Government & Politics
Minneapolis will spend $645,000 on fencing around City Hall, police stations for Chauvin trial
The city of Minneapolis will spend around $645,000 on barbed wire fencing around City Hall, a new government building nearby and its five police precinct stations in preparation for the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with killing George Floyd last May. The figure was provided to the City Council on Wednesday […]
Debate about who pays the freight divides an already polarized state
When Senate Republicans recently accused Minneapolis of seeking a “bailout” to fund law enforcement during the Derek Chauvin trial, Democratic Sen. Patricia Torres Ray turned the tables with a sharp rebuttal: “We have a tax base that supports rural Minnesota because your communities are declining. You do not have a tax base as big as […]
Floyd family ‘disappointed’ that only one family member will be allowed at Chauvin trial
Hennepin County District Judge Peter A. Cahill issued an order Monday allowing only one family member of both Derek Chauvin and George Floyd to be in the courtroom for Chauvin’s trial. Different family members are allowed to rotate in and out each day when the trial begins Monday in downtown Minneapolis at the Hennepin County […]
Rent control ban passes Senate committee; lawmaker says Minneapolis is on path to ‘self-destruction’
A state ban on rent control passed out of the Senate Local Government Policy Committee on a voice vote Tuesday with Democratic-Farmer-Labor members calling for the Legislature to respect local control, while Republican members saying Minneapolis must be stopped from “self-destruction.” The move comes as the Minneapolis City Council pushes forward with a proposal to […]
Senate confirms Cardona as education secretary
The Senate on Monday confirmed Miguel Cardona to lead the U.S. Department of Education in a 64-33 vote. Cardona, a longtime educator from Connecticut, will be tasked with helping schools reopen during the pandemic and leading the $68 billion agency. “There is no one better suited for this job in this moment than Miguel Cardona,” […]
Bipartisan effort would end driver’s license suspensions for unpaid tickets
On a recent Friday night, Lamont Fondern Jr. was driving to Walmart in Bloomington when he noticed a cop car behind him. He got nervous. The cop’s lights flashed as Fondern took an exit. He turned on Facebook Live. As a Black man getting pulled over, he said,“I needed someone to watch.” The officer told […]
Minneapolis City Council questions strong show of force ahead of Chauvin trial
Minneapolis department leaders answered pointed questions from the City Council for the first time publicly on Monday on their preparations for the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, who’s charged with killing George Floyd in May. The city has fortified areas of downtown with barbed wire ahead of the trial, which begins next Monday, […]
City backs away from using social media influencers to spread ‘city-generated messages’ during Chauvin trial
Minneapolis officials have scrapped a plan to use social media influencers to share information during the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin
Shakopee GOP lawmaker doxxes DFL colleague in Facebook post, could face ethics complaint
A Shakopee GOP lawmaker on Sunday night posted the personal cell phone number of a DFL colleague, encouraging his followers to call her to “make (their) voice heard” on a bill he is sponsoring. Freshman state Rep. Erik Mortensen, R-Shakopee, has drawn attention for controversial actions and statements in the few weeks he has been […]
Minnesota cities, counties could get $2 billion from COVID-19 relief bill
Minnesota counties, cities and state agencies could get a $4.6 billion boost this spring under another COVID-19 relief package making its way through Congress. The proposal would direct $350 billion to state and local governments as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion aid bill, which was passed by the House along party lines Friday. […]
Sprawling $1.9T COVID-19 relief bill passed by the U.S. House
WASHINGTON—The U.S. House on a nearly party-line vote passed President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic aid package early Saturday, in a rush to both boost COVID-19 vaccine funding and get legislation to the president’s desk before unemployment benefits expire in mid-March. The package, dubbed the American Rescue Plan, passed 219-212. It includes a gradual increase […]
Minneapolis City Council moves forward with rent stabilization charter amendment
The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved sending two rent stabilization proposals to the city’s Charter Commission for review, moving a step closer to putting the questions before voters in November. “I am confident that once the Charter Commission has finished its review, the Council will vote to put these charter amendments to voters, and that […]