For most Minnesota teachers, September is back to school season (some returned in August), and as I wrote here, it’s also the only annual opportunity educators get to evaluate their…
Last year saw the City of Lakes suffer through a record 6,138 auto thefts, according to city statistics. The official Minneapolis Crime Dashboard indicates that the city is only about…
As downtown Minneapolis struggles with crime and an exodus of businesses, those who are left are pleading with Target, a major downtown employer, to get its workers back to the…
For years, Mitch Rolling and I have been warning that rising electricity prices will negatively impact education for American students by depriving schools of much-needed resources, resulting in teacher layoffs…
There’s a new front in the campaign to eliminate our society’s stubborn dependence on the automobile in the name of global warming. Namely, just stop building parking lots and ramps…
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced today that he was nominating Todderick Barnette, current Chief Judge of the 4th Judicial District (Hennepin County) to become the city’s second Commissioner of Community…
Typically, the chief executive assumes a de facto leadership role for their political party, providing direction and making tough calls that help maintain credibility with a broader electorate than extreme…
Violent crime was slightly down in 2022, from the sky-high levels of 2021. The state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) issued its annual Uniform Crime Report today. The good news…
Mankato became ground zero in the fight to get SROs back in schools last week as the police were called in to Mankato East High School to break up a…
Earlier this year, the Boston Celtics offered forward Grant Williams $48 million to continue playing for them for another four years. He turned them down. Why? Taxes. Massachusetts used to…
Minnesota’s $1 billion/year personal care assistant (PCA) program has been making headlines recently, and not for good reasons. State Attorney General Keith Ellison charged 18 individuals in an alleged scheme…
State and local taxes and spending Star Tribune: Ramsey County proposing 6.75% property tax levy hike as part of 2024-25 budget plan MPR News: Filmmakers see expanded Minnesota tax credits…
Back in July, I asked what Minnesotans could expect to follow the state’s legalization of marijuana. Looking at the research across a range of outcomes, the answer was “Not much,”…
The latest is Defendant No. 24 (of 60) in the case, Sahra Nur. She was the second person indicted under the S&S Catering group, and ran the nonprofit Academy for…
Earlier this week, in broad daylight, Shivanthi Sathanandan was violently attacked and carjacked by a group of armed young men in the driveway of her Minneapolis home. The attack left…
As sheriffs and police chiefs across Minnesota pull their officers out of schools over vague new rules from the legislature regarding use of force by school personnel, how are teachers…
Name Image Likeness (NIL) reforms have opened up a gusher of cash for formerly “amateur” college football athletes. With little debate or notice, top-level college football has gone fully professional.…
Back in 2021, Minnesota enacted a roughly $5 million a year tax credit intended to attract TV and film productions to the state. The Film Production Tax Credit: …provides an assignable 25%…
It’s that time of year again — back to school! As teachers organize school supplies, establish classroom routines, and anticipate what the new school year will bring, they have something…
Gov. Tim Walz is in a bind over calls for a special session to fix a new law that is forcing police chiefs and sheriffs to pull School Resource Officers…
Claims of widespread “book banning” in school libraries continue to work their way into comments and articles, despite the fact such rhetoric is not reality. Most notably, Gov. Tim Walz…
Last week I took the train from the Twin Cities to Chicago for a work trip. I enjoyed it, and it set me wondering whether we ought to expand rail…
We’ve reached a baker’s dozen of convictions in the free-food scandal. Yusuf Ali is the latest defendant to plead guilty in the case. Ali, defendant No. 30 in the scandal,…
It’s one of the busiest times of the year for teachers — back to school! It’s also the only annual opportunity educators get to evaluate their relationship with the teachers’…