Mental health parity, the Affordable Care Act, and guns
mnpACT! Progressive Political Blog Two things I'd like to discuss....A few days ago a person came into my pharmacy to get a refill on her prescription. She just got new insurance and was happy because...
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Peter Ostroushko at Landmark Center; Penumbra's 'Black Nativity'
peterostroushko.comPeter OstroushkoFriday, December 21To Bach and BackWHAT: Red House Live: Peter OstroushkoWHERE: Landmark Center, St. PaulWHEN: 7 p.m.The mandolin master releases a triple-CD — yes,...
View ArticleAlexander Ramsey House to be closed on Dec. 26, 150th anniversary of Indian...
The Minnesota Historical Society is closing its Alexander Ramsey House museum in St. Paul for the day on Dec. 26, to honor the memory of 38 Dakota Indian men who were hanged in Mankato on that day 150...
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Minnesota’s health exchange process gets conditional approval from feds
Minnesota received conditional approval from the federal government on Thursday to implement a state-based health insurance exchange, but it’s still waiting on other key factors.Those include federal...
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Minnesota schools need more 'patriotism,' GOP leaders say
Not enough “patriotism” in our schools for the local GOP. Says Tim Pugmire at MPR: “The new Republican leadership in the Minnesota House wants DFL Gov. Mark Dayton to reject the new social studies...
View ArticleRepublicans call off 'Plan B' fiscal cliff vote
WASHINGTON — Republican leadership cancelled a Thursday night vote on a plan to keep low tax rates for those making less than $1 million because they didn't have the votes to pass it.Speaker John...
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Turning despair into action to end gun violence
We can’t know what it is like for a small Connecticut community to come to terms with the mass shootings last week, particularly when so many of the victims were small children. But here in...
View ArticleSafety concerns over end-of-world rumors close Minot schools
If you’re reading this and the sun has risen, I guess we’re all still here. There’s nothing about the mysterious planet Niburu looming in on radar. So apparently the Mayan’s 13th baktun is going out...
View ArticleIn India, a Hindu nationalist rebuilds image with Muslim votes
The Hindu nationalist leader of the western state of Gujarat, known for his alleged role in the 2002 riots in which 1,000 Muslims were killed, won his fourth consecutive term as chief minister in a...
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Electronic pull-tabs for Vikings stadium funding: 'People seem to be enjoying...
Part 2 in a seriesThe long political battle over a Vikings stadium ended during the 2012 session, when legislators reluctantly agreed that the state would contribute its share of the $975 million...
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For better or worse, an old, flawed and hard-to-amend Constitution binds us
Last in a series of articles. You can read the whole series here.Here we are, as I type this final installment, a nation in shock from the aftermath of yet another – possibly the worst ever –massacre...
View ArticleOn US-Mexico border, Catholic nuns offer migrants rare sanctuary
NOGALES, Mexico — The hundred men and women sat shoulder-to-shoulder at long, wooden tables, all migrants stranded in the crossroads of despair etched into this dusty town on the US-Mexico border.Most...
View ArticleHow are immigrants and refugees faring in Minnesota?
Is there a kind of caste system among the foreign-born in Minnesota where the undocumented are treated as outcasts? What about incidence of domestic violence, access to medical care and food,...
View ArticlePutin presser: chilling news for orphans, but warm words for Depardieu
A vigorous-looking Russian President Vladimir Putin took to the public stage Thursday for his annual multi-hour town hall-like press conference in which he typically displays his magisterial command of...
View ArticleWill the real President Morsi please stand up?
CAIRO, Egypt – Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi might be the most enigmatic man in theMiddle East.At once, he is both Egypt’s first-ever democratically elected leader and a divisive figure with...
View ArticlePressure mounts on Obama to change tactics on Iran
Arguing that further sanctions "are unlikely to stop Iran's nuclear pursuits," a group of Iran experts and senior former officials are calling on the White House to pursue realistic, "serious,...
View ArticleSyrian rebel infighting could take dangerous turn if Assad falls
In recent weeks, a number of opposition fighters in Aleppo have come to see the fall of the Assad government as only a matter of time. But bringing down the unpopular president may be easy in...
View ArticleHow is winter storm affecting holiday travel?
An intense winter storm moving across the Midwest not only is affecting holiday travel, but is also likely to factor into a retail season that falls short of earlier projections.Because of the storm,...
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Homeless for a holiday or any day
Minnesota Mist Nationwide, workers aged 18 to 24 have the highest unemployment rate of all adults and constitute a significant part of the country's homeless population. Susan Saulny reported from...
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‘Faitheist’ author Chris Stedman loses his religion
Since the world appears not to be ending today, let us check in with the non-believers.Chris StedmanChris Stedman, author of the memoir “Faitheist,” was raised as a “casual Christian,” but somewhere in...
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