By Christopher Ingraham, Minnesota Reformer Violent assaults on police officers have risen sharply in recent years, according to the comprehensive data included in the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s Uniform Crime Reports. But those assaults rarely turn fatal: From 2004 to 2023 only 11 Minnesota police officers died in the
By Michelle Griffith, Minnesota Reformer Hundreds of advocates for gun restrictions, making Minnesota a sanctuary state and passing the Equal Rights Amendment welcomed lawmakers back to the Capitol Monday, bursting with cheers, chants, prayers, songs — and requests for funding for their causes. During even-numbered years, the Minnesota Legislature typically passes
By Michelle Griffith, Minnesota Reformer Minnesota lawmakers gavel in the 2024 legislative session on Monday, armed with a short list of priorities compared to last year’s historic session — and carrying a far smaller pot of money. Democratic-Farmer-Labor legislators, who control both the House and Senate with narrow majorities, last
“Medical debt isn’t like a mortgage or car loan. You apply for those. You seek them out. But you don’t apply for medical debt — you incur it because you have no other choice.” -- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison
By Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly roundup of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. This week; the Minnesota Nurses Association goes after hospital executive pay at the state Capitol as it faces its own internal strife; Minneapolis considers various pay models for
By J. Patrick Coolican, Minnesota Reformer The Minneapolis City Council approved a settlement Thursday with journalists attacked by police during the aftermath of the George Floyd murder. The journalists, who were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and pro bono attorneys, won nearly $1 million in the
By Madison McVan, Minnesota Reformer DULUTH — Some Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers will propose a constitutional amendment that would raise the state sales tax to fund housing programs. Bill draft language would raise the state sales tax by three-eights of 1% — about 37 cents for every $100 spent — to create three funds geared
By Deena Winter, Minnesota Reformer Nearly three dozen Democratic lawmakers have signed onto a bill that would make Minnesota a so-called sanctuary state, and supporters plan to rally around the proposal next week. Rep. Sandra Feist, DFL-New Brighton, and Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, will carry the bill. Hundreds of U.
By Michelle Griffith, Minnesota Reformer Second Harvest Heartland on Monday announced a new initiative to reduce the number of food shelf visits by 50% by 2030. The state’s largest hunger-fighting nonprofit announced its ambitious goal at its Brooklyn Park center in front of local food shelf advocates, lawmakers, Gov.
By Madison McVan, Minnesota Reformer Last year, lawmakers in the state Legislature passed historic levels of funding — $1 billion — for housing in Minnesota. They established down payment assistance and forgivable loan programs for first-generation Minnesota homebuyers, hiked a metro sales tax for housing, and passed new renters’ protections, including a
By Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer Unions are enjoying the most robust public support in nearly six decades and winning double digit pay raises for their members, yet the share of the American workforce that is unionized remains stuck at historic lows. In Minnesota, union membership ticked down nearly a full
Nationwide, “the number of renters living in unaffordable housing has reached an all-time high and includes households across the income spectrum and around the country. The growing shortage of units affordable to renters with the lowest incomes is only worsening the affordability crisis.”
By Michelle Griffith, Minnesota Reformer Minnesota’s tax system is the most progressive among U.S. states, meaning poor households pay the least amount of taxes as a share of their income, according to a new report released Tuesday. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy releases an analysis every
By Christopher Ingraham, Minnesota Reformer More than half of Minnesota’s mental health professionals report seeing anxiety, depression and chronic psychological distress related to climate concerns among their patients, according to a study by researchers at the University of Minnesota. Most concerning, more than one-fifth of the surveyed mental health
By Larissa Donovan, Minnesota Reformer The following story is the first in a series produced in a collaboration between Energy News Network and KAXE/KBXE. World leaders in Dubai recently concluded the latest United Nations conference on climate change, where experts and advocates repeated urgent pleas for governments to phase
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: the toll of 2023’s wildfire smoke; counties reconsider their forfeiture practices following Supreme Court decision; the municipal