State lawmakers are looking more closely, after a report found some Twin Cities municipalities are jacking-up charges for building permits beyond what their costs are. Republican Representative Jim Nash from Waconia says for every thousand dollars over-and-above that’s charged for building permits, about four thousand potential buyers are knocked out of the housing market: “If […]
Buffalo man gets 40-year prison sentence for producing child pornography
A federal judge has sentenced a man from Buffalo to nearly 40 years in prison plus lifetime supervised release for producing child pornography. Prosecutors say 29-year-old Zachary Witry used social media platforms, posing as a 15-year-old boy to make contact with over 200 girls ranging in age from 13 to 17. They say he obtained […]
Essentia Duluth hospital, nurses union back at bargaining table
Essentia-Saint Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth and the nurses union go back into contract negotiations today after Minnesota Nurses Association members did informational picketing outside the hospital Tuesday. Wages and benefits are among the issues, and bargaining team member Chris Rubesch says nurses want to ensure there’s sufficient staff to continue providing safe care, but […]
“Miracle on Ice” star charged with assault in Cook County
Miracle-on-Ice star and Lutsen land developer Mark Pavelich remains in jail in Grand Marais, facing felony assault and gun-related charges, reports the Duluth News-Tribune. Prosecutors say he struck a neighbor on the back, arms and legs with a metal pole after accusing them of “spiking his beer”, and was also in possession of an illegally-shortened […]
Klobuchar at Iowa forum spotlights infrastructure problems on tribal lands
Democratic presidential hopeful Amy Klobuchar used her Monday afternoon appearance at an Iowa forum on Native American issues to highlight infrastructure problems on tribal lands. “If they can hook up the entire country of Iceland, I think we can hook up our Native American reservations… and our tribal lands to make sure that they have […]
Service change means homeless can no longer sleep overnight on Green Line trains in Twin Cities
Metro Transit replacing its Green Line trains with buses between 2 and 4 a-m on weekdays eliminates an option for significant numbers of homeless people who have been sleeping on board in the early morning hours. Metro Transit’s Howie Padilla says keeping homeless people from spending overnight on the trains “absolutely was not the primary […]
Omar, back in MN, vows to continue fight against Trump, Netanyahu policies
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar brought her fight with President Trump back to Minnesota, as she and colleague Rashida Tlaib of Michigan addressed supporters at the State Capitol Monday afternoon. “We are going to fight this administration and the oppressive Netanyahu administration until we take our last breath,” she said. Tlaib initially agreed to Israel’s restrictions for […]
Buses replacing trains on Green Line in Twin Cities early mornings Mon-Fri
Early morning train service from 2 a-m to 4 a-m on Metro Transit’s Green Line has now been replaced by buses Monday through Friday — but trains will still operate around-the-clock on weekends, with *no* service changes Friday night into Saturday morning, or Saturday night into Sunday morning. Metro Transit’s Howie Padilla says it’s to […]
Minnesota gets federal okay to include “housing stabilization services” in basic Medicaid benefit
Minnesota is one of the first states in the nation to receive federal approval to include what’s termed “housing stabilization services” in basic Medicaid benefits. Stacy Twite with the state Human Services Department says benefits will be available starting July 2020 for seniors…people with disabilities, mental illness or substance-abuse disorder…and those who are homeless or […]
Benson man charged after police found bomb in his pickup truck
It was just a home-made sparkler, a man from Benson who’s now facing multiple charges told police, after they found a bomb in his pickup truck Monday afternoon. Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Holien says the device had a fuse and was larger than a pipe bomb: “It had inside materials that… [were] used as shrapnel, […]