Despite being on the short end of a 66-67 party split in the Minnesota House of Representatives, Democrats say they will not show up next week for the start of…
In the Winter 2024 issue of our magazine Thinking Minnesota, I wrote about the “Minnesota Miracle” of 1978 which saw, among other outcomes, the election of a tied state House,…
Another Minnesota city takes the government’s fiber-optic bait. “This time, it’ll be different!” This should be the tagline for Connect Willmar, the latest local government-funded fiber-optic internet project in…
The election contest of the Shakopee-area House 54A seat reveals more incompetence. The election was almost two months ago, and we’ve almost sorted out what happened. One state House of…
Economic issues are driving a new coalition of Minnesota voters. For some years, Republicans have been talking about forming a multi-ethnic working-class and middle-class coalition that would be an electoral…
Gun control advocates appear to be armed and ready to reintroduce several measures when the 2025 legislative session gets underway in January. Unlike the last two years, however, gung-ho anti-gun…
The 94th Minnesota Legislature will convene on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. And when that happens, it appears that Republicans will hold a slight, if temporary, advantage in both houses. Two…
State and local taxes and spending Moose Lake Star Gazette: Action needed to avert looming state shortfall Star Tribune: St. Paul schools to raise property tax levy by 7.9% in…
Last week, the following statement appeared on the Minnesota Senate DFL’s website: Today, Senator Matt Klein (DFL-Mendota Heights), Senator Nick Frentz (DFL – North Mankato), Senator Judy Seeberger (DFL – Afton), Senator Grant Hauschild…
Back in 1973, when Time magazine ran a story titled “The Good Life in Minnesota” and put our state’s governor, Wendell Anderson, on the cover, the article stated: “Politics is almost…
Duluth may be in fourth place behind Minneapolis, St. Paul and Rochester when it comes to population. But the Lake Superior city came in first by far in holding the…
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy should have checked with his agencies’ customers in Minnesota and North Dakota before giving himself an “A” at a congressional oversight hearing last week in Washington.…
One of the most bizarre aspects of the Feeding Our Future scandal has been the deep and recurring connections between the case and the city of Seattle, Washington. It was…
In a press release issued last week, the state’s Attorney General, Keith Ellison, announced a settlement in which the free-food nonprofit Youth Leadership Academy, d/b/a Gar Gaar Family Services (GGFS),…
In mid-November, the Star Tribune ran a feel-good piece highlighting the efforts of a former DFL vice chair to show Minneapolis in a more positive light. As expected, the paper…
News outlets (AlphaNews and KSTP) have obtained the settlement document between sitting state Rep. Bianca Virnig (DFL-Eagan) and her former outside employer, BrightWorks. KSTP reporter Tom Hauser posted the document…
Two years ago, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) forecast a state government budget surplus of $18 billion for the 2024-2025 biennium. In the event, not only was every penny of…
The radical and unrealistic 2040 deadline for utilities to meet Minnesota’s mandate for 100 percent of electricity to be generated from carbon-free sources remains 15 years away. But alarm bells…
The state house of representatives Rules Committee voted today to pay private lawyers more than $10,000 to represent a sitting member in a private employment dispute. In a lame-duck, virtual…
The website fatehformayor.com has gone live and Blois Olson reports that the state senator has a city hall press conference scheduled for tomorrow (Monday). We had earlier reported that Sen.…
In a Thanksgiving-eve, pre-holiday, afternoon news dump, officials in Scott County admit that 20 ballots were destroyed in this year’s election. The county attorney issued a two-page report, summarizing the…
Hennepin County officials struck out at the legislature this year in their attempt to win approval to continue charging residents for the sales tax that’s paid for Target Field. But…
Northstar Commuter Rail has never come close to meeting the rosy ridership projections touted at the $320 million line’s kick-off 15 years ago this month. Not before the pandemic, certainly…
Democrats and Republicans are still working out the details of power-sharing in the rare 67-67 tie the parties are facing next year in the State House of Representatives. Axios Twin…