Hey, good news about MNsure. The Star Tribune’s Christopher Snowbeck reports: “The state’s MNsure health exchange apparently is off to a smoother start with this year’s open enrollment, judging by comments this morning to social media websites. … The anecdotal evidence lines up with a MNsure statement Wednesday morning that concluded: ‘Overall, things are going smoothly.’ … ‘As of this morning, nearly 10,000 Minnesotans visited MNsure.org,’ health exchange officials said. ‘Call wait times in the contact center averaged one second.’ “
Maybe they could lend some software engineers to DVS? KARE’s Lou Raguse reports: “Long lines at license centers have deputy registrars and auto dealers pointing the finger at the state Driver and Vehicle Services and a new computer system it rolled out in July. … ‘Right away. As soon as they rolled this out, it was clearly not working,’ said Scott Lambert, the president of the Minnesota Automobile Dealer’s Association. … Lambert says he’s gotten countless complaints.”
Too much of a good thing? The Minnesota Daily’s Kevin Beckman reports: “University of Minnesota officials are lauding its most recent freshman class, but its large size has caused problems for some professors. … The University enrolled 6,195 new freshmen this fall, on top of almost 2,300 transfer students, which put some strain on school housing, financial aid and certain classes, said Bob McMaster, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education. The class is the largest in almost 50 years. … McMaster said the University typically sets informal enrollment goals, and every college overshot its goal this year. … For instance, the College of Liberal Arts, which aimed to enroll about 2,450 students, enrolled 2,659, and the College of Science and Engineering enrolled 1,177 to its 1,150 target.”
We’re doing this again, huh? The Star Tribune’s Emma Nelson reports: “A Minneapolis City Council candidate is suing the city he wants to help lead, alleging it is illegally operating Downtown East Commons park. … John Hayden, who is challenging Council Member Kevin Reich in the First Ward, filed a lawsuit Tuesday that argues Minneapolis cannot operate the Commons because the city charter gives the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board authority over park operations in the city.”
In other news …
Attention Franken-committee-question fans: “ ‘My goal is for you to think through this stuff a little bit better’: Franken scolds Facebook representative” [Washington Post]
Could be helpful: “Workshops help White folks fight racism” [Spokesman-Recorder]
FYI: “Light-rail trains won’t run tonight in downtown Minneapolis” [Star Tribune]
Ginger Jentzen profile: “How Minneapolis became ground zero for a liberal uprising” [City Pages]
Some pretty interesting differences here: “Minneapolis & St. Paul mayoral candidates reveal their taste in tunes, from Bruce to Beyoncé” [City Pages]
