Is birth the 'old-fashioned way' on its way out in Mexico?
Is birth the old-fashioned way on its way out in Mexico?The sight of a pregnant woman in labor has become increasingly rare in Mexican hospitals, which now have the highest rate of Caesarean procedures...
View ArticleBipartisan deal on background checks: Biggest gun control win yet?
In the end, Sen. Pat Toomey would not settle for what so often passes as standing on principle in the Senate: doing nothing at all. Instead, the Pennsylvania Republican known best for his deeply...
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Paulsen says device tax 'onerous'— Industry? Not so much
mnpACT! Progressive Political Blog Rep. Erik PaulsenWord of the day: OnerousONEROUS (DEFINITION): Unreasonable, oppressive, or cruel, or excessively trying condition, duty, or task whose disadvantages...
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Miffed legislators try to tackle both Vikings stadium and Mayo Clinic...
Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether politicians are trying to be serious or funny.For example, Wednesday afternoon the House Taxes Committee gathered to discuss two headliner Minnesota institutions,...
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Why is state health and human services spending growing so fast?
Getting a grasp on state budget numbers is at least as mind-boggling for most of us as trying to understand just how far Earth is from the sun -- 93 million miles, btw.Which should make it no surprise...
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Education finance bills offer highlights, lowlights — and 'lower lights'
Remember the day after the 2012 election? For a moment, it seemed as if having the Minnesota House, the state Senate and the executive branch all in the hands of the DFL — either in education’s corner...
View ArticleSequester hits home: No 'Navy Week' this year in Minneapolis
The U.S. Navy has announced that sequestration budget cuts are forcing the cancellation of this year's "Navy Week" public relations efforts that would have brought teams of sailors and their equipment...
View ArticleJim Graves will challenge Bachmann again in 2014
WASHINGTON — Democrat Jim Graves will challenge Rep. Michele Bachmann again in 2014.“These days Congress is all about and scoring political points rather than actually solving problems and Minnesota’s...
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Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak's final State of the City address
Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak delivered his 2013 State of the City address at the Walker Art Center on Wednesday. Since Rybak is not seeking re-election, this was his final State of the City. In the...
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PSA screening: How one health writer came to decide against it
Wikimedia Commons/E A SCrystallographic structure of human prostate-specific antigen (green/gold cartoon)Former Minnesota-based health writer Jim Thornton (now living in Pittsburgh) has written a great...
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Lead exposure in older homes means children 'pay with their lives'
CC/Flickr/Wayne MarshallLead-laden paint — now-outlawed — is often still found on the walls of old houses and apartments.Lead poisoning has been recognized as a major health problem in this country...
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Wine-growing regions moving toward the poles; Côtes du Yellowstone, anyone?
CC/Flickr/Viña CaliterraVineyards may need to be transplanted from, say, France's Bordeaux region and California's Napa Valley to places like England and Montana.The good news, I guess, out of a new...
View ArticleMinnesota state revenues ahead of forecast in February and March
The Minnesota Management & Budget office reports that state revenue in February and March was 6 percent higher than projected.Says the department's April update:Minnesota’s net general fund...
View ArticleExpanded transportation bill seems to be on a road to nowhere this session
A bill that would have made major transportation and improvements looks like it's going nowhere fast this session, reports the Forum News Service.Lawmakers who had big hopes for the bill are saying:...
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It'll be Bachmann vs. Graves redux in 6th
Rematch! Says Kevin Diaz in the Strib: “The expected rematch is on between Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann and DFL businessman Jim Graves, who came within a single percentage point of an upset in...
View ArticleFranken has $2 million on hand for re-election run
WASHINGTON — Sen. Al Franken raised $1.98 million during the first three months of 2013 and has more than $2 million on hand heading into his first re-election campaign.The Franken campaign announced...
View ArticleRandy Gilbert gets out early in GOP bid for state auditor
Randy Gilbert is trying again for the office of state auditor. Gilbert is an auditor in his day job at Assurance Consulting in Minneapolis and the former mayor of Long Lake. He has formed a campaign...
View ArticleWeather causes St. Paul to postpone city-wide cleanup until April 20
Because of the late-season snowstorm, St. Paul officials have postponed a city-wide cleanup for one week.Originally scheduled for this Saturday, April 13, the cleanup based at five park locations now...
View ArticleNorth Korea, Syria dominate G8 ministers meeting in London
Foreign ministers of the Group of Eight industrialized nations condemned North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs in the "strongest possible terms" and vowed to take "further significant...
View ArticleGOP's Rep. Dave Camp envisions inclusive path to a fiscal 'bargain'
The next round of "grand bargain" fiscal negotiations is going on right in front of the public’s eyes.In committee rooms across Capitol Hill, lawmakers are digging in on the details of tax reform and...
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