MN congressional races: Are Democrats poised to do the unthinkable?
from mnpACT! Progressive Political Blog by Dave Mindeman
It’s still very, very early to be talking about 2014 Congressional races, but it looks like the Minnesota Democrats may be in a pretty strong position to contend with the incumbent Republicans this time around.
Will e-BINGO make up for the lack of tevenue from e-Pulltabs?
from The Deets by Ed Kohler
…the same group that projected that e-Pulltabs would bring in $189 million year in net receipts from e-pulltabs projected that e-BINGO would bring in $34 million. Think about that. e-BINGO is projected to bring in 18% of what e-pulltabs were projected to bring in.
The need for tax reform has not changed
from Minnesota Budget Bites by Nan Madden
First, the share of their incomes Minnesotans pay in total state and local taxes (their “effective tax rates”). The one percent of Minnesota households with the highest incomes (over $446,961) paid 9.6 percent of their incomes in state and local taxes – significantly less than the 12.1 percent paid by middle-income households ($31,431 – $41,101).
Riding the Iron Range’s urban rail service of yore
from Minnesota Brown by Aaron J. Brown
Hourly trains between Hibbing and Gilbert served the St. Louis County side of the Mesabi Iron Range, a row of towns that follow a rich iron formation that gives the region its name. The fact that the train stopped in Hibbing is why the western Mesabi in Itasca County is often forgotten as an important part of the region’s mining might.
Winona Winhawks lose to orphans in regionals as national mascot competition advances
from Minnesota Prairie Roots by Audrey Kletscher Helbling
MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL sports fans, the results are in, and the Winona Winhawks are not advancing in USA TODAY‘s competition to name the country’s “best” high school mascot.
Book review: Sinners and the Sea
from TCJewfolk by Susan Esther Barnes
Rebecca Kanner’s Sinners and the Sea, which is scheduled to be published on April 2, is a look at the Torah story of Noah through the eyes of his wife. Thus, it follows a long tradition of fleshing out the details of characters and events that are mentioned in the Torah by filling in the gaps using one’s imagination.
I’m warming to the Pope
from Theoblogy by Tony Jones
Nevertheless, I’m a realist. The Catholic Church is one-half of the world’s Christians, and that church has a pope. So, whether I like it or not, that one celibate dude has a lot of cultural cachet — how people see him will affect how they understand the religion that I practice.
