A collection of news and stories from around the state of Minnesota.
With the Legislature now fully in Democratic hands after the November election, leaders are promising an ambitious climate agenda aimed at shrinking carbon emissions.
In the case of the complex and often inexplicable process created by state law to appoint the 12 people who form the legal governing body of the state’s flagship university, Friday’s application deadline is more of a suggestion than a rule, because state lawmakers can submit names later.
A budget surplus, DFL control and high needs leave housing leaders at the State Capitol feeling optimistic.
The DFL owes its new one-vote majority in the state Senate and its narrow control of Minnesota government to just a handful of candidates who won close elections last week.
DFL Senators gathered at the Capitol said support for abortion rights in the suburbs and some remaining DFL-friendly districts in Greater Minnesota made the difference.
Walz’s margin of victory was smaller than it was in 2018, but he did well in the suburbs and in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Starting this fall, the Center City-based addiction treatment giant will begin to emphasize a program called Community Reinforcement and Family Training that helps family members build skills that move beyond terms like “enabling” and “tough love.”
The Austin area was once a Democratic bastion, in part thanks to union support in the meatpacking industry. But in 2020, voters ousted the DFL state lawmakers. Tom Stiehm illustrates the type of candidate Democrats think might win in Greater Minnesota.
While the region has been DFL territory, GOP legislative hopefuls need only look to strong showings for Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber to know the region is truly up for grabs. Victories here will help determine who controls the state Legislature in 2023.
So far, 2022 is looking like a comparable – though slightly better – year for early and mail voting than 2018, the last midterm and governor election in Minnesota.
The case, known as Brackeen v. Haaland, has galvanized Indian County. Tribes are concerned the Supreme Court will nullify their right to oversee foster care placements in cases involving Native children, and they fear it could lead to further erosion of their federal rights.
In 2018, Walz’s “One Minnesota” message fared reasonably well in Greater Minnesota, where the Mankato Democrat did better than some others in his party. Now he’s running for reelection as a St. Paul Democrat against a challenger who seeks to make larger inroads outside the Twin Cities metro.
The DFL has been losing support in northern Minnesota, and court-determined redistricting has changed the political map. A MinnPost analysis shows these five Senate races and 15 House races are the ones to watch in 2022.
The endorsements could influence the contests because Bakk remains a well known politician in the Iron Range area.
It could be close. The DFL has dominated statewide elections in Minnesota, but the party hasn’t fared as well in legislative and congressional races. The 2020 election in which Joe Biden topped Donald Trump by 7 percentage points saw the GOP keep control of the state Senate by one seat and get close to replacing the DFL in the House majority.
The conference takes place Wednesday and Thursday at the campus in St. Peter and online via Zoom. Organizers say this year’s speakers include a range of scientists and academics who look at their work — and the world that influences it — through a lens that challenges mainstream ways of thinking.
Sen. Tina Smith is leading an effort by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to overhaul more than 60-year old U.S. Department of Agriculture programs aimed at helping low-income rural residents keep a roof over their heads and find other solutions to shrinking affordable housing in the heartland.
Providers lost revenue during the pandemic, and while the state distributed grants and funds to help, advocates warn it is not enough to keep providers across the state afloat.
States like Washington and Massachusetts plan to join California in largely banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.
In Mankato, state grant recipient Christian Family Solutions is working to connect with people in Greater Minnesota who need help with a gambling addiction.
