30 years ago, today: the tragic murder of 11-year-old Byron Phillips
Most detectives will tell you there is a case that sticks with them. For me, that case was the murder of Byron Phillips, an 11-year-old African American boy from North…
Most detectives will tell you there is a case that sticks with them. For me, that case was the murder of Byron Phillips, an 11-year-old African American boy from North…
Summary In late March, the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) created the Firearms Assault Shoot Team (FAST), a new unit dedicated to investigating non-fatal shootings as if they were homicides. FAST…
Economic development Star Tribune: Minneapolis passes six-month moratorium on data centers Star Tribune: In Minnesota’s mining country, the jobs have been leaving. Now the families are, too Star Tribune: Opinion…
Ahmed Said won’t be heading to Cameroon, at least not immediately. That was the upshot of a more-than-hour-long court hearing held this morning at the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis.…
In March 2019, for the first time, we at Center of the American Experiment polled the question “Generally speaking, would you say that things in Minnesota are going in the…
Richard Rodriguez Soriano was deported back to his native Nicaragua three weeks ago (May 7). Yesterday, May 27, there was a court hearing lasting for more than an hour at…
Back in January, the Tax Foundation published its ranking of state corporate income taxes for 2026. As Figure 1 shows, with a corporate income tax rate of 9.8%, Minnesota ranked…
Hugo Cardona-Jiminez will be returning to his native Guatemala on his third deportation following a hearing this morning at the federal courthouse in downtown St. Paul. Your correspondent was there.…
But once the billions in new federal money began flowing in, the idea of cutting the sick tax was abandoned. Even Republican “fiscal hawks” couldn’t resist keeping the tax in…
A new report has found that the largest teachers’ union spent roughly 10 cents on the dollar for activities directly representing its members over the last year, while larger portions…
The resignation Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) Chief Brian O’Hara resigned his position late yesterday following an investigation into allegations of an inappropriate relationship with another city employee. Mayor Frey issued…
Back in February, I warned against the budgetary impact of passing a massive bonding bill. Governor Walz’s bonding budget proposal was then $907 million. But in the 2026 session, the…
In January 2025, Center of the American Experiment partnered with Opportunity for All Kids (OAK) to raise awareness and support for legislation to create a $7,000 Education Savings Account (ESA)…
In a decision a long time in the making, nearly 70 percent of Harvard’s faculty has just voted to limit A grades in every course to roughly the top 20…
What was in the Feds’ latest Minnesota fraud update (and does it validate Nick Shirley)? What do Minnesotans think of the state of the state as we head into midterm…
More news outlets are reporting what many of us have been pointing out for years — the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t actually what caused academic achievement to plummet; it was occurring…
In his final State of the State speech, Gov. Walz ran through some of the events of his governorship; COVID-19, the murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman, the Annunciation Church shooting,…
New research shows that Americans’ perception of quality teachers is generally more meaningful than whether they’re wearing red or blue. A recent nationally representative survey study, with funding in part…
When the journalist Ernie Pyle was killed on April 18, 1945, during the battle of Okinawa, President Truman said: “No man in this war has so well told the story…
State and local taxes and spending Star Tribune: Levin: Minnesota should weigh why people think taxes are too high MPR News: Minnesota budget deal offers $205 million lifeline to HCMC…
Happy Memorial Day! As our nation enjoys the long weekend, switching on grills and unwrapping popsicles, it’s a good moment to pause and remember the purpose of this holiday. Before…
Minnesota’s troubling and persistent literacy challenges finally spurred the legislature to act during the 2023 legislative session when the state passed the Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act. Inspired…
Back in December, YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a video in which he visted ten Minnesota daycare centers — including the now infamous Quality Learing Center — and found no children…
A couple of weeks ago, the Minnesota Chamber released results of a statewide poll asking various economic questions. Few of the findings will come as a surprise to our readers, but…