State Government
Sentencing guidelines commission votes to impose five-year limit on probation in Minnesota
Opponents of the five-year limit said that while they favor reform, the process for adopting it has been rushed.
Politics & Policy
D.C. Memo
D.C. Memo: 25 days till Iowa Caucuses
Iran situation; impeachment briefing; environmental spending; and more.
New Americans
As Minnesota counties vote on accepting refugees, here are the counties where refugees have actually moved in the last decade
Beltrami County recently made news for voting not to accept refugees. No refugees had chosen to settle there in the last 10 years.
Metro
Commission considers proposal to make all Minneapolis elected officials run for two-year terms
The Minneapolis Charter Commission is looking at three scenarios in response to the so-called Kahn rule, which requires the council elections to be held soon after officials redraw ward boundaries reflecting population changes recorded in the census.
Environment
Electric vehicle chargers are scarce in Twin Cities apartment and condo buildings. That may be starting to change
While EVs are becoming more popular, home charging is still rare in multifamily housing, and correcting that imbalance has increasingly become a priority for state officials, environmental groups and Xcel Energy.
Eric Black Ink
On Americanism, recklessness and the killing of a foreign general
The lay religion of America is Americanism, a key tenet of which is that America is the world’s leading “good guy,” and fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way.
Eric Black Ink
No state should have an outsized role in choosing a presidential nominee
It’s as inevitable as it is ridiculous. We’re about to obsess on Iowa polls, followed by Iowa caucus results, followed by a silly game called “How many tickets out of Iowa?”
National
What Rep. Ilhan Omar’s War Powers resolution would do, and why she introduced it now
The resolution would limit President Trump’s ability to engage in war with Iran.
Politics & Policy
Minnesotans’ political leanings say a lot about whether they expect an economic downturn
Republicans believe the economy will get better, compared with just 5 percent of Democrats.
Foreign Concept
The many reasons a conflict with Iran could spin out of control
The Trump administration is dealing with its first full-on foreign policy crisis — one that is mostly of the president’s own making.
Politics & Policy
The four factors that might prevent Minnesota from losing a congressional seat after the 2020 Census
Minnesota is likely to lose one of its eight seats in U.S. House after reapportionment, though there’s a slim chance the state could avoid that fate.
Media
35 years of ‘Almanac’: An oral history of how TPT’s iconic show got started, and survived
It was “a strange time for the news, nationally,” says Jim Russell, KTCA news director at the time of ‘Almanac’s debut. “‘Just the facts, ma’am,’ wasn’t cutting it. … So we ended up trying to cater to those people who cared about the news.”
Economy
Say hello to a goodbye: How Minnesota towns are trying to fill their empty Shopkos
At tens of thousands of square feet, the closed stores present a redevelopment challenge.
