Civil Rights
Worker fired for pregnancy received $97,500 in settlement with Minnesota Human Rights Department
A Minnesota dental office paid a former worker $97,000 for illegally firing her for being pregnant as part of a settlement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, the agency announced on Wednesday. In December 2020, Christina Vescio-Holland told her employer, PL Dental in Coon Rapids, that she was pregnant with twins and that her […]
In face of threats, election workers vow: ‘You are not disrupting the democratic process’
Hundreds of election workers in Washington state’s second-largest county were busy opening mail-in ballots earlier this month when one of them came across a plain white envelope. As she cut it open, white powder leaked out. She carefully took off her gloves, put them down, backed away and called her supervisor. Workers evacuated the building […]
U.S. Senate Republicans question Oklahoma judicial nominee on tribal sovereignty
Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee grilled former Cherokee Nation Attorney General Sara Hill on tribal sovereignty issues at a hearing Wednesday for Hill, nominated to serve as a U.S. district court judge in Oklahoma. Hill, who would be the first Native American woman to be a federal judge in the state, said she […]
White Earth marijuana raid challenges Minnesota cannabis law
About three months ago, Mahnomen County sheriff’s deputies and White Earth tribal police raided Todd Thompson’s tobacco shop, seizing around seven pounds of cannabis, along with $3,000 in cash, his cell phone and surveillance system. The Aug. 2 raid happened the day after recreational marijuana became legal across the state and was the first major […]
DOJ finds city of Anoka violated federal housing, disability law
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that the city of Anoka was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act for discriminating against people with mental illness. The DOJ found that Anoka’s “crime-free” multi-housing program discouraged tenants struggling with mental illness or other disabilities from reaching out to the […]
Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn speaks to Minnesotans on global engagement
United States Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn said during a recent Minnesota visit that she’s focused on reinvigorating the Corps after operations were suspended as the pandemic unfolded in March of 2020, leading to the evacuation of over 7,000 volunteers across the world. Spahn now leads over 2,400 volunteers in 57 countries today, working on […]
More states strive to make parks, trails accessible to people with disabilities
TWO HARBORS, Minn. — Perched high on rugged cliffs overlooking Lake Superior, Split Rock Lighthouse dominates the shoreline. Visitors from across the country make the 113-year-old beacon one of the most-photographed lighthouses in the country. The most spectacular view, many say, is from Pebble Beach, reachable only by a steep, winding forest trail that snakes […]
U.S. Supreme Court considers case dealing with gun rights and domestic violence
WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court justices during Tuesday’s oral arguments seemed to lean toward upholding a federal law that prevents the possession of firearms by a person who is subject to a domestic violence protective order. Liberal and conservative justices appeared to side with the Biden administration’s position that the 1994 federal law is in […]
One year out: how a free and fair 2024 presidential election could be under threat
The last time America elected a president, it led to a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol and a failed coup that gravely damaged the political system and marred the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in U.S. history. A year from now, the nation’s voters will decide another presidential contest — likely […]
National museum of LGBTQI+ history and culture proposed by Wisconsin congressman
WASHINGTON — Proposed federal legislation could add LGBTQI+ history and culture to the Smithsonian Institution’s museum tapestry. U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat, introduced two bills in late October that would begin the process of creating a National Museum of American LGBTQI+ History and Culture. Both bills would need to be signed into law […]
U.S. House GOP in spending bills takes aim at federal LGBTQ, racial equity policies
U.S. House Republicans are continuing to use government spending bills to engage in culture war battles, with legislation debated during the past week that would ban pride flags on some federal buildings, strip funding from a new museum for Latino history and target certain LGBTQ and racial equity policies and programs. The hot-button provisions in […]
As hospices privatize, workers want a union
This story is republished with permission from Capital & Main. Read the original here and their series on how workers are fighting back against inequality. This February, just a couple months before he turned 92, Daniel Ellsberg learned he had inoperable terminal pancreatic cancer. Best known in journalism circles for leaking the Pentagon Papers in […]