Editor Brian Harrod Provides Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, with aggregated news from sources all over the world from the Roundup Newswires Network
The Minnesota Legislature wrapped up its work at midnight Sunday with the familiar last-minute flurry of votes and political machinations but surrounded by question marks, as Gov. Mark Dayton threatened to veto major tax and spending bills. The ramifications of the latest round of gridlock at the Capitol could be huge, as the failure to enact a bill syncing Minnesota's tax code with sweeping federal changes would create a massively complex tax filing season next year and hit hundreds of thousands of Minnesota families and some businesses with tax increases.
Lawmakers have until midnight Sunday to pass bills. But Republican leaders and Gov. Mark Dayton have struggled to compromise on a tax bill and some additional government spending, including emergency funding for public schools that Dayton deems necessary.
Minnesota lawmakers are in the homestretch, facing a lengthy to-do list and less than two days to finish their work. Republican leaders who control the House and Senate say they may move fast to pass a $28 million bill for school security upgrades as negations continue with Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton on a host of priorities.
Tuesday's Line 3 pipeline replacement discussion was spearheaded by Minnesotans for Line 3 and United Piping Inc. CEO Bob Shoneberger ; Cub Foods owner Chris Quisberg representing the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce; and Grand Rapids resident DeeDee Tollefson.
The Minnesota State Capitola S: With the Legislature facing a May 21 deadline for adjournment, the fate of legislation that would lower the bar for successful sexual harassment lawsuits is unclear. Minnesota victims of sexual harassment have waited long enough for reasonable access to relief from the courts.
The Legislature has approved a measure that would require doctors to ask women seeking an abortion in Minnesota if they want to first view images from an ultrasound scan. The state House voted 79-48 on Thursday to approve the bill, which was identical to one approved earlier this month by the Senate.
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton shows a photo of his dog to students in Denise Ducharme's first-grade class while visiting Ben Franklin Elementary School Wednesday, May 9, 2018, in Rochester. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton responds to questions from first-graders from Denise Ducharme's first-grade class while visiting Ben Franklin Elementary School Wednesday, May 9, 2018, in Rochester.
Second Harvest Heartland food bank supplies 80 million meals a year to the hungry. Out of a crammed-to-the-rafters warehouse in Maplewood, its 30 trucks shuttle 50 million pounds of food to regional food banks from Rochester to Crookston.
The next two weeks will be hectic for Minnesota lawmakers involved in rewriting the state's tax code to align it with recent federal changes. For even the most dedicated observers of the state Legislature, the coming negotiations will likely be complex.
In this Nov. 10, 2016 file photo, Minnesota State Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, center, is joined by Senate Republicans at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. Republican lawmakers who control the Legislature and Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton have put forward markedly different plans to square Minnesota's tax code with the federal government.
The reinstated mineral leases will provide an economic stimulus to the region as early as this summer, said Frank Ongaro, executive director of Mining Minnesota, left. U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, right, went to bat for Northeastern Minnesota, authoring the Miner Act to demonstrate Congress would not put up with the Obama administration's interference with mineral exploration leases.
A former Republican White House lawyer in President George W. Bush's administration and a prominent critic of President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will run as a Democrat for Al Franken's Minnesota Senate seat. Richard Painter said he plans to challenge Sen. Tina Smith, who was appointed to Franken's seat after his January resignation, in a Democratic primary in August.
Second District Republican U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis is attempting to apply the heavy thumb of the federal government to tip the scales in a long-running debate over the composition of the Metropolitan Council. We think Lewis and the feds should keep their hands off.
Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson now has the D-F-L endorsement as he seeks his 15th term in the U-S House. Peterson was officially backed by the party at the D-F-L 7th District Convention this weekend in Willmar.
Richard Painter, professor and cable news commentator, announces on Monday, April 30, 2018, that he is running for U.S. Senate as a Democrat. He faces U.S. Sen. Tina Smith in the Aug. 14 primary election.
Ray "Skip" Sandman, the Independence Party of Minnesota candidate for District 8, was not shy with his criticism for his opponents in both the DFL and GOP. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch As is often the case, U.S. representatives have to think more in the short term than other positions in national government on account of their two-year terms-an election cycle leading to constant campaigning and fundraising and a focus on pertinent, immediate legislation.
A school safety funding package that would give Minnesota schools more money for building safety improvements, hiring counselors and school resource officers, and other expenses won the approval of state lawmakers Thursday. The school safety budget plans approved by the Republican-majority House largely mirrors a $21 million proposal offered by DFL Gov. Mark Dayton earlier this year.
Minnesota does a lot to prepare children for elementary school, but its often tough for families to find the right program, leaving some children without the head start they need to succeed. Those are the findings of an analysis of Minnesota's early learning programs released Thursday by the state Legislative Auditor, a government watchdog.
St. PAUL-In the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Minnesotans have a great love for their lakes, rivers, streams and the great outdoors. For over 70 years, Minnesota's soil and water conservation districts have been hard at work protecting the state's critical soil and water resources by working with landowners on programs and practices that support conservation, healthy working lands and clean water.