Minnesota Senate GOP caucus names staff leaders for new session
The Minnesota Senate GOP caucus has announced its top staff members for the 2013 session:Chief of staff: Kevin Matzek, who held the position last year when the GOP was in the majority.Director of...
View ArticleGov. Dayton's annual 'State of the State' speech to be Feb. 6 in prime time
Gov. Mark Dayton plans to deliver the annual State of the State speech to the Legislature on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.This will be Dayton's third such speech, as he heads into the second half of his four-year...
View ArticleSteve Sviggum among the many departed GOP Senate staff
Longtime Minnesota public official Steve Sviggum is among the 35 staff members of the Senate Republican caucus whose positions were eliminated with the downsizing that comes with minority...
View ArticlePlacebo-response update: 'new respect for the power of mind'
In the January-February issue of “The Saturday Evening Post,” science reporter Sharon Begley has done an excellent and highly readable job of summarizing research on the placebo response.Much of the...
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Union president rips Minneapolis three-lockout law firm
The ever-vigilant Sally Jo Sorensen points readers to a commentaryin the Grand Forks Herald by local AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson. In it she says: “While we see the National Hockey Leauge player...
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Minnesota budget fix likely ‘nothing groundbreaking,’ Speaker Thissen says
DFL leaders outlined their broad priorities for this legislative session on Wednesday — a day after lawmakers returned to St. Paul — but provided little in the way of detail.Senate Majority Leader Tom...
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Would a national mental-health registry have prevented Sandy Hook?
Wayne LaPierre of the NRA has called for more guns in schools. He contends that new laws restricting access to guns and restrictions on the types of guns and high-capacity magazines will not work. In...
View ArticleDFL's 'Grandma Brigade' monitors neighbors for data
Now this is amusing … and probably effective. At Pro Publica, Lois Beckett writes: “In Minnesota, Democratic volunteers scour their local newspapers each morning for letters to the editor with a...
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Minnesota’s new ‘white flight’: school open-enrollment program
A state program intended to help integrate school districts and balance academic opportunities for children of all races has actually resulted in increased racial segregation.A new University of...
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We need a quantum leap forward in civic leadership
mn2020.orgSean KershawThe note taped to my monitor simply says, “enough.” It’s there to remind me when I feel overwhelmed that I actually have enough time, energy and resources around me to complete...
View ArticleAnd now ... a $35M tax subsidy for the Strib's stadium land?
In what will be one of the most closely scrutinized real estate deals in city history, the Strib’s Eric Roper reports: “Minneapolis and a local developer are discussing a potential $35 million tax...
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Orchestra musicians, Vänskä say yes to Grammy-celebration concert
Earlier this week, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and arts benefactor Judy Dayton invited the locked-out musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra and music director Osmo Vänskä to play a concert on Feb. 1 in...
View ArticleTanzania withdraws bid to sell 'legal ivory;' Kenyan poachers kill 12...
International restrictions on elephant ivory poaching gained a bit of clout after a key African nation abandoned efforts to sell a hefty trove of “legal ivory.”But even as observers hoped that...
View ArticleSouth Africa sics drones on rhino poachers
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Rangers at the Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s best-known safari destinations, didn’t have to wait long for their first battle of the new year.Less than a week into...
View ArticleAs Obama meets Karzai, future troop level in Afghanistan isn't only big issue
President Obama hosts Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai at the White House for lunch and talks Friday, but the big questions hanging over the visit won’t be answered there. Rather, pressing issues...
View ArticleGun control: Biden sees early consensus, but NRA cries foul
Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday the outlines of a consensus are emerging on how to address gun violence in America, including universal background checks on gun buyers and limits on...
View ArticleCalifornia shooting: Teacher talks down shooter, allowing students to escape
A teacher at Taft Union High School in Taft, Calif., is being hailed as a hero by local officials for “talking down” the student who brought a 12-gauge shotgun to school Thursday morning, allegedly...
View ArticleRebels capture the largest airbase in Syria
Syrian rebels have reportedly taken control of a key military airbase in Syria's northwest after days of sustained fighting with government forces.The Free Syrian Army, the main armed opposition to...
View ArticleJacob Lew: Is 'safe' choice for Treasury also a good choice?
President Obama is nominating Jacob "Jack" Lew to be his next secretary of the Treasury, pushing to his administration's forefront a longtime veteran of Washington budget battles.Mr. Lew knows the...
View Article'U.S. health disadvantage' strikes all Americans, major study finds
Americans — including those who are “highly advantaged” — die at earlier ages and have more illnesses than their counterparts in other developed countries, according to a report published earlier this...
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