Lawmakers want say over any new water quality regulations in Minnesota

Getting gummint out of the way. In the Duluth News Tribune, John Myers says, “Minnesota lawmakers have introduced bills at the Capitol that would require legislative approval and an economic impact study of any new water quality regulations imposed in the state if the regulations have a major cost to industry. … The House bill already has two dozen co-authors, including a mix of the Republicans who hold the majority and Iron Range DFLers who have an anti-regulatory tilt, especially regarding the mining industry.”

Turbo Tax is back in business. At ConsumerAffairs.com Jennifer Abel writes, “As of press time, residents of all 50 states are once again allowed to use TurboTax to file their state tax returns, but who knows? That could change as suddenly as this whole mess began. … Massachusetts isn’t the only state to delay refunds so it can look for fraudulent returns. On Friday, revenue commissioners from multiple states including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Kentucky, Connecticut, Vermont, Utah and North Dakota all said they would delay state tax refunds in order to look for fraud. Although tax refunds are being delayed, all states are accepting tax returns via TurboTax. Even Minnesota’s Department of Revenue ended its brief ban on Saturday at 3 p.m. Central time.”

Done in by threatening … tweets. The AP’s Amy Forliti says, “A Minneapolis man charged with lying to the FBI during a terrorism investigation was ordered detained while his case is presented to a federal grand jury, after a magistrate judge said Monday that comments the 19-year-old posted on Twitter amounted to threats. … His attorney, JaneAnne Murray, sought his release and noted that prominent community members were in court to support Ahmed. Murray said comments her client made on Twitter were simply hubris. U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Rau disagreed. ‘The tweets that you issued were beyond hubris, they were beyond youth,’ Rau said. ‘They were threats.’”

There are jobs in coffee grounds and banana peels. WCCO-TV’s Kylie Bearse reports, “Composting has become more than just a growing trend, it’s generating millions of dollars for Minnesota’s economy. The Minnesota Composting Council recently did the first-ever statewide study of the Minnesota composting industry. They learned it’s worth $148 million and more than 700 jobs.”

Oddly, no details on the “how” part of the story. Derek Gilliam in the Florida Times-Union says, “Marilyn Hartman, a notorious serial stowaway, may have topped all her previous feats by yet again boarding a plane without a ticket and then checking in to a posh First Coast hotel under someone else’s identity, according to authorities. Nassau County deputies nabbed the sneaky 63-year-old Monday at the Omni Resort in Fernandina Beach but not before she evaded hotel security for a full night … . The Chicago born, retired legal secretary grabbed national headlines in August when authorities arrested her three times that month trying to board flights without a ticket. But apparently she’s perfected her technique as she somehow dodged document checkers in Minnesota and boarded a plane for Jacksonville.” So is she TSA prechecked?

A piece by Allie Shah of the Strib on scientists analyzing tree rings for signs of climate change. “Most of us know that a tree’s age can be determined by counting its rings. But three scientists at the University of Minnesota say that’s just the beginning. Those rings also bear witness to floods, drought and other milestones, making it possible to track climate, weather and natural disaster trends spanning centuries.” Notice how she said, “most of us know.” Some people used to think trees cause pollution.

Speaking of the Gipper, at the conservative Daily Caller, Al Weaver tells us, “Jeb Bush may be the leader in the world of the GOP donors, but it’s undeniable: Scott Walker is the darling of the GOP media pundits across the spectrum. Appearing on ‘The Laura Ingraham Show’ Monday morning, syndicated columnist George Will talked up the Wisconsin governor, telling Ingraham that Walker is ‘a pure Reaganite’ and one of the few candidates that can truly hobnob with the GOP donor class and compete with Bush in that arena. ‘If you sit, as I have done, in the governor’s mansion on the shores of the lake in Madison, Wisconsin and talk to Governor Walker, you will be sitting in a room looking down upon which is a wonderful portrait of Ronald Reagan,’ Will said. ‘This is a pure Reaganite, Scott Walker is.’” This has to be unsettling news for the residents of Grenada.

Thanks to tipster Paul for this piece from Governing.com’s Mike Maciag. “To assess the extent to which gentrification has reshaped urban communities, Governing analyzed Census tract data for the nation’s 50 largest cities. Main findings from the neighborhoods examined include:

• Gentrification greatly accelerated in several cities. Nearly 20 percent of neighborhoods with lower incomes and home values have experienced gentrification since 2000, compared to only 9 percent during the 1990s. …

A select group of cities experienced extensive gentrification in recent years. Perhaps nowhere were changes more visible than in Portland, where 58 percent of eligible tracts gentrified – more than any other city reviewed. Comparing 2000 data to the most recent Census estimates suggests at least half of lower-income neighborhoods also gentrified in Minneapolis, Seattle and Washington, D.C.”

Just like back in the day. Stribbers Paul Walsh and Libor Jany report, “Several University of Minnesota students alleging on-campus racial and ethnic discrimination took over President Eric Kaler’s office in Morrill Hall Monday afternoon, and 13 protesters were arrested Monday evening. A statement from the university said it arrested the protesters ‘as a last resort after trying to have a dialogue for nearly seven hours.’” I hope someone remembered to bring the 8 track of Country Joe and the Fish.