A Q&A with Peter Wattson, a redistricting expert and lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the state, about the state’s history of redistricting — and what he expects to happen between now and next February, when state law requires Minnesota to have a new political map.
The live video of the entirety of the trial of Derek Chauvin gave Minnesotans and the world an unprecedented view into the workings of the criminal justice system.
Legislators charged with working out the state budget really can’t do much until they’re assigned “global” spending targets by their leaders. And those numbers won’t be available until Friday. At the earliest.
Independent state Sen. Tom Bakk and his DFL counterpart in the House, Rep. Fue Lee of Minneapolis, say they want to pass a bonding bill this year. But with two weeks to go in the session, Bakk’s committee has met just twice so far — and hasn’t passed any proposals.
When confronted with Republicans’ opposition to any tax increases this year, DFL lawmakers keep pointing out what happened two years ago — even if the GOPers who control the state Senate say Democrats are engaged in ‘wishful thinking.’
The U’s West Central Research and Outreach Center is seeking money from the federal government and the state Legislature to fund a deeper dive into alternative energy storage — and some local lawmakers appear to be interested.
The board is among the ideas that emerged from a drug pricing advisory task force convened in 2019 by Attorney General Keith Ellison.
The bill to limit pretextual stops has become a top priority for Democrats, and Republicans who control state Senate haven’t completely rejected the idea.
GOP Senate Majority leader Paul Gazelka has forced DFLers to vote on providing money the governor has requested — at the same time the party’s base has argued the funds will enable over-policing.
The DFL governor said true justice for George Floyd isn’t the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin. That will only come “through real systemic change to prevent this from ever happening again.”
Criticized by both police groups and reform advocates, implementation of the law will likely be delayed by months and, according to the Minnesota Attorney General’s office, may even be unconstitutional.
The question is whether the numbers are a blip — or a trend.
So far, Wright’s death has led to second-degree manslaughter charges against the officer involved; ignited a series of demonstrations; and prompted a shakeup of Brooklyn Center city government.
Getting the new rental assistance program, RentHelpMN, up and running soon is key to the Senate’s plan to phase out the current eviction moratorium.
It may make victims more willing to press charges, but there are still plenty of questions of interpretation that will get debated in courts.
Republicans have been hesitant to consider new changes to policing standards after enacting a set of reforms following the death of George Floyd. But GOP lawmakers have also come under increasing pressure to consider additional DFL-backed measures in the wake of Daunte Wright’s killing.
In the wake of Daunte Wright’s killing by a Brooklyn Center police officer, DFLers are pushing legislation on everything from body cameras to civilian review boards — measures some Republicans have called “anti-law-enforcement.”
The march of the omnibus budget bills shows how far apart the GOP-controlled Senate and the DFL-controlled House really are.
The ZIP codes eligible for the mass COVID-19 vaccination site at the state fairgrounds include many neighborhoods where lower-income people make up a large share of the population. But they also include parts of places long associated with affluence.
Aimed at addressing “community intimidation,” the legislation would broaden the law to cover crimes based on a victim’s ethnicity, gender identity and gender expression.
