News
More details out on Minneapolis policing proposal
More details were released Thursday about a proposal to restructure policing in Minneapolis. Three Minneapolis City Council members have authored a proposed amendment to the city charter, which is like a constitution, that would dismantle the police department and replace it with a new public safety agency. The proposed amendment comes in response to the […]
A Senate subcommittee with oversight of Met Council, other metro agencies has no plans to meet this session
The governance of the Metropolitan Council is typically one of the more contentious issues at the Legislature, where Republicans frequently seek to lessen its influence or take away the governor’s power to appoint its members. But the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the Met Council and other local government agencies won’t meet this year, Chair […]
Minneapolis has yet to discipline a single officer for misconduct during summer’s unrest
More than a hundred people have been charged with arson and other crimes related to the riots following the police killing of George Floyd. The city of Minneapolis has begun settling lawsuits for police misconduct during the protests. But Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo has not disciplined a single officer for any misconduct during the […]
Minnesota reports 851 new COVID-19 cases and 18 deaths
Minnesota reported 851 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 18 deaths Wednesday, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. A total of 457,317 Minnesotans have tested positive for COVID-19 and 6,124 have died. After experiencing one of the nation’s worst outbreaks in late fall, Minnesota now has the nation’s 47th-fastest rate of case growth, with […]
Senate panel advances voter ID measure after testy debate
A Minnesota Senate panel on Wednesday advanced a measure that would create a voter identification requirement in the state, less than a decade after Minnesota voters rejected a similar proposal at the ballot in 2012. State Sen. Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson, proposed a new state law that would require voters present identification before registering to vote, […]
Biden administration unveils boost to state COVID-19 vaccine shipments
WASHINGTON — Amid frustrations at the slow pace of the national COVID-19 vaccination effort, President Joe Biden says his administration is boosting the number of doses sent to states each week and will be giving state officials more certainty on the number of doses they can expect in future shipments. Starting next week, a minimum of […]
Minneapolis police chief considering San Jose job: ‘I’m humbled that they’ve shown interest’
Update: Since this story was published, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo withdrew his application for police chief of San Jose. A spokesman for the police department announced the decision on Tuesday evening in a news release, writing “He remains committed to our city’s public safety work to enact transformational change here in Minneapolis.” Minneapolis Police […]
Walz $52.4 billion budget proposal: Tax the rich
Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday proposed a $52.4 billion budget, which includes an extensive revamping of tax laws, targeting large corporations and Minnesota’s highest-earners. Walz’s spending blueprint is the first gambit of the legislative debate over how Minnesota will close an $883 million budget deficit. The Legislature and Walz, the first-term Democratic-Farmer-Labor governor, have until […]
Diana Hawkins appointed to Minneapolis Charter Commission as it embarks on monumental year
Diana Hawkins was appointed to the Minneapolis Charter Commission to replace Al Giraud-Isaacson, who resigned in August, 2020. Hawkins, who has served as executive director on the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council since January 2015, joins the Charter Commission at a crucial time. The City Council is considering two charter amendments, which are like amendments to the […]
House Republican Leader proposes making it a crime to share personal information about a police officer
House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, introduced legislation on Monday that would make it a misdemeanor to disseminate personal information about a police officer such as a home address, personal email address or photograph of the officer’s home or car if it could threaten his or her safety. Daudt’s proposal also increases the penalty for […]
No, you’re outta order! Hawley accuses Sen. Tina Smith, other Democrats of ethics breach
WASHINGTON—Seven U.S. Senate Democrats including Sen. Tina Smith urged the chamber’s ethics panel to investigate Sen. Josh Hawley’s role in the pro-Trump assault on the Capitol, and the Missouri Republican is now asking the committee to do the same. In a Monday letter, Hawley argued that the seven Democrats filed an improper complaint last week […]
Walz introduces schools plan; GOP critics say it’s more of the same
Gov. Tim Walz on Monday unveiled a schools plan that focuses on improving educational equity for students of color, the recruiting and retaining Indigenous teachers and teachers of color, as well as offering more rigorous courses in rural Minnesota. The plan, called “Due North,” arises a day before Walz is expected to outline his proposal […]