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Minnesota

Howie: If Hubert Humphrey were Minnesota’s governor today

At the 1948 Democratic National Convention, when many in his party wanted to avoid alienating Southern segregationists, Humphrey, 37, strode to the podium and declared it was time to get out of the shadow of states’ rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights.

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Hortman's children release statement on their parents' deaths
A growing memorial for Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband stands Monday, June 16, 2025 at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

Hortman's children release statement on their parents' deaths

“Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect.”

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Minnesota Legislature passes gloomy $66B budget
Lights stay on inside the Minnesota State Capitol Building as the sun sets during a special legislative session Monday, June 9, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

Minnesota Legislature passes gloomy $66B budget

“The budget we are passing will fund the services Minnesotans rely on to live their daily lives, including care for people with disabilities and seniors, maintenance for roads and bridges, funding for courts and correctional facilities, and support for veterans” -- Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul

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Gov. Tim Walz calls special legislative session for Monday
The Minnesota State Capitol Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

Gov. Tim Walz calls special legislative session for Monday

“The finalized bills will be conveyed to the House and Senate on Monday, June 9, 2025, and must be voted upon or passed by both bodies before 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10, 2025,” the agreement states.

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AG Ellison condemns federal raid in Minneapolis
Federal officers drive down Lake Street following a raid at Las Cuatro Milpas in Minneapolis, Minnesota Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

AG Ellison condemns federal raid in Minneapolis

The raid was Minnesota’s first under President Donald Trump’s Homeland Security Task Force, which he established via executive order on the first day of his second term, according to a statement from ICE, which called it a “groundbreaking criminal operation.”

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Nurses demand higher staffing from Minnesota hospitals
Nurse Ericka Helling poses for a portrait outside of Southdale Medical Center Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

Nurses demand higher staffing from Minnesota hospitals

By Max Nesterak Ericka Helling is used to being attacked on the job. She’s been bitten, slapped, kicked. “And that’s just a part of the day,” said Helling, a 27-year veteran nurse in the intensive care unit at M Health Fairview’s Southdale Hospital. She considers herself lucky.

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Minnesota legislative session ends, still with a long to-do list
House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, gavels the body to order on May 19, the final day of the 2025 regular session. Photo by Andrew VonBank/House Public Information Services.

Minnesota legislative session ends, still with a long to-do list

By Michelle Griffith A narrowly divided Legislature adjourned Monday without completing a state budget for the next two years, ending the session just as it began: with rancorous finger pointing. The session started with the Minnesota Supreme Court settling a dispute between Republicans and Democrats over control of the House,

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The Topline: Tens of thousands of Minnesotans to lose health insurance
Medicaid sign at U.S. Senate Democrats’ press conference on Feb. 19, 2025. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)

The Topline: Tens of thousands of Minnesotans to lose health insurance

By Christopher Ingraham Welcome to The Topline, a weekly roundup of the big numbers driving the Minnesota news cycle, as well as the smaller ones that you might have missed. This week: health coverage losses due to congressional Republicans’ cuts; UnitedHealth in free fall; the young children dying to fentanyl;

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Dumping costs on to local property taxpayers is a shifty way to balance the state budget
State legislators are not required to consider the cost of their budget choices on local governments, and that should change, the authors write. The Howe neighborhood of Minneapolis Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

Dumping costs on to local property taxpayers is a shifty way to balance the state budget

We’ve been down this road before: When the state faced deficits in the first decade of this century, the state started many of these cost shifts and reduced aid to counties and cities. As a result, property taxes increased by record high percentages that have not been matched since.

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House passes housing budget, must hash out differences with Senate
The Minnesota State Capitol Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

House passes housing budget, must hash out differences with Senate

By Madison McVan The Minnesota House passed a housing budget bill Tuesday, featuring funding boosts for homelessness prevention and affordable housing development, plus $100 million in bonds for financing housing developments statewide.  But the Senate’s housing budget, which passed the chamber last week, is about $62 million smaller than

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Q&A with new president of Education Minnesota, the state’s largest union
Monica Byron, president of Education Minnesota, poses for a portrait outside of the Education Minnesota headquarters Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

Q&A with new president of Education Minnesota, the state’s largest union

"Education Minnesota has been publicly defending against the attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion and the other attacks from Washington, D.C." -- Monica Byron, president of Education Minnesota

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U.S. Education Department to restart defaulted student loan collections
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks at a press conference organized by House Democrats outside the U.S. Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 2025. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)

U.S. Education Department to restart defaulted student loan collections

"The Biden Administration misled borrowers: the executive branch does not have the constitutional authority to wipe debt away, nor do the loan balances simply disappear." -- U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon

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