Minnesota’s new medical marijuana law, which has been described as “the most restrictive marijuana law in the country,” will mostly benefit patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis or severe muscle spasms, according to 1,361 responses to an informal survey conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health. MPR reports, “The Health Department estimates as many as 5,000 patients may be certified as eligible for the drug…” Other ailments topping the list included cancer, epilepsy or seizures, glaucoma, Crohn’s disease, and terminal illness.
The New York Times looks at efforts nationwide to ban “clopenings” — when a worker closes at a business late at night and then must return in the morning the next day to open. A bill banning the practice was scheduled to be introduced in Minnesota on Monday; House Minority Leader Paul Thissen told the Times: “When it comes to scheduling, the playing field is tilted very dramatically in favor of the employer… What we’re proposing is just trying to rebalance the playing field.” In the European Union, most workers are entitled to a minimum rest period of 11 hours every 24 hours.
They used to be somebody. The Star Tribune’s Allison Sherry checks in with Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken to see how they are adjusting to their newfound minority-party status in the Senate, a first for both leaders. It sounds rough: “In the old days, before Franken’s party lost control of the U.S. Senate, Franken could have called a hearing, put the Uber CEO under oath, and grilled him in front of the media. Now, under the Republicans, Franken’s power is largely limited to writing letters and introducing legislation that has less chance of passing than it did three months ago.”
The Ebola crisis in West Africa may be winding down, but Minnesota remains vigilant. MPR’s Lorna Benson details the Minnesota Department of Health’s continued monitoring of people arriving here from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Relatedly, MinnPost’s Ibrahim Hirsi wrote about a food drive organized in Brooklyn Park to benefit Ebola survivors in West Africa.
Duluth will never be the same. Forum News Service’s Andrew Krueger reports on the disappearance of an iconic concrete pillar from Lake Superior offshore of Canal Park. As a consolation, though, the city might be getting a Dunkin’ Donuts. [MPR’s NewsCut]
In other news…
A Minnesota-born missionary in Colombia, Russell Martin Stendal, has been accused of having ties to the rebel group FARC, charges he denies. Says benefactor David Witt of Stendal: “We like to describe him as the Christian Indiana Jones.” [New York Times]
A looks back at the Minneapolis soul-music scene in the 1980s, via the photographs of Charles Chamblis. [Washington Post. Hat tip: MNSpeak]
The Minneapolis officer who was shot this weekend has been released from the hospital. [MPR]
People are using the shopping-basket racks at Target very wrong… or… very right? [City Pages]
Stone cold. “In Bemidji, ‘Sorry Citizen’ returns curling club’s stolen stone” [Forum News Service]
The attorney for offenders locked up in the Minnesota Sex Offender Program, Dan Gustafson, spoke to Esme Murphy Sunday about some of the biggest misconceptions about the case. [WCCO]
Sauk Rapids local boy made good. Justin Weber is an animator for Disney and worked on best-animated-feature-Oscar-winner “Big Hero 6.” [St. Cloud Times]
Jack Jablonski, the Benilde-St. Margaret hockey player who suffered a spinal cord injury in 2011, has started college at the University of Southern California. [KSTP]
Twins’ training camp opens. The big question: Who will pitch? [Star Tribune]
Welcome to the future: AT&T to charge Kansas City internet customers to not have their internet traffic spied on.[Gigaom]
Finally, from the department of cute-animal news: “Man rescues puppy left to die in flame-filled trash bin in Northern Minnesota” [Star Tribune]
“Franken’s power is largely limited to writing letters and introducing legislation that has less chance of passing than it did three months ago.”
His chances are that good, ya think?
Just needs to
Wait for 2 years.
Do ya think
that the next election will bring in another Democrat as president?
And do ya think, that the election will bring out a lot more Dems than the midterm did?
I do …
And in the meantime Senator Franken will continue his good work. It is nice to have an intelligent Senator – we have two here in Minneosta – who understand things like net neutrality and global warming.
medical marijuana
In 1981 a prominent Minneapolis oncologist suggested that marijuana might help. We had no connection. A relative had one. We had marijuana that day. It didn’t help. It surely does for others. I presume that thirty four years later the street value holds its own.
AT&T
I think they may get themselves in trouble depriving citizens of the basic right to not be spied on. Allowing them to pay to not be spied on is simply not the same thing. People by constitutional right do not have to pay to not be spied on.