautiful Bill Act forces the state to confront spending Like every state, Minnesota relies on the federal government for a substantial portion of its funding. According…
People are voting for the same policies that caused New York City to declare bankruptcy 50 years ago — why? On one level, the story of New York City’s bankruptcy…
Minnesota has a fraud problem.” That’s what Andrew Luger, former U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, said as he finished his term. As the weeks and months went by and more state-run…
In their first paycheck of 2026, Minnesotans will see a new deduction. The 0.44 percent payroll tax, matched by another 0.44 percent paid by their employer — 0.88 percent in…
There’s a new, disturbing epidemic sweeping through Minnesota. It has shown up on the government radar, infecting state agency social benefit programs and siphoning taxpayer money by the millions: fraud.…
But how much? Estimates range above $6 billion (with a “b”) just for the state Dept. of Human Services (DHS). “Health and human services” outpaces the general category of “education”…
Today’s fraud involves a program called “Integrated Community Supports” (ICS). For the record, is it, Do you really need to hear anything else? So, what is ICS? From DHS: Services…
Today’s (alleged) fraud comes to us courtesy of investigative reporter A.J. Lagoe and the KARE-11 team. They report, TikTok video alleges Medicaid billing fraud. The details, A Minnesota company is…
Today, Asha Farhan Hassan, age 28, became the defendant first charged as part of a $14 million autism-clinic fraud. She is charged with one count of wire fraud. Acting U.S.…
“Minnesota officials alerted to housing fraud two years before indictment,” reads the headline this morning in the Minnesota Star Tribune. The “housing fraud” refers to the state Medicaid program Housing…
Abdullahe Nur Jesow entered the 49th guilty plea in the sprawling free-food scandal, becoming the 56th person to be convicted overall. Jesow pled guilty to one count of money laundering…
Joe Thompson, the Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, announced eight (8) criminal charges in the massive fraud involving the state’s Housing Stabilization Services program (HSS). Over the past 4 1/2…
Eric Grumdahl, Assistant Commissioner of the state Department of Human Services (DHS) became the first bureaucrat in the seven-year tenure of Gov. Tim Walz to be held accountable for the…
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the U.S. population is projected to reach 367 million in 2055. This is down from the 372 million projected earlier in January. The…
One newspaper columnist at a time. Rochelle Olson writes in the Star Tribune this weekend: U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson: Fraud is stealing Minnesota’s way of life Olson reports about her…
In August 2020, Rep. Ilhan Omar (DFL) introduced the Make Billionaires Pay Act to Congress, which would have imposed a 60% tax on the gains in wealth billionaires made between…
Aimee Bock’s former live-in boyfriend, Empress Malcolm Watson, Jr., has been charged with two felony counts of state tax evasion, the state Dept. of Revenue announced today. Aimee Bock, of…
In March, I wrote an article titled “Tanking commercial property values in downtown Minneapolis push up residential property taxes.” Across the Mississippi, Ramsey County Auditor Tracy West told the County…
KARE-11 TV is out with a report: KARE 11 Investigates: Ethics questions emerge over Sen. Fateh’s housing bill and wife’s company ties. Sen. Omar Fateh (DFL-Minneapolis) is by some accounts…
One of the most common complaints about property taxes is that they function like a wealth tax, where the increase in the notional value of an asset — stocks or…
The DFL deficit In February 2023, Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB) forecast a state government budget surplus of $17 billion for the 2024-2025 biennium. In March this year, we learned that MMB…
Yesterday, I wrote about the wave of property tax hikes sweeping across Minnesota. It will be cold comfort to know that our state is not alone in this. At a…
Muna Wais Fidhin, of Savage, age 44, become the 75th defendant indicted in the sprawling free-food scandal. Fidhin made her first appearance this afternoon at the federal courthouse in downtown…
Property taxes are rising across Minnesota. Ramsey County officials are proposing increases in the property tax levy of 9.75% in 2026 and 7.5% in 2027. In Willmar, the preliminary 2026 property tax levy…