Legislative auditor finds data, pricing inaccuracies in MNLARS

by MinnPost staff 09/25/201802/06/2024

So not just slow, but also wrong? WCCO reports: “The Office of the Legislative Auditor found the Minnesota Licensing and Registration System (MNLARS) entered inaccurate data over a seven-month period, causing some people to pay different tax amounts on similar transactions. … The report, which was released Tuesday, shows MNLARS generally calculated transactions such as wheelage tax, sales tax and most license plate transactions correctly. However, inaccurate vehicle registration within MNLARS and user error resulted in some owners of similar vehicles being charged different tax amounts.”

Keep an eye out for this one. The AP’s Kyle Potter reports (via the Star Tribune): “Minnesota’s Democratic Party chairman said Monday that he expects the investigation of allegations of physical abuse against Rep. Keith Ellison to be completed and released soon, well ahead of the November election. … A former long-term girlfriend accused Ellison of physical abuse last month, just days ahead of his victory in the crowded Democratic primary for Minnesota attorney general. Karen Monahan said Ellison once dragged her off a bed by her feet while screaming obscenities. She claims to have video footage of the 2016 incident but has refused to release it, saying it’s embarrassing. … Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin said he believes the investigation has concluded and that a final report should be issued in the coming days.”

Also on Ellison. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports: “The Star Tribune pushed Tuesday to join a conservative website’s lawsuit aiming to unseal the divorce records of U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, whose campaign for attorney general has been shadowed by an ex-girlfriend’s allegations of domestic violence. … When Ellison’s divorce was finalized in 2012, he and now ex-wife Kim Ellison successfully petitioned a court to make records in their case private. … ‘Our divorce simply isn’t the public’s business, and therefore, when we separated, we jointly asked the court to seal the file,’ Keith and Kim Ellison said in a statement issued through the campaign. ‘Now, one month before a closely contested election for Minnesota Attorney General, a conservative group wants to probe our divorce file in search of something to use against Keith in this race. I am disappointed that the Star Tribune would choose to join this motion.’”

Nearing a conclusion? The Star Tribune’s Jean Hopfensperger reports: “Nearly four years after the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved a settlement plan that includes $210 million for more than 400 victims of clergy sex abuse. … The settlement would move the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy and provide some closure to the hundreds of men and women abused by priests over the past decades.”