Minnesota News Network

The Education Minnesota teachers union is pleased the state Appeals Court threw out a lawsuit that alleged the state’s teacher tenure laws prevent school districts from getting rid of ineffective teachers. Union President Denise Specht says notoriously anti-union interests were behind the suit. Republican state Senator Carla Nelson from Rochester responds a provision that takes effect the next bargaining cycle at least gives districts the option to negotiate teacher tenure rules. “Of course this was a very minor thing that we passed,” Nelson says. “It wasn’t a total tenure reform, but it does give school districts more power and authority to determine how to keep the best teachers in the classrooms.”

Nelson acknowledges there’s not much additional that can be done in the current political climate: “I’m pretty much a pragmatist and a realist here, and we have a union president who’s the education commissioner and we have a union president that is the House finance chair — former union president — and so I think we need to do things that we think are going to pass.”

Education Minnesota teachers union President Specht says other states’ experience shows “attempts to weaken or repeal these due process protections do not improve teacher quality or student achievement.”

Organizers expect several thousand at the State Capitol today for the annual “March for Life” marking the 46th anniversary of Roe versus Wade. President Trump’s appointment of Brett Kavanaugh has many wondering if the the U-S Supreme Court could soon overturn that 1973 ruling that legalized abortion, but Scott Fischbach with Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life says, “We still believe that we need one or two more justices on the U-S Supreme Court before they’re gonna be looking at any type of a reversal of Roe versus Wade.”  If Ruth Bader Ginsburg were no longer able to serve on the high court, it’s expected President Trump would appoint a conservative replacement — which many analysts predict would trigger a fierce confirmation battle in the U-S Senate.

There will be a push again this year at the legislature for a law giving a woman the option to see results of an ultrasound before having an abortion. MCCL’s Fischbach says the bill will “for sure” pass the Minnesota Senate, possibly the House, and they want to see what Minnesota’s new governor, Tim Walz, will do.  “Obviously we don’t believe that he’s with us but, because it is such a mainstream proposal, we’d like for him to take a look at it as well,” Fischbach says.

Last year, then Governor Mark Dayton vetoed a bill passed by the Republican-controlled legislature. Opponents of the measure say it’s intimidating to women and effectively restricts access to abortion.

 

More in this interview with Fischbach:

 

Voters in state Senate District 11 go to the polls today (Tues) to narrow the field for the upcoming special election.  It’s prompted by Kerrick Democrat Tony Lourey’s resignation to become state Human Services Commissioner. District 11 Democrats last weekend endorsed former Duluth T-V news anchor Michelle Lee as their candidate. Lee, who made an unsuccessful bid for U-S House last year, has a challenger in today’s state Senate primary: fellow Democrat Stu Lourey, son of former state Senator Tony Lourey, and grandson of former state Senator Becky Lourey. The winner of today’s special primary goes against Republican-endorsed candidate, state Representative Jason Rarick, in the February 5th special election.

If Democrats hold onto the District 11 seat, it means Republicans will again have only a one-vote majority in the Minnesota Senate. If Republicans win the seat, it gives them a little more breathing room in the 2019 legislative session.

 

A ban on cell phone use while driving, except in hands-free mode, could have its best chance ever during the 2019 legislative session. Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (guh-ZEL-cuh) says, “I do believe that there will a vote on distracted driving earlier than later.”

There are hearings today in the Minnesota House and tomorrow in the Senate. Another bill in the Senate would make penalties the same as D-W-I for those who injure or kill someone while driving and using a cell phone.

 

Authorities say six people had minor injuries and three of the injured were later arrested after a police chase that began in north Minneapolis and went into northeast Minneapolis, before officers called off the pursuit for safety reasons. Police say more than a minute after the chase was terminated, the suspect vehicle crashed head-on into another vehicle, which then hit a pickup truck. Authorities say the incident began when officers tried to pull over the suspect vehicle for erratic driving.