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Minnesota lawmakers are on the verge of cracking down on public employees who abuse their access to citizen data. A measure being negotiated in a House-Senate conference committee would do more to expose and punish data snoopers who improperly use government databases.
In St. Paul Tuesday, Gov. Mark Dayton said he doesn't have the legal authority to declare a moratorium on frac sand mining in southeastern Minnesota. This announcement comes after dozens of residents delivered a petition to his office asking for one. Both sides of the Mississippi River bluffs are home to a special kind of sand that's used in frac mining for oil and gas.
Top Minnesota lawmakers are making a major push to expand high-speed internet to regions of the state that still don't have it. Minnesota House Democrats are proposing big internet upgrades they say will improve rural schools and businesses.
Minnesota lawmakers are being told they'll have to come up with millions of dollars if they want to shut down the sales of e-lottery tickets. The potential $8 million cost is attributable to lost sales and vendor contracts that would be breached if the Legislature prohibits the lottery from continuing with online games.
Anoka Republican Jim Abeler says he won't seek re-election to his House seat as he focuses on running for U.S. Senate. Abeler, 59, a chiropractor by trade, is among several Republicans seeking to unseat Democratic Sen. Al Franken.
Supporters of medical marijuana plan to continue their push for its legalization at the State Capitol on Tuesday. The group, Minnesotans for Compassionate Care, says they now have 100 Minnesota doctors, pastors and clergy members who support legal access to medical marijuana.
Minnesota lawmakers are back in action after a week away from the Capitol, but their annual session is rapidly winding down. Fewer than four weeks remain before lawmakers must conclude their work. Democratic majorities are hoping to finalize plans for the remaining budget surplus with a mixture of new spending and additional tax relief.
Activists plan to mark Earth Day by delivering over 6,000 petition signatures to Gov. Mark Dayton calling for a two-year moratorium on silica sand mining in southeastern Minnesota.
It is rare that big business news breaks on a Saturday night before a holiday. But that is what happened at 10 p.m. last night when General Mills chose to announce it was reversing a days-old policy, in which the company tried to get consumers to give up their right to sue.
The Minnesota Vikings are contributing another $1.2 million to the new stadium to put in a bigger video board on the facility's west end and for other video-related upgrades. The funding was approved Friday by the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority. It brings the total cost of the project from $975 million to $976.2 million.
As a medical marijuana bill remains a controversial issue in Minnesota, Wisconsin has approved a bill for a marijuana component.
A federal judge has found that a Minnesota law designed to promote the use of renewable energy is unconstitutional and she barred state officials from enforcing it. In a 48-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson said Friday that the Next Generation Energy Act passed in 2007 effectively blocks North Dakota utilities from exporting electricity into the state.
A teacher who spoke out for gay students during a bullying debate in the state's largest school district says he's running for a state House seat. Jefferson Fietek will challenge Rep. Mark Uglem, a Champlin Republican, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.
Minnesota lawmakers haven't had a pay hike since 1999. But they can boost their take-home pay with per diem -- up to $76 per day in the Minnesota House, and up to $86 a day in the Minnesota Senate.
Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Mike McFadden is taking aim at Democratic incumbent Al Franken in a hockey-themed cable television ad. Instead of opening with a soft biography, McFadden's first campaign ad shows a hockey player shooting pucks at a net — and missing — while an announcer faults Franken for his votes on spending, taxes and "Obamacare."
