A collection of news and stories from around the state of Minnesota.
The woodlands next to Camp Ripley, part of a landscape area designated for protection from development, promise to provide a wealth of hiking, canoeing and other outdoor pursuits.
Without state money, University of Minnesota researchers have turned to an unusual source to finance the project: crowdfunding.
Tim Nolte’s irrigation proposal has become a highly charged, if small, part of a larger and ongoing debate about corporate farming, growing methods and the future of family farms.
For weeks, Republicans at the Minnesota Legislature have said they won’t pass any bills that would abolish, defund or diminish police departments in Minnesota — even though DFL lawmakers say that’s not something they’ve ever proposed.
Several county attorneys in Greater Minnesota expressed deep reservations over relinquishing their powers, while some worried the AG’s could be swayed by partisan winds — or make decisions that clash with local views on criminal justice issues.
While many in the GOP had previously been uneasy about using state money to raise rates for the Child Care Assistance Program amid fraud concerns, the deal brokered Friday will use only federal cash to hike reimbursements to meet federal standards.
More than a dozen police departments contacted by MinnPost said their officers are not allowed to use neck restraints or chokeholds, with many saying the tactics had been out of use for as long as they could remember.
Over the past three years, the HCWP has garnered about 25 percent of the federal funds that have been granted to watershed agencies in Minnesota – money those groups use for drainage ditches, embankments, rain gardens and other projects designed to protect local waters.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has agreed to review concerns about its permit for the Enbridge Line 3 project after four groups and 16 individuals petitioned the agency for a “contested case hearing.”
“This is as important as school buses, as textbooks, as teachers,” said Fred Nolan, executive director of the Minnesota Rural Education Association. “This has become an essential part of providing education, daily, for students throughout the state.”
For the next several months, the two will be studying samples from wastewater plants in several communities outside the Twin Cities region, gathering information about the location of the COVID-19 virus that could add helpful context to what health officials are learning from individual testing.
Biden never addressed the Line 3 or Twin Metals projects during his presidential primary campaign, and he has continued to avoid taking a stand since becoming the likely Democratic nominee.
The shift to distance learning has prompted districts to invest in technology, prepare and deliver meals to students and incur other COVID-related expenses even as fee-based programs have been canceled.
The industry’s best hope may come from the federal government. Specifically, an ambitious, longshot proposal by U.S. Sens. Tina Smith of Minnesota and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts: to make $50 billion in grants available through Congress’ next coronavirus response package.
In 1976, a few years after OSHA was created, Congress attached a rider to the agency’s budget that exempted farms with 10 or fewer employees from enforcement. The rider is included every year.
For those pushing for a carbon-free Duluth, the biggest roadblock may be a company that has long been critical to the region’s economy — and its identity: Minnesota Power.
In Minnesota, droves of hog farmers have nowhere left to sell their pigs as plants shutter, forcing some farmers to consider an unfortunate last resort to ease their backlog of hogs: putting them down.
“It’s a really tough time right now because of the uncertainty,” said Judy Hulterstrum, executive director of the Litchfield Area Chamber of Commerce, “but we’re staying as positive as we can.”
Under the coronavirus aid package passed by the Minnesota Legislature Thursday, child care providers can apply for a $4,500 monthly grant, with larger centers eligible for an additional monthly grant of up to $15,500, based on capacity.
From adding Wi-Fi hotspots to offering grab-and-go flash drives, rural districts are creating ways to help students get schoolwork done remotely.
