>>Governor’s Fishing Opener this weekend at Lake City on Lake Pepin
(Lake City, MN) — The 2024 Governor’s Fishing Opener is this weekend at Lake City on Lake Pepin (PEPP-in). D-N-R commissioner Sarah Strommen says the sales numbers for fishing licenses look great so far this spring and notes, “We are up from last year…. We’ll see how the rest of the season goes but that’s our goal, is to keep those numbers ideally trending up, but for sure stable.” Strommen says the fishing industry accounts for more than four-billion dollars of revenue for Minnesota.
>>Lt. Gov. Flanagan at Fishing Opener: Lake Pepin “a really special place for my husband and me”
(Lake City, MN) — If Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan has a little extra enthusiasm in her fishing boat tomorrow (Sat) on Lake Pepin for the Governor’s Fishing Opener, there’s good reason. She got married on Lake Pepin, which is actually a swelling of the Mississippi River along Minnesota’s southeastern border. Flanagan says, “This is a really special place for my husband and me, and so if I don’t even catch any fish tomorrow, I got a great catch on Lake Pepin in my husband.” Flanagan says it’s their five-year anniversary in September and “we’re happy to be here.”
>>Rideshare bill headed to MN House floor despite opposition from Uber, Lyft
(St. Paul, MN) — A key committee today (Fri) passed and sent to the Minnesota House floor a bill that would set pay levels and other benefits for rideshare drivers, but there’s no indication that Uber and Lyft will go along with it, the latter saying if it becomes law they will “leave Minnesota entirely.” Maple Lake Republican Marion Rarick says it’s “an interesting way to legislate” adding that she “wouldn’t choose that path, but maybe Uber and Lyft will stay around, I don’t know.” Bill sponsor, Minneapolis Democrat Hodan Hassan says Uber’s offer tells her they’re not serious about negotiations and that’s why lawmakers are moving ahead with a bill. Just over one week remains in the legislative session.
>>Target to Limit Pride Merchandise to Certain Stores
(Minneapolis, MN) — Officials at Minneapolis-based retailer Target say they will limit their Pride merchandise to fewer stores this year due to last year’s backlash. Last June, Target sold LGBTQ+ merchandise for Pride Month at all of its over 1,900 stores. This faced severe backlash from consumers online and in stores, with some damaging Target’s property and the products being sold. Target claims all Pride merchandise will be available online, but will only be physically sold in a smaller, undisclosed number of stores. While Target states it supports the LGBTQ+ community, many in those groups oppose the move, saying the pull of merchandise is discriminatory.
>>MN Supreme Court Approves Gov. Walz’s COVID-19 Emergency Declaration
(Golden Valley, MN) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has upheld Governor Tim Walz’s COVID-19 emergency declaration and the constitutionality of the Minnesota Emergency Management Act (MEMA) , which were being challenged by the Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC). UMLC claims Walz’s declaration allowed him to “seize control of the state for 16 months and issue one executive order after another, controlling minuscule details of Minnesotans’ daily lives.” The Court stated the Emergency Management Act allows an emergency declaration during a pandemic and that its broad grant of power does not violate the Minnesota Constitution. UMLC senior counsel James Dickey says they’re disappointed by the ruling because it “lays the groundwork for another seizure of Minnesota’s legislative power by this Governor — or any future Governor — for any claimed emergency in the future, without any need to prove one actually exists.”
>>MN State Patrol to Increase Speed Enforcement on Rural Roads
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota State Patrol troopers are kicking off a new initiative to step up speed enforcement on rural roads. Throughout this spring and summer, each district will assign troopers to conduct high visibility patrols on problematic roadways now through September 2nd as part of the Rural Speed Reduction Project. Officials say fatal crashes are up almost 40 percent from this time last year.
>>Rep. Craig Secures $1M to Improve Internet Access in Rural MN
(Le Sueur, MN) – Representative Angie Craig announced today (FRI) that she’s secured $1 million in federal funding to improve internet access in Le Sueur County. Craig says the funding will help build the broadband infrastructure needed to establish “county-wide internet access” and “spur economic development.”
>>Nies named Chancellor of University of Minnesota Duluth
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Board of Regents has confirmed Doctor Charles Nies as the 10th chancellor of the University of Minnesota Duluth. Nies, vice chancellor at the University of California Merced, comes to Duluth having spent the last 25 years working in higher education, including as an assistant dean at Miami University of Ohio and program director at Washington State University. Nies said, “I’m honored to be a part of this remarkable institution and to work alongside the amazing people who are advancing the mission of teaching, research, and outreach. It’s inspiring,” A graduate of St. Thomas and a Hutchinson native, Nies succeeds former U-M-D chancellor Lendley Black, who retired in 2022.
