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Rep. John Thompson faces challengers Hoang Murphy, Liz Lee in endorsement race
The governor and the speaker of the Minnesota House called for him to resign. His party caucus ousted him. But embattled Rep. John Thompson is running for reelection. To win a second term, he’ll need to defeat two challengers in the strongly Democratic East Side St. Paul district. Hoang Murphy, founder of the St. Paul-based […]
Staying in a shelter will be free for families in Hennepin County
Homeless families in the state’s largest county that move into a shelter will not be expected to pay for their stay, thanks to a unanimous vote of the Hennepin County Board. The move lifts a requirement that led some families to use public benefits like Social Security to pay shelter costs. Single people haven’t had […]
Free tests look for harmful chemicals in young children
Children starting kindergarten in southeastern Minnesota can get free testing for possible exposure to harmful chemicals as part of a new pilot program, the Minnesota Department of Health announced on Tuesday. Families who bring their kids ages 3 to 6 to early childhood screening appointments, which are required for public school enrollment, will receive a […]
Home care workers union wins ruling from state board on unpaid pandemic bonuses
Hundreds of home care workers still have not received pandemic bonus pay the state Legislature set aside for them more than a year ago, but a ruling by a state employment board on Tuesday could help them be made whole. In October 2020, state lawmakers approved an 8.4% temporary increase in payments to home care […]
Walz appoints Kessler as pollution control commissioner
Gov. Tim Walz appointed Katrina Kessler to be his new commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, or MPCA, effective Nov. 1. Kessler, who has decades of experience as a water regulator, is being promoted after serving as assistant commissioner of MPCA for water policy and agriculture. Walz struggled to find candidates during a […]
Sen. Tina Smith, former chief of staff to Rybak, will vote no on Question 2
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, who is a Minneapolis resident when not in Washington, said Tuesday that she will vote no on Question 2 — the Minneapolis police ballot initiative — joining Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Gov. Tim Walz in opposition. Smith, once chief of staff to former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, said that she agrees with much […]
School bus driver shortage leaves families scrambling to find alternative ways to class
Dominique Smith’s daughter was offered a school bus ride to Brooklyn Center’s Earle Brown Elementary throughout pre-K and kindergarten. This year, due to a dire shortage of qualified bus drivers, she didn’t have that option. Smith said the school sent her a message before the year started stating that the 6-year-old would walk to school. […]
“We help women run for office, and win”: Q&A with Run Vote Lead’s Beth Peterson
Before running for Eveleth City Council, Beth Peterson connected with Vote Run Lead, a national organization that provides training, networking and other tools to encourage women to run for office. She won and served a single term. Now she’s the state director for Vote Run Lead in Minnesota. She talked to the Reformer about […]