Two long-time state senators from the Iron Range — Tom Bakk and Dave Tomassoni — are leaving the Senate Democratic Caucus and forming a new “Independent Caucus,” increasing what was Republican’s razor-thin majority in the Minnesota Senate. Bakk says he’s “very disappointed by the extreme partisanship” and “both political parties are to blame.” It appears […]

Governor Tim Walz today joined frontline healthcare workers to urge Minnesotans to work together to combat the spread of COVID-19. Walz said with possible safe vaccines on the way in the coming months, there may be “light at the end of the tunnel,” but in the meantime “as we enter into and we’re there, into […]

Barrier-free COVID-19 saliva testing sites are going up across Minnesota in the coming days. Governor Tim Walz announced today that 11 sites will be opening statewide in the next two weeks–including at MSP International Airport. Walz says “if you’ve got insurance, we look at your insurance card, if you don’t, come in, you’re still going […]

Absentee ballots not received by Minnesota election offices by 8 pm on election night will be separated and possibly removed from the final vote totals. That’s the ruling of a federal appeals court. That decision overrides a lower court ruling and removes a seven-day grace period to count ballots post-marked November 3rd. Minnesota Secretary of […]

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is returning to Minnesota for a campaign visit in St. Paul on Friday (3:45) . Biden will attend a drive-in event to encourage Minnesotans to vote. President Trump will also be in the state Friday with a planned visit to Dodge Center–moved from an originally scheduled stop in Rochester (5pm) […]

The November 3rd election is one week away. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says even though mail-in votes will continue to be counted up to a week after election day, he predicts “that we will know the vast majority of results and winners earlier rather than later, either on election night or shortly thereafter […]

Republican candidate for U-S Senate Jason Lewis was rushed to the hospital today for emergency surgery after he experienced severe abdominal pain. Lewis’ campaign says doctors discovered he is suffering from a severe internal hernia. Lewis was said to be optimistic and in good spirits ahead of the surgery.  Here is the Lewis campaign’s statement […]

The semi-truck driver who almost ran into protesters on the Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River has been charged with two crimes. 35-year-old Bogdan Vechirko Otsego is charged with a felony count of threats of violence and a gross misdemeanor count of criminal vehicular operation. On May 31st, more than 1,000 peaceful protesters were […]

A new survey of around 9,700 members of Education Minnesota found high levels of stress and anxiety–especially for educators who are now simultaneously teaching online and in-person. Education Minnesota President Denise Specht says “about 30% of people taking the survey are thinking about quitting or retiring, that’s a lot of people considering that we already […]

Governor Walz will keep his emergency COVID powers after the Democrat-led state House voted Monday (69-64) to support a 30-day extension. State House Speaker Melissa Hortman says the powers remain essential amid the pandemic and “the covid 19 emergency has not ended and our country has experienced needless death and suffering due to the president’s […]