Briefs
Minnesotan wins national fellowship to teach Indigenous birthing practices
Dorene Day, an Ojibwe midwife, was one of 10 Indigenous people from across the country selected for a $50,000 fellowship, which she’ll use to continue her work teaching Indigenous birthing practices.
D’oh! Wisconsin beat us last time in Census participation. Come on Minnesotans!
Bad news, Minnesota: Wisconsin has us beat on Census participation last time. Take consolation in the fact that at least they didn’t best us by much. Wisconsin had the nation’s highest participation rate in 2010; 82% of households mailed back the Census questionnaire, compared to 81% in Minnesota. Minnesota was thoroughly embarrassed in 2000, when […]
Minneapolis council member tries for top job at Housing Authority
City Council Member Abdi Warsame, Ward 6, is interviewing for the top job at the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, according to a staff member in Warsame’s office. If offered the position, Warsame would not be able to keep his seat on the council. His current term doesn’t end until 2022, so he would need to […]
Eagan police arrested their own Mayor Mike Maguire for driving drunk
Is there something about the winter doldrums of January that compels Minnesota mayors to drive drunk? Eagan police arrested their city’s mayor, Michael John Maguire, 52, on Jan. 11 after responding to reports that his sport-utility vehicle was stuck in a snowbank near the intersection of Dakota Path and Shadow Creek Curve, KARE 11 reported […]
Minneapolis Council Members want to ban fur coat sales
Minneapolis City Council Members Alondra Cano and Cam Gordon announced today they plan to introduce an ordinance that would ban the sale and manufacture of new animal fur products. The proposed fur ban would threaten the business of one of the largest fur retailers in the United States, Ribnick Fur & Leather, which was founded […]
Gazelka’s comments ignite strong reactions
Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka’s comments in an interview with Colorado televangelist Andrew Wommack generated strong reaction Thursday from Minnesota’s LGBTQ community and progressives, who pledged to flip the GOP-controlled state Senate. In the hour-long interview, which was reported by the Minnesota Reformer, Gazelka explained why he believes churches and counselors should be free to […]
Minnesota students are missing out on federal aid for college
On average, nearly half of 12th graders at most Minnesota high schools didn’t submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid last year, according to data from the University of Wisconsin. The FAFSA — a lengthy, complicated form required to receive federal aid for higher education, as well as to access aid from many states […]
Beltrami County refugee vote hypocritical, commissioner says
When Beltrami County became the first local government in Minnesota to refuse to accept new refugees under President Donald Trump’s executive order, one county commissioner noted the irony and hypocrisy of the vote. Commissioner Tim Sumner, a member of the Red Lake Nation, told the Star Tribune, “A lot of people that migrated here are […]
Some prominent Minnesotans want to amend the state constitution for education
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari want to amend the state’s constitution to say “all children have a fundamental right to a quality public education.” The proposal has garnered mixed reaction, with both the state teachers union and state Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester, coming out […]
