>>Senate Hearing for Bill to Create Inspector General Office in Minnesota
(St. Paul, MN) — The next step to stopping fraud and government waste in Minnesota takes place today (Tues 12:30pm) in a Senate hearing. D-F-L Senator Heather Gustafson of Vadnais Heights will testify about her bipartisan plan that would create an Office of Inspector General. The position would be independent and be responsible for ensuring accountability, transparency, and integrity in operations for state agencies and programs. Fraud has been one of the most talked about issues between Democrats and Republicans during the session so far.
>>GOP Senate Leader Calls on DFL to Let Voters Replace Senator Mitchell
(St. Paul, MN) — Minnesota Senate G-O-P Minority Leader Mark Johnson is calling on Democrats to let voters pick a new senator after an additional felony charge was filed against Senator Nicole Mitchell. Becker County prosecutors added a charge of possession of burglary or theft tools against the Woodbury Democrat on Monday. Court records show Mitchell had a crowbar and flashlight when she allegedly broke into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home last April. Johnson says, “the circus surrounding the Senate needs to stop.” A judge delayed Mitchell’s burglary trial until after the legislative session.
>>Judge Temporarily Blocks Funding Cuts to NIH after Ellison, 21 AGs Sue Trump Administration
(St. Paul, MN) — A federal judge is temporarily blocking the Trump administration’s cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) medical research grants. Minnesota A-G Keith Ellison and 21 other state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to stop the funding change for universities and institutions that do medical and public health research. Ellison said in a statement, “Abruptly and arbitrarily slashing funding for the N-I-H isn’t only dangerous and cruel, it’s against the law.” The N-I-H awarded 65 million dollars to five Minnesota institutions in fiscal year 2025, including 37 million to the University of Minnesota and 29 million to Mayo Clinic. U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar says N-I-H research supports nearly eight thousand jobs in our state and 1.7 billion dollars in economic activity.
>>Emmer Supports Trump Plan to Shutdown US Department of Education
(Washington, DC) — Minnesota Congressman Tom Emmer says he supports President Donald Trump’s desire to shut down the U-S Department of Education. The Sixth District Republican said, ” Our parents are the best educators we have. That needs to happen at the local level and really your State Department of Education should be nothing more than making sure that the different schools and the educators have the resources they need.” Minnesota schools receive around one-billion dollars in funding annually from the federal government.
>>Flu Hospitalizations Reach 5-Year High in Minnesota
(St. Paul, MN) — The Minnesota Department of Health says flu cases are at a five-year high. So far this season, there have been more than five-thousand flu-related hospitalizations. State health officials are raising concerns as hospitals are being overwhelmed with flu and other patients. They say the best way to protect yourself against influenza is to get vaccinated.
>>Funeral for Fallen Border Patrol Agent Maland at Fort Snelling National Cemetery
(Minneapolis, MN) — The funeral for a U-S Border Patrol agent from Minnesota is scheduled for Saturday February 22nd at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Forty-four-year-old Agent David “Chris” Maland from Blue Earth was fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire during an immigration vehicle inspection on January 20th near the Canadian border. There will be a visitation prior to the graveside service for Maland from 9 a-m to noon on February 22nd at the Morris Nilsen Funeral Chapel in Richfield. Maland graduated from Fairmont High School in 1999 and enlisted in the U-S Air Force that June.
>>Minnesota Welcomed nearly 130K Residents in 2024
(St. Paul, MN) — The latest data show Minnesota welcomed almost 130,000 new residents last year. State Demographer Susan Brower says a combination of things led to the growth. Brower says, “births had something to do with it. In addition to births, we’ve got people moving from other states, we’ve got people moving from other countries and it’s really the increase in people moving from other countries that drove growth in this last period.” The state welcomed about 30,000 newcomers from other nations in the past fiscal year.
>>3 Energy Providers Planning 765 kV Electric Transmission Backbone
(Maple Grove, MN) — Three energy providers plan to develop a 765-kilovolt electric transmission line that will stretch from South Dakota across Minnesota into Wisconsin. Matt Ellis of Great River Energy says they’re working with Xcel Energy and I-T-C Midwest on a transmission ‘backbone’ that will allow more electricity to move in the region. He says this ‘very large scale” electric powerline would be the first at this voltage level in the Upper Midwest. Ellis says they filed notice of intent with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Friday which starts the regulatory and community engagement process.
>>Arbitration Panel Rules in Favor A-Rod & Lore in Timberwolves Sale
(Minneapolis, MN) — A big win for Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore Monday in their push to become majority owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. A three-judge arbitration panel ruled Wolves owner Glen Taylor should not have canceled the sale of the teams last spring due to a late final payment. The sale of Taylor’s 40 percent ownership to A-Rod and Lore needs to be approved by the N-B-A Board of Governors. Taylor bought the Wolves for 94 million dollars in 1994, and the organization is now valued at 3.1 billion.
>>Timberwolves Winning Streak Ends in Blowout Loss at Cavaliers
(Cleveland, OH) — The Cavaliers snapped the Minnesota Timberwolves’ three-game win streak with a 128-107 blowout victory Monday night in Cleveland. The Wolves failed to score for the first seven minutes of the game and trailed by 26 points late in the second half. Anthony Edwards scored 44 points in the loss for Minnesota. The Timberwolves are back at Target Center Wednesday night to play the Milwaukee Bucks.
