Semi-retired Star Tribune columnist Lori Sturdevant wrote recently about the just-started Minnesota legislative session under the headline: DFL may go big, and that wouldn’t be bad Some policy moves are…
In 2015, Hennepin County seized Geraldine Tyler’s Minneapolis condo “over about $2,300 of unpaid property taxes, plus $12,700 in penalties, interest and fees.” The county sold the condo for $40,000…
It’s all the rage among local elected officials in cities from Dilworth to Rochester to Fairmont and points in between. A community center funded by imposing an up to 25-year…
It’s Super Bowl Sunday this weekend and, once again, the Vikings will be watching it at home. It is also budget season at the state Capitol, with Gov. Tim Walz…
Two bills made fast progress this week in the Minnesota House and appear to be on a collision course if they both become law. The first grants driver’s licenses to…
On Monday, Jan. 9, Bloomberg reported that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) would consider banning gas stoves amid concerns about emissions from the appliances. The piece caused an…
State and local taxes and spending Minn Post: Will Minnesota taxes from legal marijuana help pay for education, social programs? Probably not U.S. News: Minnesota Governor Still Wants Tax Rebates…
Ah, the good old days of the pandemic, when Gov. Tim Walz’s emergency authority waived the public meeting laws, empowering state and local governments to hold official meetings online without…
As reported by the Star Tribune here, the DFL is leading a push for juvenile justice reform this legislative session. At first blush, such efforts appeal to most anyone who has…
On October 23, 2022, the Colorado Sun published an interesting story titled “The wind turbines on this Colorado farm are 20 years old. Who’s going to take them down?” The…
When disasters strike, they are usually accompanied by shortages of various necessities. This essentially necessitates that the prices for those goods rise — in most cases higher than normal —…
The pandemic may be over, but many school districts are just starting to suffer the coronavirus’ ill effects on the health of their finances — their own strain of financial…
Two defendants in the Feeding Our Future case were also arrested for passport fraud as they tried to flee the country. Both of them have been released from jail. Abdiaziz…
My previous post on ballooning district administrative growth nationwide led many to ask about Minnesota-specific numbers. Here they are.
House and Senate DFL legislators convened last week to outline their priorities for the new legislative session. A key healthcare priority would set price controls on big pharmaceutical companies to…
In August 2022, President Biden signed the so-called “Inflation Reduction Act,” a $370 billion spending package that will do little to reduce inflation, but it will do a lot to…
Recognizing important economic relationships allowed us to see inflation coming back in 2021. Today, they strongly suggest a sharp slowing of inflation ahead.
Minnesota's chief administrative law judge recently signed off on the majority of controversial amendments to the state's licensure rule for teachers.
According to the Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), combined tax revenues in the months of November and December exceeded the November forecast by over $200 million — or 4.4 percent.…
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has sued an Edina-based nonprofit associated with Feeding Our Future. He filed the lawsuit yesterday in Hennepin County. The nonprofit was located at a co-working…
Last fall, American Experiment released a report warning that the 100 percent carbon-free electricity mandate proposed by Governor Tim Walz and other liberal lawmakers would result in skyrocketing electricity prices…
In the budget biennium 2024-2025, Minnesota’s state government is forecast to take in $17.6 billion more than it says it needs. You might have expected a debate over whether the…
The 2022 midterm elections gave Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota total control of state government, offering liberal lawmakers an opportunity to enact new energy mandates requiring 100% of Minnesota’s electricity to…
A murder in Lakeville on Sunday evening further demonstrated the inability of our criminal justice system to ensure public safety under its current self-imposed sentencing limitations. Donte R. McCray, 32,…