Minnesota lawmakers agree to spend $70 million on improving broadband access across the state
The funding would be the largest infusion of money into the program since it began. And it’s possible lawmakers could spend even more.
Walker Orenstein
Walker Orenstein reports on the state Legislature for MinnPost, with a particular focus on covering issues affecting Greater Minnesota. He can be reached at worenstein@minnpost.com, and you can follow him on Twitter at @walkerorenstein.
Northern Minnesota counties could be on the hook for millions after state’s latest move in Enbridge property tax saga
Officials say the only thing that could keep some local governments in the 13 affected counties out of bankruptcy is the Legislature.
The daily coronavirus update: state offers fair tickets, park passes to encourage vaccinations in Minnesota
Roughly 57.7 percent of Minnesotans age 16 and older are now fully vaccinated.
The daily coronavirus update: 11 more deaths; MDH reports vaccination stats for 12- to 15-year-olds
The seven-day case positivity rate, which lags by a week, is 4.2 percent — below the 5-percent threshold state officials say is a concerning sign of disease spread.
A bonding bill may come down, once again, to Minnesota House Republicans
House Republicans say they’re open to a smaller bonding bill focused on “critical infrastructure,” but they also aren’t ruling out holding up a bonding bill to try and force the DFL to bend on other issues.
The daily coronavirus update: 21 more deaths in Minnesota, most since late April
MDH also reports that roughly 55.2 percent of state residents 16 and older are fully vaccinated.
In a session with few big legislative achievements, Minnesota lawmakers pass a ‘significant’ energy conservation bill
The legislation updates Minnesota’s Conservation Improvement Program, which requires utilities to cut energy consumption in the name of efficiency, savings and addressing climate change.
What Monday’s $52 billion budget deal does — and doesn’t — mean for Minnesota
Under the state Constitution, the Legislature’s regular session had to end Monday at Midnight. With a broad spending deal now in place, lawmakers will spend the next several weeks working out the details to meet another constitutional requirement: actually passing a two-year balanced budget before July 1.
The daily coronavirus update: 9 more deaths; Duluth, Rochester drop mask mandates following Walz decision
MDH reports 40.6 percent of Minnesota’s population — 51.2 percent of those age 16 and older— have completed a full vaccine series.
How far are GOP legislators willing to go to stop Walz’s ‘Clean Cars’ rules?
While Republicans have walked back from their demand that the state kill the new auto emissions standards, they now insist that a two-year delay in implementing them is key to any budget deal.
The daily coronavirus update: 19 more deaths; vaccinations continue to slow in Minnesota
According to the most recent data available, roughly 48.3 percent of Minnesota’s population — and 60.9 percent of those age 16 and older — have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Why Republicans at the Minnesota Legislature are determined to kill the state’s latest feedlot regulations
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the latest rules are meant to address threats to drinking water and wildlife across much of the state. But the GOP, and a broad lineup of agriculture trade groups, have criticized the rules as inflexible.
The daily coronavirus update: 12 more deaths; new vaccinations continue to drop in Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Health also reports that 37.2 percent of the state’s population has now been completely vaccinated.
What to know about the latest rollback of COVID-19 restrictions in Minnesota
How the three-step rollback announced by Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday will work.
The daily coronavirus update: Minnesota reports six cases of variant first found in India
The Minnesota Department of Health reports that 2,589,032 people — or roughly 46.5 percent of the state population — have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
He’s Bakk: How the fate of an infrastructure bill at the Legislature may come down to a former DFL leader
Independent state Sen. Tom Bakk and his DFL counterpart in the House, Rep. Fue Lee of Minneapolis, say they want to pass a bonding bill this year. But with two weeks to go in the session, Bakk’s committee has met just twice so far — and hasn’t passed any proposals.
The daily coronavirus update: 22 new cases tied to Brooklyn Center protests
MDH infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann also said the state is seeing evidence that two previously rare variants of COVID-19 are circulating more widely in Minnesota — and aren’t solely tied to people who have traveled.
The daily coronavirus update: Minnesota reports highest single-day death total since February
MDH also reports that one-third of all Minnesotans have been completely vaccinated.
U of M researchers pitch ‘green’ ammonia as key to renewable energy future
The U’s West Central Research and Outreach Center is seeking money from the federal government and the state Legislature to fund a deeper dive into alternative energy storage — and some local lawmakers appear to be interested.
The daily coronavirus update: 7 more deaths; Minnesota to resume Johnson & Johnson vaccinations
The Johnson & Johnson shots will now be accompanied with a warning about a rare side effect causing blood clots.
