The budget tax deal
mnpACT! Progressive Political Blog Sausage may make a fine meal, but don't watch it being made.And so it is with budget legislation. The DFL Legislature has agreed to a tax bill and it is a good one —...
View ArticleMinnesota Legislature, after contentious weekend, should wrap up quietly Monday
Lawmakers head into the final day of the 2013 session with deals in place to conclude their budget work on time, following days of messy debate over contentious tax hikes, state infrastructure...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Remembering Sue McLean: 'Live music is good for your soul'
We were deeply saddened to learn that concert promoter Sue McLean died Friday from cancer. She was 63. We saw many of her concerts over the years at the Guthrie, the Zoo and the O’Shaughnessy and were...
View ArticleMyanmar's White House bow: well done, but not mission accomplished
President Obama’s meeting with Myanmar President Thein Sein on Monday – the first visit to theUS by a Burmese ruler since 1968 – caps a flurry of recent activity between the two nations since Myanmar...
View ArticleHezbollah ups the ante, helps rout Syrian rebels near Lebanon's border
AL-QASR, Lebanon — The only officialLebanese presence at this northern border crossing with Syria is a tiny, one-man cinderblock army post. Rockets and shells explode nearby.Just a few miles up the...
View ArticleObama administration targets Fox News reporter in 'chilling' echo of AP probe
Associated Press reporters are not alone. One week after news broke that the Justice Departmentsecretly obtained phone records from AP, more news has emerged about the Obama administration’s campaign...
View ArticleMinnesota consumers and retailers feel pain from gas price spike
Just when Minnesotans thought it was safe to come out of their winter hibernation, they've been slapped with gas prices that quickly burst through the $4 a gallon mark.While it is an aggravation for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Target searches for innovation on the West Coast
Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is expanding its digital technology division with the addition of a new “Technology Innovation Center” in San Francisco. The center is designed to provide Target with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More funding, all-day K: 'This is very definitely the education session'
CC/Flickr/Mark DaytonGov. Mark Dayton and Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius read to students at Northport Elementary.Travel back for a moment to the halcyon days of 2010, when Mark Dayton was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lawmakers give Southwest Corridor LRT unexpected boost
The Southwest Corridor light-rail transit (LRT) project received an unexpected boost in the final transportation finance bill approved by the Minnesota Legislature over the weekend.The two houses...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Trampled by Turtles 'Midnight on the Interstate' official music video
For their song "Midnight on the Interstate,"Duluth band Trampled by Turtles tapped students at Bethany Luthern College's Media Arts Department to create a music video. The stop-motion result premiered...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rushing water, sharp S-curve lead to out-of-boat experiences on Namekagon
Earth Journal writer Ron Meador is posting daily this week from the Namekagon River in Wisconsin.This would be as good a time as any in these journals of a river trip to mention that the Namekagon is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Doctors, consumers advised to use caution in consulting psychiatry's new...
This week marks the long-awaited publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) of the highly controversial latest version of the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” or...
View ArticleJobs, economic development and housing budget bill makes important...
Minnesota Budget Bites As the 2013 Legislative Session closes, the final budget bills have been passed by the House and Senate. Last week the omnibus jobs, economic development and housing bill (House...
View ArticleNo bonding bill largesse, but Legislature gives St. Paul and Minneapolis some...
St. Paul and Minneapolis had hoped for some love in the bonding bill —such as $14 million for expansion of the Children's Museum and $20 million for the Nicollet Mall renovation — but that didn't...
View ArticleClik here to view.
DFL wraps up session with key victories, some losses — and hectic last day
Democrats walked out of the 2013 legislative session with a handful of key victories — and some disappointments.The successes included passage of $2 billion in new taxes to solve a projected budget...
View ArticleMinnesota transit advocates lament lost opportunities at Capitol
A half-cent sales tax increase in the metro area to fund bus and rail transit didn't get through the Legislaturethis year, leaving transit advocates frustrated.Barb Thoman, executive director of...
View ArticleChief Justice Gildea dismisses recall petitions against 2 legislators who...
Recall petitions against two DFL legislators who supported gay marriage have been thrown out by Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea.The recalls had targeted the two legislators from...
View ArticleDFL leaders declare session a wide-ranging success
The Democrats in control of Minnesota’s state government looked tired but pleased Tuesday morning, just a few hours after finishing up a grueling weekend-long tear of intense legislating.They have a...
View ArticleWhite House to honor state Rep. Karen Clark as 'Harvey Milk Champion'
Minnesota state Rep. Karen Clark will be honored at the White House Wednesday as a "Harvey Milk Champion of Change" for her commitment to equality and public service.Clark and nine other openly LGBT...
View Article