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Minnesota job vacancies up, labor market improving
Job vacancies went up 14% in the last quarter of 2020 compared to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. “These job vacancy numbers show us there’s a lot of opportunity in Minnesota right now,” said DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. The state […]
Walz administration announces mobile vaccine units focused on equitable access
The administration of Gov. Tim Walz plans to deploy mobile vaccination units statewide throughout the summer, aimed at increasing equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The efforts are focused on prioritizing underserved and vulnerable populations by going directly to the communities, the administration said. Data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows that Minnesotans living in […]
Republicans push bill to make voting rules more restrictive
Minnesota has some of the least restrictive voting rules in the country, offering Election Day voter registration, absentee voting by mail and early in-person voting to all eligible Minnesotans. State Sens. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, and Andrew Lang, R-Olivia, have a wide-ranging bill that would create new processes and restrictions they say are needed for […]
Ellison opposes motion to exempt journalists from arrest during protests
The office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is opposing a motion that seeks to exempt journalists from arrest or use of force during protests. In June, the ACLU sued law enforcement and the City of Minneapolis for allegedly targeting journalists trying to cover protests after the death of George Floyd, seeking damages for injured […]
Climate groups: Walz lacks boldness and decisiveness for environmental change
A coalition of worker, Indigenous, environmental and progressive groups says Gov. Tim Walz is failing Minnesotans on environmental justice and climate change. The group published a midterm climate report card, which gives Walz mostly failing grades for his efforts toward a sustainable and equitable future, saying his methods lack the boldness and decisiveness needed. “The […]
Walz signs law bill to honor Canadian restraining orders
Gov. Tim Walz recently signed a bill into law that requires Minnesota to recognize and enforce Canadian domestic violence protection orders. Minnesota is the seventh state to pass such a law, joining Washington, Wisconsin, Nevada, California, North Dakota and Delaware. The Senate bill was co-authored by Sen. Mark Johnson, R – East Grand Forks, who […]
Q&A with David Biesboer, wild rice researcher who’s fatalistic about its future
Wild rice is revered in Minnesota, the state with the most acres of naturally occurring wild rice. It is also a sacred medicine and food for some Indigenous people. In their origin story, the creator told the Anishinaabe, or Ojibwe people, to find “food which grows upon the water.” But the grain is also a […]
Minnesota mom’s book release upstaged by Lil Nas X music video
At 4 years old, Daniel Brundidge was nonverbal and his therapists were discussing ending his therapy because it wasn’t going anywhere. His mother, who has four children and three with autism, prayed that something would give. And one day, when their house in Cottage Grove was unusually quiet in the summer of 2019, something did. […]
Advocates hope to reform veterans court: ‘Offering an olive branch to the veteran who’s brought his war home with him’
On a September morning in 2015, Tony Miller, a former paratrooper who served multiple tours in Iraq, was getting ready for school. He walked down the street to the gas station, grabbed a coffee and headed back to his house. Then Miller noticed some cars he didn’t recognize and heard someone call his name. “And […]
Reconstructing Rondo land bridge bill heard in House Thursday
Interstate 94 construction through St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood demolished hundreds of homes, shut down businesses and cleaved in two a once vibrant middle-class community that was home to 80% of the city’s Black residents. The House Transportation and Finance committee heard a bill Thursday that would fund the early stages of a landbridge in the […]
Planned Parenthood study to focus on male contraceptives
Planned Parenthood is launching a two-year study looking into how men and their partners view male contraceptive options. The study by St. Paul-based Planned Parenthood North Central States will explore alternatives to condoms, vasectomies and withdrawal. Researchers are developing other methods to target sperm, both hormonal and non-hormonal, and expect that these products will be […]
Q&A: Rep. Barb Haley, potential GOP candidate for governor
Rep. Barb Haley, R-Red Wing, is a rising star in the House GOP in just her third-term. She’s the minority whip, and Republicans say her name is in the mix for the 2022 race for governor, though she’s also said to be intrigued by a potential run for Congress against U.S. Rep. Angie Craig in […]