>>House Republican Bills Propose State Pay for Teacher Pensions
(St. Paul, MN) — A group of Minnesota House Republicans is pushing two bills for teacher pension options. State Representative Danny Nadeau of Champlin says if the state doesn’t come up with the money, the school districts will have to make some difficult choices. Nadeau told members, “We need to respect the promises that we’ve made to teachers, or we can do nothing, and our education system will pay for it with larger class sizes, higher activity fees, less options.” The bills differ on the age of the retired teacher and whether the pension is full or a reduced amount of payment.
>>Minnesota House Ag Committee to Hear Testimony, Vote on Budget
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota House Agriculture Committee will take up its budget proposal today (Wed 1pm) and hear testimony. Co-chair, Representative Paul Anderson from Starbuck says the budget plan came together quickly with a dose of compromise thrown in. The proposed budget is for $172 million dollars, which is $17 million higher than the current budget. It includes the $4 million Governor Walz requested to continue the fight against bird flu in the state.
>>Senate Bill Promotes Mental Health in Construction Industry
(St. Paul, MN) — A new bill in the Minnesota Senate would set aside one million dollars to promote mental health initiatives in the construction industry for the next two years. D-F-L Senator Judy Seeberger of Afton says the C-D-C reports higher rates of mental health concerns with construction workers than the general population. She says the suicide rate is also three times higher. The Senate Labor Committee heard the bill on Tuesday and laid it over for possible inclusion in the labor omnibus bill.
>>Morrison Calls on VA to Protect Reproductive Health Care for Veterans
(Washington, DC) — Minnesota Congresswoman Kelly Morrison is calling on the U-S Department of Veterans Affairs to protect reproductive health care for veterans. Morrison and 130 Democratic colleagues wrote Secretary Doug Collins demanding that he ensure V-As in all 50 states provide access to reproductive health care – regardless of state abortion laws. Morrison says the Trump administration is ready to reverse the V-A’s Reproductive Health Services rule which was finalized last year. The 3rd District Democrat is the only pro-choice OB-GYN in Congress and serves on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
>>Tariffs on Canada Imports Could Hit Minnesota Hard
(St. Cloud, MN) — Some economists say the U-S trade war with Canada hits people in the Northland harder than other parts of the country. St. Cloud State Economics Professor King Banaian (BAN’-yan) says the number one impact will be on energy. He says, “Our fuel, our natural gas as well as the fuel we put in our cars and trucks, much of it is coming from Canadian sources. We’ve built a system that is designed to take in fuel and natural gas from Canada.” Banaian says history shows us that tariffs will lead to higher prices and higher inflation.
>>Tutors Needed Across Minnesota to Help Kids in Upcoming School Year
(Minneapolis, MN) — Seventy-six counties across Minnesota need tutors for the upcoming school year to help young students. And 700 more tutors are still needed, with the largest need being in the metro area, where 500 are needed by August to support students. Reading, Math, and Early Learning Corps Senior Manager Laura Isdahl says tutors are essential to helping students achieve grade level mastery in crucial subjects, especially in their early years. No teaching experience is needed to become a tutor and those interested will be fully trained. More information is available at Join.ReadingandMath.org.
>>Authorities ID Drivers Killed in Isanti County Crash
(Isanti, MN) — Isanti County authorities are identifying the two drivers killed in crash Monday afternoon in Athens Township. The sheriff’s office says the victims are 95-year-old Calvin Jacobsen of Bradford Township and 29-year-old Nicholas Murray from Isanti. One of the drivers was dead when deputies arrived, and they tried to save the other man, but he died at the scene. The crash is still under investigation.
>>Minnesota Timberwolves Blow 24-Point Lead in Loss at Milwaukee
(Milwaukee, WI) — The Minnesota Timberwolves blew a 24-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 110-103 loss to the Bucks last night (Tues) in Milwaukee. The Wolves were up 95-71 with less than ten minutes remaining. Milwaukee outscored Minnesota 40-13 in the fourth quarter. Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with 25 points and Donte DiVincenzo scored 24. The loss drops Minnesota to 46-and-33 and into eighth place in the Western Conference Standings. They play the 47-and-32 Grizzlies tomorrow night in Memphis.
