Author

Deena Winter has covered local and state government in four states over the past three decades, with stints at the Bismarck Tribune in North Dakota, as a correspondent for the Denver Post, city hall reporter in Lincoln, Nebraska, and regional editor for Southwest News in the western Minneapolis suburbs.
Chips on the table: 3M wants to stop making toxic chemicals, but will the government let it?
By: Deena Winter - April 6, 2023
Although 3M has said it plans to stop making toxic chemicals that have polluted the world, the U.S. Department of Defense is so reliant upon them the company may not have a choice.
Minneapolis DFL chair gets restraining order against DFL city council candidate
By: Deena Winter - April 5, 2023
The chair of the Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor party has been granted a temporary restraining order against Minneapolis City Council candidate Victor Martinez.
State human rights commissioner: MPD can’t coach officers for substantial misconduct
By: Deena Winter - March 31, 2023
A settlement between the state Department of Human Rights and the city of Minneapolis will seek to correct one of the more glaring problems of the Minneapolis Police Department: Its failure to discipline and remove its worst officers.
GOP helped pro-pot state auditor candidate raise enough money to get $29,000 subsidy
By: Deena Winter - March 30, 2023
A bevy of less-than-groovy Republicans made a flurry of donations to a pot party candidate last summer. The donations came days before a July deadline for Tim Davis of the Legal Marijuana Now Party to raise enough money to get a public subsidy for his state auditor campaign, giving his campaign a cash infusion to help him potentially pull votes from DFL State Auditor Julie Blaha.
Minneapolis DFL throws out delegates for City Council due to ‘irregularities’
By: Deena Winter - March 28, 2023
The Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor party is looking into irregularities in the party endorsement process for Minneapolis City Council. The Minneapolis DFL Executive Committee voted unanimously Monday night not to accept a significant number of council candidate Victor Martinez’s delegate signups in Ward 5 because one of his campaign volunteers signed up 358 delegates using the same IP address, and was unable to validate them with paper signup forms.
State prison population expected to shoot up as pandemic court backlog eases
By: Deena Winter - March 24, 2023
Despite Democrats’ stated goals of reducing the prison population and making the criminal justice system less punitive, the administration of DFL Gov. Tim Walz expects the population of the state’s 10 prisons to grow from 8,000 in 2024 to 9,000 in 2025 — a 12.5% increase.
Governor proposes $46 million to combat chemicals invented in Minnesota
By: Deena Winter - March 23, 2023
Gov. Tim Walz has proposed spending nearly $46 million to prevent, manage and clean up chemicals invented and manufactured by 3M that are now contaminating Minnesota’s soil, water, air, people and wildlife. The administration would hire 13 additional employees in the state Pollution Control Agency to do it.
Minneapolis mayor reprimanded new community safety commissioner for lashing out on Twitter
By: Deena Winter - March 22, 2023
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey reprimanded Community Safety Commissioner Cedric Alexander last year after some wayward tweeting, according to records reviewed by the Reformer.
Law firm, some police lobbying hard against bill to rein in disability costs
By: Deena Winter - March 21, 2023
First responders and a key law firm that frequently represents them have mounted a furious lobbying campaign to beat back an effort by some state lawmakers to curb the growing costs of state disability benefits. Lawmakers are debating a bill that would require cops and firefighters to receive up to 32 weeks of treatment with […]
Assistant chief Huffman assigned to work on coming consent decree
By: Deena Winter - March 20, 2023
Minneapolis Assistant Police Chief Amelia Huffman has a new assignment: working with the city attorney's office on pending consent decrees with the state and federal government.
Bill would allow people to seek medical monitoring due to chemical exposure
By: Deena Winter - March 20, 2023
A bill has been introduced in the Minnesota Legislature that would allow Minnesotans exposed to toxic substances to sue the responsible companies for the cost of monitoring their health.
Walz budget would expand the state crime bureau, even as crime falls
By: Deena Winter - March 17, 2023
Gov. Tim Walz’s proposed budget would fund a major expansion of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension with a 66% budget increase and 51 new employees. Photo by Tony Webster.