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Legislature funds two new rapid bus lines along Twin Cities’ busiest corridors
The Minnesota Legislature approved spending $55 million on two new bus rapid transit lines in the Twin Cities metro, which together will provide quicker transportation to more than 25,000 passengers each weekday. It’s part of the $1.9 billion public works and tax cut package passed by the House and Senate this week. The B line […]
Becker bags $20.5 million from state spending package for business park
The Minnesota Legislature approved spending $20.5 million on a business park in Becker — population 4,912 — as part of a $1.9 billion spending and tax cut bill aimed at creating jobs and fixing up the state’s infrastructure amid a slumping economy caused by COVID-19. The city of Becker has been lobbying for the money to […]
Minneapolis looks to create sweeping truth and reconciliation commission to confront centuries of racism
Minneapolis could be among the first major American cities to create a so-called truth and reconciliation commission — like the one made famous in post-apartheid South Africa — to document the city’s racist history and address its enduring inequities. City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins introduced the proposal in a committee on Wednesday with all […]
Amazon workers plan Prime Day protest at Shakopee warehouse over COVID-19 concerns
Some workers at Amazon’s Shakopee warehouse plan to hold a protest on Wednesday — during the retail giant’s “Prime Day” sales event — for failing to adequately protect them from COVID-19 and allegedly retaliating against employees who’ve raised concerns. Since March, some 225 of Amazon’s workers in Shakopee have tested positive for the coronavirus, according […]
Judge rejects Minn. GOP lawmaker’s challenge to extended mail-in voting deadline
A federal judge rejected a lawsuit from a Minnesota Republican lawmaker and a presidential elector seeking to block absentee ballots received after Election Day from being counted. The ruling means election officials in Minnesota will be able to count ballots up to a week after Nov. 3, as already approved by state courts to accommodate […]
Former special forces are being recruited to “guard” Minn. polling places against “the Antifas”
A Tennessee-based security firm is recruiting former U.S. Special Operations personnel to guard polling places in Minnesota on Election Day against “the Antifas.” The Washington Post reported on Friday that the private security company Atlas Aegis posted an ad this week on a defense industry job site for “security positions in Minnesota during the November […]
Drive-thru ballot drop-off opens in downtown Minneapolis
Voters who registered to vote-by-mail may now drop off their ballots in downtown Minneapolis without leaving their cars. Hennepin County opened a drive-thru drop off in front of their government center building at 625 S. 4th Ave. to accept ballots Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. leading up to the Nov. 3 election. An election […]
Minneapolis event will help people apply for rental assistance, health care
Hennepin County will host an in-person event in south Minneapolis on Tuesday to help people apply for rental assistance, health care and other resources as the economy struggles to recover amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. People can receive help applying for government assistance from 12:30-4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at Hennepin County’s Office of […]
Hennepin County launches fund to spur equitable redevelopment from riots
Hennepin County will create a $10 million fund to help spur redevelopment of areas destroyed by riots following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. Without state or federal aid to help rebuild, many people whose businesses were damaged this summer may have no other choice but to sell rather than rebuild. […]
Hennepin County to purchase two properties for homeless people
Hennepin County will spend $3.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief aid to buy two properties for people experiencing homelessness: a 35-room motel in southwest Minneapolis and a 23-room former treatment facility just south of downtown. The Board voted 6-0 on Tuesday to make the purchases with some of the $220 million the county received through […]
Pence to cops in Minneapolis: “We’re with you”
The vice president and President Donald Trump’s daughter came to Minneapolis Thursday with a clear message: They’re with the cops. Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump met with “Cops for Trump” at the Minneapolis airport’s Intercontinental Hotel, filling a ballroom with law enforcement officers and their supporters, many of them in red shirts declaring […]
Workers at Classical MPR and The Current announce intent to unionize
Employees of Minnesota Public Radio’s classical music station and The Current, its contemporary music station, announced their intent to form a union on Thursday, citing a need for more equitable pay, greater staff diversity and more consistent and transparent discipline. The announcement comes during a week that has already roiled one of the largest nonprofits […]