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
By Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer Take a seat in the Break Room, our round-up of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. This week: public-sector unions spend big in blue states; hundreds of workers vote out unions at Mayo Clinic; Minneapolis mandates apprenticeships for window washers; teachers unions’ contract negotiations drag
By Max Nesterak, Minnesota Reformer Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly round-up of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. Essentia nurse practitioners and physician assistants file for union More than 350 Essentia Health nurse practitioners and other advanced practice providers could vote to unionize with the Minnesota
Construction for the new buildings will be spread out over six years beginning in 2024 and include two new clinical buildings in downtown Rochester nearly as tall as the hospital’s 21-story Gonda building.
By Christopher Ingraham, Minnesota Reformer The share of Minnesotans working from home during the pandemic skyrocketed, from 6.4% in 2019 to 20.9% by 2021. There was some hope — particularly among CEOs, managerial types and commercial landlords — that this was just a one-time disruption that could be reversed via
By Pat Garofalo, Minnesota Reformer Editor’s note: The author is not the same person as state Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington. Late last month, the Minnesota-based hospital system Fairview Health Systems announced that it was pulling the plug on a proposed merger with South Dakota-based Sanford Health Services. This marked
