In the Star Tribune, Jessie Van Berkel writes: “Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has dramatically outraised his competitors with one week remaining before the election that could shake up the balance of power in City Hall. … Frey had raised roughly $292,400 since the last campaign finance reporting deadline in early August and had $155,790 left in the bank for the final push, according to his campaign manager Joe Radinovich … Sheila Nezhad and Kate Knuth, who are running to the left of Frey, have assembled more modest sums. Nezhad had pulled in roughly $112,000 and has about $50,000 in cash on hand. Knuth raised about $91,000 and had a couple thousand less on hand than Nezhad.”
KARE 11 reports: “Wednesday the St. Paul city council will vote on an ordinance being called one of the most restrictive the country for its regulation of both tobacco and e-cigarettes. The proposal, which would amend Chapter 324 of the Legislative Code would set a $10 minimum price for packs of cigarette and standard-size cans of smokeless tobacco. It would prohibit the use of coupons or price promotions on all commercial tobacco products, and liquor stores would be banned from selling menthol or other flavored tobacco products.”
WCCO-TV reports: “Minneapolis police are investigating a triple shooting Tuesday south of downtown that involves young victims. It happened on the 1800 block of Chicago Avenue in the Ventura Village neighborhood at about 3:26 p.m. Officers arrived to find two boys and a man injured, all with injuries that aren’t life threatening. They were taken to Hennepin Healthcare. Police say the gunshots came from a moving vehicle, which fled the scene after the shooting.”
Also in the Star Tribune, Liz Navratil writes in the Star Tribune: “New reports trickling in Tuesday offered a glimpse into the spending frenzy by political action committees seeking to influence the Minneapolis elections. Yes 4 Minneapolis, the group that wrote a proposal to clear the way for officials to replace the Minneapolis Police Department, was still working to finish its report, said spokeswoman JaNaé Bates. Bates said the group raised roughly $1.5 million in the nearly three months since the last filing period … All of Mpls, a leading group against that proposal, was still completing its own report. The group raised roughly $1.4 million since the last filing period ….”
Eric Rasmussen writes for KSTP-TV: “Minneapolis police say the FBI is now assisting in the investigation of body parts found in four locations around the city this summer. The remains were all identified as belonging to 36-year-old Adam Richard Johnson. Family members tell 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS they hired a private investigator but, four months after Johnson’s death, there are still few answers and no arrests.”
Frederick Melo writes in the Pioneer Press: “Nearly a year after St. Joe’s shuttered its E.R. and ended most of its major medical services, M Health Fairview has announced preventative care and wellness offerings to be housed at ‘St. Joseph’s Campus,’ including a day program for seniors and a primary care community clinic targeted to low-income and uninsured or underinsured patients. The clinic will be a new expansion site for Minnesota Community Care, the largest federally-qualified health center in the state, and will play a leading role in the new Fairview Community Health and Wellness Hub.”
The Forum News Service writes: “The state of Minnesota has settled a price-gouging lawsuit against Sparboe Farms, a Litchfield-based egg producer. … The lawsuit the state filed Sept. 3 alleged that Sparboe Farms tripled its egg prices in March 2020, when demand increased as the coronavirus pandemic reached Minnesota. … Sparboe has agreed to donate 90,000 dozen eggs, which is more than 1 million eggs, to combat hunger and food insecurity. The donations will be made over 18 months to nonprofit organizations throughout Minnesota and must be of the same quality as the eggs it provides to retail outlets.”
The AP reports: “The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Assembly was poised to give final approval Wednesday to a package of anti-abortion bills that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is all-but certain to veto. Final approval of the bills designed the reduce the number of abortions in the state comes after the state Senate, also controlled by Republicans, passed the measures over Democratic objections last week. Republicans do not have enough votes in the Legislature to override an Evers veto. Democrats have accused Republicans of only taking up the bills to energize conservatives ahead of the 2022 midterm election.”
Also from Wisconsin, WCCO-TV reports: “The leader of a Wisconsin village is in hot water, accused of messing with the meter on his home, and possibly costing the community thousands of dollars. Many take pride in a pristine lawn, especially after a dry summer. But the lawn belonging to the Somerset Wisconsin Village President Shawn Weisen is now at the center of a criminal case.… The alleged crime? Stealing water while everyone else was trying to conserve it. ‘I mean, how dumb do you have to be to think you’re not gonna get caught for something like that?’ said Cody Fitzpatrick of Osceola.”
“Democrats have accused Republicans of only taking up the bills to energize conservatives ahead of the 2022 midterm election.”
Well, duh. Even a Wisconsin Republican would have to know that outlawing abortion is popular only with their base. It’s doubtful that they even want these bills to become law, for fear of riling up the majority who oppose doing away with legal abortion.
Frey leads in money raised because he’s the best of who’s running. He’s not a great candidate, but the best candidate.