Minn. Lawmakers Call For Washington To Accept More Syrian Refugees
Terrible images from the civil war in Syria are prompting United States lawmakers to discuss allowing more refugees to enter the country.
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Terrible images from the civil war in Syria are prompting United States lawmakers to discuss allowing more refugees to enter the country.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community now has its first mosque in Minnesota. Community members gathered to inaugurate the Mosque Saturday in Coon Rapids.
Late Friday night, Congress avoided a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security by approving a week extension of agency funding.
A number of community leaders came together Tuesday to speak out against what they call predatory loans that target the poor. The group held a protest outside a Payday America in Minneapolis, where they accused payday lenders of charging unreasonably-high interest rates and fees for emergency loans.
Voters are sending Democrat Keith Ellison back to Congress for a fifth term representing Minnesota's urban 5th District.
A specific group of Minnesotans is being asked to consider traveling to the area where Ebola is at its worst--West Africa. The people being urged are native Liberian health care workers.
An estimated 20,000 Liberians live in the Twin Cities, one of the largest Liberian communities in the United States. Liberian residents in the Twin Cities say misinformation about Ebola has left them and their families at times feeling like outcasts.
The non-profit Minneapolis Community Action has shut its doors after a state audit found leaders of the organization used more than $800,000 in taxpayer money for luxury trips, spa visits and even a car loan.
The federal government says 173 unaccompanied immigrant children have been placed in Minnesota since the start of the year. The Office of Refugee Resettlement on Thursday issued a state-by-state breakdown of unaccompanied child placement. The figures show more than 30,000 children have been released to sponsors this year through July 7.
Over two days, President Barack Obama took in two of Minnesota's most scenic parks all while he talked about how ugly Washington had become. Obama headed back to Washington on Friday after his stay in Minneapolis, where he spoke extensively about how gridlock has stymied economic progress.
The Department of Natural Resources says a huge step forward was taken recently in the fight against Asian carp after President Barack Obama signed legislation to close the Upper St. Anthony Falls lock to boat traffic.
Tuesday marked an important milestone for hundreds of proud Minnesotans. It's the day they became U.S. citizens.
Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and tributes for the late civil rights leader were held across the country.
Earlier this month, unemployment benefits for more than one million Americans expired. It's something that didn't sit well with some lawmakers. Democratic Representative Keith Ellison spoke about the issue at the Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis Saturday morning.
A public memorial service for Nelson Mandela will be held Saturday in St. Paul. The memorial for the late South African leader and anti-apartheid fighter will begin at 1 p.m. in the Cathedral of St. Paul.
Holiday travelers crowded the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Wednesday, barely noticing the silent parade of airport workers protesting for higher wages. Abenezer Madde was one such worker, whose hourly earnings are just above the minimum wage.
Six of Minnesota's eight members of Congress Friday voted for a bill to allow insurance companies to sell policies to anyone who wants them, even if it violates the new Obamacare rules.
A Minnesota senator is one of the key players hammering out a deal that could end the federal government shutdown. Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar is helping write a compromised version of a plan drafted by Republican Senator Susan Collins and credited GOP moderates. "We are friends," Klobuchar said. "Senate Republicans really came to the fore, more moderates, saying 'We want to work on a compromise,' and that's exactly what's happening today in the Senate."
In Minnesota, veterans rallied at the Vietnam Memorial in St. Paul to show their support of the national movement. They talked about the closing of the national war memorials and the suspension of death benefits to military families.
Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison joined six other members of Congress on Tuesday amidst a massive rally for immigration reform, and ended up getting arrested over the act of civil disobedience.
The federal government shutdown is now affecting Minnesota jobs. The state will lay off 105 health department workers immediately, and thousands of other federal workers in the state will face the same fate. And Congress appears to be standing still. According to Congressman Erik Paulsen's office, he skipped out on his own event Monday to head back to Washington to work on ending the shutdown. Some disappointed constituents, like Michael Waring of Edina, said they wanted to talk with him about ending the shutdown - even if it means joining with Democrats to do it.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers won't be getting paid for the foreseeable future. That had many of you emailing, wanting to know: Do members of Congress get paid during a government shutdown?
Here's a look at where Minnesota politicians stand in regards to President Obama's plan to strike the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
There appears to be little disagreement about the evidence of Syria's use of chemical weapons, but amongst Minnesota's Congressional delegation - there are major differences over what to do about it. At the Minnesota State Fair, members of Congress were giving all sorts of advice. Democrat Keith Ellison says he supports a limited, tactical military response to chemical warfare.
Sean Hannity's cable television showdown this week with a Democratic congressman has become more than a verbal schoolyard brawl. It's a fundraising opportunity.
