>>Minnesota Food Banks Brace for Halt of SNAP Benefits in November
(Brooklyn Park, MN) — Food bank officials in Minnesota are hoping the federal government re-opens by November 1st and SNAP benefits go out next month. Zach Rodvold of Second Harvest Heartland says the situation was dire before the shutdown and some food shelves are running out of food. He says, “if we’re in an extended shutdown and adding tens or hundreds of thousands more people to the lines, it’s gonna create a catastrophe.” Rodvold says the 450 thousand Minnesotans who could lose SNAP benefits have nowhere else to go other than a food shelf.
>>Morrison, Business Owners Speaking Out Against Federal Health Care Cuts
(Brooklyn Park, MN) — Congresswoman Kelly Morrison and small business owners are speaking out about the impact of federal cuts to health care this morning (Thurs) in Brooklyn Park. Morrison says small businesses and childcare centers are the backbones of our communities, and many are already feeling the strain of unaffordable health insurance premiums, the sunsetting of A-C-A tax credits, and massive cuts to health care programs. State Commerce Commissioner Grace Arnold, small business owners, and childcare providers are joining Morrison at the news conference.
>>State Lawmakers Concerned Minnesota Cannot Recover from Health Care Cuts
(St. Paul, MN) — Estimates show that 200,000 Minnesotans will lose their health insurance benefits if the Affordable Care Act premium tax credits are not renewed by Congress. D-F-L state Senator Alice Mann of Edina says, “the cost of healthcare is going to increase significantly across the board for everyone. And the first thing that’s going to happen is your health insurance company through your employer is going to increase their rates.” Republicans claim one way to help Americans with their health insurance premiums is to remove illegal immigrants from getting federal and state benefits.
>>Hillary Clinton Speaking at Target Center in January
(Minneapolis, MN) — Former U-S Secretary of State and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is coming to Minnesota. Target Center is hosting the Eminent Speakers series event titled “An Evening with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton” on January 23rd. The announcement says it will feature Clinton in an unscripted, thought-provoking, and personal discussion about her life and career in public service. She’s expected to talk about her experiences as first lady, a U-S senator, secretary of state, and the first woman to secure a majority party presidential nomination.
>>New Tool Tracks Federal Education Investments in Minnesota School Districts
(St. Paul, MN) — A new tool helps Minnesotans track how federal education investments are supporting their local schools. The interactive site puts useful, easy-to-understand information at Minnesotans’ fingertips. Community members can see how much the federal government invests in their local school district, learn how their tax dollars are used to support learning, and share how federal cuts and uncertainty are impacting local students and classrooms. The Minnesota Department of Education developed the tool amid growing concerns with the federal government shutdown. More info can be found on the M-D-E website.
>>Residents Asked to Help Preserve Annunciation “Bows of Love” Memorial
(Minneapolis, MN) — As winter approaches, the community group Bows of Love is asking residents to help preserve the green and blue ribbons displayed after the August 27th fatal shooting at Annunciation Catholic School. The City of Minneapolis says bows on public property should be removed by October 30th to avoid damage from street cleaning and snow removal. Residents can save bows for a future memorial or move them to private property. Bows of Love plans to repurpose the ribbons into a creative tribute. Annunciation School is not a drop-off site.
>>Samsung Experience Store Opening Friday at Mall of America
(Bloomington, MN) — A new Samsung Experience Store is opening Friday at the Mall of America. This is Samsung’s first store in Minnesota and one of a few experimental locations in the U-S. Customers can get their hands on and interact with Galaxy products. It will have Samsung’s phones, laptops, tablets, and smartwatches, and accessories. Mall officials say there is a ribbon cutting ceremony, giveaways, and events throughout the day Friday.
>>Edwards Leads Timberwolves Past Trail Blazers in Season Opener
(Portland, OR) — The Minnesota Timberwolves rallied past the Trail Blazers 118-114 in the season opener Wednesday night in Portland. Anthony Edwards hit the go-ahead, three-pointer with just over a minute remaining and made a long jump shot in the final ten seconds. The Wolves outscored the Blazers 30-19 in the fourth quarter. Ant finished with 41 points, Julius Randle scored 19, and Jaden McDaniels added 18 points. Minnesota plays the Lakers tomorrow night in L-A.
>>Vikings and Chargers Meet on Thursday Night Football in LA
(Inglewood, CA) — The Minnesota Vikings play the L-A Chargers tonight (Thurs 7:15pm) at Sofi Stadium in Southern California. The Purple fell to 3-and-3 with a 28-22 loss to the Eagles Sunday at U-S Bank Stadium. The Chargers are 4-and-3 following a 38-24 setback to the Colts last weekend. Quarterback Carson Wentz is making his fifth straight for Minnesota. The Vikings could get running back Aaron Jones back for tonight’s game.
