News
The Topline: Snow-free Thanksgivings and lethal cantaloupes
Welcome to The Topline, a weekly roundup of the big numbers driving the Minnesota news cycle, as well as the smaller ones that you might have missed. Satellite data from the National Weather Service shows there wasn’t a spec of snow on the ground anywhere in Minnesota on Thanksgiving this year. The latest time that […]
Phillips will not seek reelection to the House
U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who represents the western suburbs of the Twin Cities, announced Friday he will not seek reelection to the House in 2024. Phillips is running a longshot presidential campaign against President Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic primaries. Since 2019 he has represented the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Maple Grove, Wayzata* […]
Wage theft cases remain unresolved years later — and other labor news
Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly round-up of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. Two years ago Javier Mendez Velasco and dozens of other construction workers on the Viking Lakes development in Eagan filed wage theft complaints with state regulators. Velasco, who worked for the subcontractor Property Maintenance & Construction, estimates he’s […]
Minnesotans aren’t happy about the six finalists for the new state flag
The six flags that are finalists to become the new Minnesota state flag are receiving reviews to rival “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,” panned by Minnesotans on social media, who are calling them “trash” and harshly critiquing the work of the commission tasked with selecting Minnesota’s new state flag and seal. Members of the State […]
Court rules against Winona county dairy expansion; owner will appeal
A Minnesota district court ruled against the proposed expansion of a Lewiston dairy Tuesday in the latest chapter of a years-long legal battle between the dairy’s owners, Winona County officials and local environmental groups. The owners of Daley Farm, a dairy with about 1,700 cows in southeast Minnesota, first applied for an expansion in 2017. […]
Duty disability group granted injunction in lawsuit against state
A group representing emergency workers like police and firefighters who were disabled in the line of duty has scored a victory in its lawsuit over a new state law.
Wolves aren’t to blame for a disappointing deer hunt, data show
Minnesota’s 2023 deer hunt is shaping up to be a bit of a disappointment, and some hunters and their allies in media and politics know precisely who to blame: wolves. A hunting group recently erected a billboard near Eveleth, for instance, making the fantastical claim that “wolves devour over 54,000 fawns a year in Minnesota.” […]
Blaine City Council rocked by allegations the mayor has a conflict of interest in sports project
The mayor of Blaine is an investor in a baseball-themed restaurant going up near a planned massive sports entertainment district that may include a taxpayer-subsidized minor league baseball stadium.
How U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson helped derail a fight against election lies
Back in July, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. A federal court had recently granted a temporary injunction, in Missouri v. Biden, finding that the Biden administration had violated the First Amendment by coercing social media companies to remove content, related both to elections and the COVID-19 vaccine, that it […]
Pentagon: National security depends on ‘forever chemicals’ like those made by 3M
The Department of Defense relies on hundreds, if not thousands, of weapons and products such as uniforms, batteries, and microelectronics that contain PFAS, a family of chemicals linked to serious health conditions. Now, as regulators propose restrictions on their use or manufacturing, Pentagon officials have told Congress that eliminating the chemicals would undermine military readiness. […]
Retailers pare back their seasonal hiring to prepare for ho-hum holidays
Black Friday shoppers may notice longer lines and fewer retail associates in some of their favorite stores than in past holiday seasons as retailers scale back seasonal hiring over concerns about consumer spending. JCPenney is hiring 12,000 fewer workers than last year. Macy’s 3,000 fewer. Meanwhile a Walmart executive said the retail giant has been […]
Three presidential debates, one VP debate scheduled ahead of 2024 election
WASHINGTON — The Democratic and Republican nominees for president would debate three times next year if both candidates agree to a schedule released Monday by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. “The United States’ general election debates, watched live worldwide, are a model for many other countries: the opportunity to hear and see leading candidates […]