Abe Asher at Sahan Journal has a story on frustrated Minneapolis city workers who believe a city office is being “dismantled” in retaliation after they spoke out about a “racist, toxic work culture” in the City Coordinator’s Office. Mayor Jacob Frey proposed moving four of six staff positions in the Office of Performance and Innovation to the city clerk’s office to serve as legislative staffers, a move that city employees say would effectively gut the office.
Via WCCO: Wisconsin’s conservative-controlled Supreme Court ruled Friday that absentee ballot drop boxes may be placed only in election offices and that no one other than the voter can return a ballot in person.
Bill Strande at KARE-11 warns that light-rail trains will not run south of Terminal 2 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to the Mall of America for five weeks due to maintenance.
Eric Roper at the Star Tribune looks into why the Park Board has allowed the John H. Stevens House, a.k.a. the ‘birthplace of Minneapolis,’ to deteriorate.
Also in the Strib, Brooks Johnson is reporting Indeed Brewing in Minneapolis and Bent Paddle in Duluth are among early creators of THC-infused beverages under Minnesota’s new hemp laws.
Christine Schuster at Bring Me the News shares tributes to Craig Cotten, the late owner of a treasured comic and sports card shop in Rochester, the Book Review.
THC remains a controlled substance. Recent research indicates that for most users. one is no longer under the influence (DUI) after 4.5 hours. Taking it with alcohol, of course, might put the consumer under the influence for a longer time. From JAMA psychiatry this past January:
FINDINGS In this randomized clinical trial of 191 regular cannabis users who smoked ad libitum placebo or 5.9% or 13.4% Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cigarettes, simulator driving worsened in the THC group, but this was unrelated to THC content, use history, or blood THC concentration. Perception of driving impairment decreased at 1 hour 30 minutes, despite no objective improvement in driving; on average, performance was indistinguishable from the placebo group at 4.5 hours
Again what are the specifics of the accusations regarding racism against Frey? Frey placing the city’s interests above a program is not racism. It sounds like he and the safety group are opting for another plan as outlined in the report so as to better coordinate with other agencies, such as the county and to provide at times, more of a clinical approach, all while recognizing the need for diversity and cultural competency. Not agreeing with someone’s plan(which actually sounded like what the county already had or was working on) is not racism. Why would the city pay for something that the county and state can provide with their funds?
As before, isn’t performance and innovation the Mayor and city councils job? Farming it out to a bureaucrat, talk about not wanting to take responsibility for your own performance!
Your headline says: “Wisconsin’s conservative-controlled Supreme Court ruled Friday that absentee ballot drop boxes may be placed only in election offices and that no one other than the voter can return a ballot in person”. People voting by absentee ballot used to just mail them back to the proper location for counting. That is worlds easier than driving to some courthouse, parking, and walking inside to drop it in a collection box, so why don’t people just do what they have always done? Sure, you have to decide how you want to mark your ballot in time to mail it, but requesting a ballot a month or even weeks ahead allows plenty of time for all of those actions. People who refuse to use the mails for administrative tasks are probably the same ones who queue up for hours at a DMV office to buy license tabs for their cars.