Janet Moore and Jessie Van Berkel write for the Star Tribune: “Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday that he supports an independent audit of the Southwest light-rail project, which has been beset with delays, cost overruns and a burgeoning budget. ‘This is a project that has been going on a better part of a decade, long before us, much like the MNLARS project, that I do think it makes sense to audit,’ Walz said, referring to the state’s troubled efforts to adopt a new system for vehicle licensing and registration several years ago.”
Also in the Star Tribune, Ben Goesling reports: “The Vikings plan to hire Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell to be the 10th head coach in the franchise’s 61-year history, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. A deal with O’Connell cannot be completed until after Los Angeles plays the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl on Feb. 13. But the Vikings on Wednesday night had begun informing the other finalists in their coaching search they would not get the job, sources said.”
Tom Hauser reports for KSTP-TV: “Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz leads all six Republican candidates he matched up against in our latest KSTP/SurveyUSA poll, but the race is dramatically tighter than it was in December. … In hypothetical head-to-head matchups against six Republican candidates (a seventh, Rich Stanek, was not included because he announced after the poll was conducted), the closest contest is between Walz and former Senator Scott Jensen. Walz leads 43% to 40%. That’s a nine-point improvement for Jensen who trailed by 12 points in our December poll. Sen. Paul Gazelka, who stepped down as majority leader to run for governor, trails Walz by just five points, 42% to 37%, after trailing by 13 in December.”
Writes John Myers at the Duluth News Tribune, “More than 40 years after the U.S. started to phase lead out of gasoline and paint because of its destructive health impacts, especially on children, lead poisoning remains an ongoing problem for both human and wildlife health. That was the message given to Minnesota lawmakers Wednesday during a virtual meeting of the Minnesota House Preventive Health Policy Division at the Capitol in St. Paul. Representatives heard testimony on two bills already introduced that would help homeowners pay to replace lead water pipes in their homes and to require hunters to use nontoxic, lead-free ammunition.”
Nick Ferraro writes in the Pioneer Press: “Ramsey County has rejected all three proposals from developers interested in The Ponds at Battle Creek golf course, which the county shut down last fall. The county board at a Jan. 18 closed session reviewed proposals for redeveloping the county-owned 88-acre golf course in southeastern Maplewood and voted unanimously not to pursue them, according to a county statement. Commissioners affirmed the vote Tuesday at their regular board meeting.”
FOX 9’s Hannah Flood reports: “The U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team beat Honduras 3-0 in the World Cup qualifier game held in St. Paul Wednesday. Temperatures during the outdoor game at Allianz Field were in the single digits and reached the negatives with wind chill. The game could become the coldest in U.S. Men’s Soccer history. … The U.S. Men’s National Team is currently ranked second in their group. The top three will move on to the World Cup held in Qatar starting in November. In 2018, the U.S. Men’s National Team did not qualify for the World Cup games.”
This from Shaymus McLaughlin at Bring Me The News, “A Dairy Queen Grill & Chill in Minnesota is temporarily closed while its owners investigate a viral video that appears to show an employee throwing a customer’s order to the ground. The video — footage of which has since been shared on TikTok and Facebook — shows a worker walking to the front doors, where a woman is waiting outside. The employee opens the door, then intentionally flips the bag and tosses all its contents on to the sidewalk.”
Says Steven Greenhouse for The Guardian, “Wisconsin residents cheered when Oshkosh Defense, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer, won a large contract to build a new generation of post office delivery vehicles – up to 165,000 – but now Wisconsinites are fuming about the company’s decision to produce those vehicles in South Carolina, rather than Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s political leaders and labor unions are stepping up pressure on Oshkosh Defense as well as the US Postal Service and White House to get the company to do that manufacturing to Wisconsin. The 10-year contract, which could exceed $10bn, is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs.”
What masochist scheduled Honduras to play a qualifier in St. Paul in February?
Talk about a home field advantage for the U.S.
I would call them a sadist, or someone who is going to use everything possible to guarantee a win for the U.S.
Why are we producing 165,000 gasoline-powered postal trucks?
That’s a very good question about EV postal trucks. I’ve been following a Minnesota Tesla User’s Group of late and there’s a lot of discussion about the range being cut almost in half during the winter. For a postal truck, I could see where the winter range might be no more than 100 miles or less. I wonder if EV based postal trucks were deemed impractical in this climate.
One must also consider the charging capacity. It would be quite an undertaking to provide charging stations to all the Postal Trucks. We aren’t just talking the plug in, but the whole wiring infrastructure, potentially all the way from the sub-station to the postal facility. It isn’t just as simple as plugging it in.
What about hybrids?
Do they even put 100 miles on a postal van in an entire week? In the city, they spend most of their time parked while a carrier walks the neighborhood.