State and local taxes and spending Star Tribune: Gov. Tim Walz proposes additional spending cuts in revised budget plan KAAL TV: Governor Walz releases revised Minnesota budget Grand Rapids Herald…
“Better late than never” may be the best that can be said for the Metropolitan Council’s announcement it’s finally pulling the plug on the failed Northstar commuter rail line, following…
Murder and Mayhem on our Light Rail Last Friday evening a 33-year-old man was shot and killed on the Metro Transit light rail at University and Hamline in St. Paul…
State and local taxes and spending Star Tribune: Minneapolis property taxes are going up, but not as fast as most major U.S. cities since 2019 Grand Rapids Herald Review: Housing…
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…
This morning, I was back at Ft. Snelling, observing the workings of the local Federal Immigration Court. Charles Dickens famously wrote in his 1853 novel Bleak House about the fictional…
Economic development Minnesota Reformer: Lawmakers expected to fund infrastructure, economic development projects on Iron Range Labor market KEYC: Minnesota’s unemployment rate holds steady for 6th month in a row Willmar…
Time to pull the plug on the Northstar Commuter Rail.
In “Get on board with the train to Duluth” (June 11) the Star Tribune’s Editorial Board announced its support for the Northern Lights Express (NLX), the proposed passenger train service…
As I noted last month, the state government voted to waste $200 million on a train running between Minneapolis and Duluth. The media is now — belatedly — asking “How…
The Met Council claims to be all about equity and inclusion in the grandstanding statements on the agency’s “Equity in Action” page posted on its website. Our public engagement plan…
Despite efforts by some city leaders, residents, and media to downplay crime in Minneapolis, the amount of lawlessness and violence over the 2023 Memorial Day weekend tells a different story.…
I’ve explained before just what a total waste of money the proposed Northern Lights Express will be. It will be a slower, more expensive, and less convenient way of moving…
With the state government’s budget forecast to run a surplus of $17.6 billion dollars to June 2025, there will, no doubt, be all sorts of proposals put forward for how…
The construction of the Southwest Light Rail Transit Line now stands nine years behind schedule, pushed back from 2018 to 2027. At the same time, the cost of the biggest…
The Met Council continues to plug away on the construction of the troubled Southwest Line Rail Transit line as though there’s no tomorrow. And at some point there may not…
Your correspondent attends a game in downtown Minneapolis, and lives to tell the tale. The Minnesota Twins are currently leading the Central division of the American League. In the stands,…
Hennepin County held its annual “State of the County” address on Wednesday morning. The challenges the Board identified were climate change, housing, business and employment — all with an umbrella theme…
A key committee voted last week to proceed full speed ahead with the proposed route for the Twin Cities next light-rail boondoggle in the works, the $1.5 billion and counting…
Minneapolis is turning into another two-tiered city — mind-blowing luxury at one end, third-world-style poverty at the other. A recent drive through Minneapolis revealed a city moving in two directions…
In 1985, Amtrak ended all passenger rail service to Duluth. It did so because hardly anyone was using the service anymore. Now, nearly 40 years on, there are proposals to…
The Minnesota Twins have canceled the opening game of the 2022 Major League Baseball season due to bad weather. Accordingly, Metro Transit canceled Northstar commuter rail service to the stadium…
In 1985, Amtrak ended all passenger rail service to Duluth. It did so because hardly anyone was using the service anymore. Now, nearly 40 years on, there are proposals to…