Does at least 0.5% of Minnesota’s population identify as transgender?
Yes. About 29,500 in Minnesota identify as transgender, according to a June 2022 report by the Williams Institute, a LGBTQ+ think tank from UCLA.
Alberto Gomez
Alberto Gomez was MinnPost’s 2023 summer newsroom intern.
Does Minnesota’s new recreational marijuana law allow for one of the highest private possession limits nationwide?
Yes. Minnesota’s new recreational marijuana law allowing people 21 years or older to possess up to two pounds of marijuana in a private residence is the highest legal limit in the nation.
Did police in the southeastern Minnesota town of Goodhue resign due to low wages?
Yes. Goodhue’s police chief and six other officers have submitted their resignations, citing low pay. The chief received a job offer with a neighboring department, the Star Tribune and KARE reported.
Is a name change on a Minnesota marriage license restricted to just the bride or surnames?
No. Generally, in Minnesota a person can change more than just their surname with a marriage license, but only in specific counties.
Does Iowa have higher reading and math scores, on average, than Minnesota?
No. On average over the last decade, Minnesota’s scores for fourth and eighth grade math and reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress have been slightly higher than Iowa’s.
Is Minnesota among the most expensive states for child care?
Yes. Minnesota is ranked fourth for day care costs, following the District of Columbia, Massachusetts and California, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
Have at least 230 people been killed in encounters with law enforcement in Minnesota since 2000?
Yes. Based on data collected by the Star Tribune, at least 230 people have been killed in encounters with law enforcement in Minnesota since 2000.
Does an Illinois law allow undocumented immigrants to work as police officers?
No. A state law approved by Gov. J.B. Pritzker will allow migrants legally authorized to work in the U.S. to become police officers in Illinois.
Did Gov. Walz say Minnesotans commonly refer to Iowa as the ‘Deep South’?
Yes. On a visit to Iowa for a Democratic Party news conference on July 28, Walz said “I mention coming down to Iowa, which we commonly refer to as the Deep South for Minnesota.”
Has Iowa’s unemployment rate been lower than Minnesota’s so far in 2023?
Yes. Iowa’s unemployment rate has averaged lower than Minnesota’s between January and June 2023, but just slightly — by less than one-tenth of one percent.
Does solar energy account for 1.8% of Minnesota’s energy?
No. Solar energy accounted for 3.4% of the state’s electricity production in 2022, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
Did Gov. Walz sign a bill increasing consequences for vehicles parking in bike lanes in July 2023?
No. Gov. Tim Walz did not sign into law a bill imposing consequences for vehicles parking in bike lanes. The Minnesota legislative session adjourned on May 22, 2023, and will not reconvene until February 12, 2024.
Did the Minneapolis mayor order police to not enforce laws against psychedelics?
No. Mayor Frey signed an executive order on July 21 lowering the priority that psychedelics have for law enforcement. The city states that “many other higher priorities,” such as addressing violent crime and opioid use, take precedent.
‘We want the bad guys’: Why an abolitionist professor has high hopes for Minnesota’s prison higher education program
State corrections officials hope that by 2026, the Transformation and Re-entry through Education and Community will serve some 1,000 incarcerated Minnesotans interested in pursuing associate degrees.
Did Prince commission a mural in downtown Minneapolis of ‘When Doves Cry’?
No. The Schmitt Music Company commissioned the Schmitt Music mural at its downtown Minneapolis headquarters in 1972 after a Minneapolis Star columnist called the building ugly.
Was the Minneapolis Aquatennial established to distract from labor strikes?
Yes. Beginning in 1940, a group of Minneapolis businessmen created the Aquatennial, a civic festival and parade, to “improve Minneapolis’s reputation nationally” following labor strikes in the 1930s, according to the Minnesota Historical Society.
Does having a Minnesota driver’s license give you the right to vote?
No. A driver’s license does not grant a person the right to vote.
Is teaching the Bible in public school unconstitutional?
No. It is not unconstitutional to teach about the Bible in public schools. This extends to all religions and religious texts.
Can most minors in Minnesota receive an abortion without notifying their parents?
Yes. In Minnesota, minors do not need to notify a parent or legal guardian before receiving an abortion.
Does Minnesota law mandate that the state exclusively use wind and solar power?
No. Minnesota’s climate legislation plans out a goal for a 100% carbon-free electricity standard by 2040. This includes wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear sources of energy.
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