Monday, May 20, 2013
Early education was a huge focus in the $15.7 billion bill, which received slivers of support from Republicans in both chambers of the state capitol.
A $15.7 billion education package that will "make life easier" for working parents, according to the bill's supporters, now awaits Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton's signature as work begins to wrap up on the 2013 Legislative Session. The omnibus bill, which means one version of the bill was introduced in each chamber, was approved with small support from Republicans over the weekend, picking up five GOP votes in the state house and four more in the senate. Sen. Ann Rest of New Hope was the lone "no" vote from the DFL (Democrat) side of the aisle in the senate, creating the 41-26 margin. The bill raises the state's method of funding local schools by $156 per pupil for a total of nearly $235 million in new money over the next two years. The …
Sunday, April 28, 2013
This week's compilation includes a visit from the governor, a bill to slash the state contribution to the Vikings stadium, and a new wine bar and bistro.
Editor’s Note: Every week we bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, Southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. Two Escape from House Fire Caused By Tree Falling on Power Line One person had to be rescued from a back bedroom during the 4:30 a.m. incident while snow was falling. Fire Destroys Maple Grove Home Wednesday Evening No one was injured in the fire on the 7700 block of Chesshire Lane North Lake Minnetonka Woman Was Caught in 'Grey Area' Near Boston Marathon Finish Line Elaine DeVries: “People were saying there could be a terrorist there or more bombs. I did see people…
Sunday, April 14, 2013
This week's compilation includes the death of a grocery chain's namesake, Chelsea Clinton presents top prize to student and a manufactured home fire.
Editor’s Note: Every week we bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, Southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. (UPDATED) Washburn HS under Code Yellow as Students Protest AD Firing Students taking part will be suspended, school administration said. The Star Tribune reported that Athletic Director Dan Pratt was or will be fired in connection with the purchase of a new playing-field scoreboard. UPDATED: SW Journal Reports Principal Carol Markham-Cousins Out at Washburn HS Robert McCauley is now substitute principal at Washburn, a Minneapolis school district spokesman told the …
Monday, January 28, 2013
More than 100 reader comments have been made since governor's plan unveiled last week.
When Gov. Mark Dayton last week unveiled a proposed state budget and tax plan that would, among other things, lower Minnesota's sales tax from 6.875 percent to 5.5 percent, the plan sparked a vigorous debate among Patch readers. Patch has had more than 100 reader comments on our story that asked people to take our poll, then share their thoughts on Dayton's tax and budget plan. Here's a sampling of some of the comments: George P. Burdell: A simplistic response to this comment would then be; Democrats want to clean out our wallets and institute socialisim... which really worked well for the USSR...hmmm. Brad Koehn: I'll be curious to see if Minnesotans spend enough on clothing worth more than $100 to bring in $2B in revenue. I'm a bit …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Take our poll; then click on to our Patch stories below to see what legislators and others are saying.
Gov. Mark Dayton this week unveiled a proposed state budget and tax plan that would, among other things, lower Minnesota's sales tax from 6.875 percent to 5.5 percent but broaden it to cover more items such as higher-priced clothing, car repairs and other services. In his quest to avoid a projected $1.1 billion revenue shortfall, Dayton said his plan also includes raising the income on some groups of taxpayers (such as the state's 2 percent of highest-income earners). He is proposing to reduce property taxes and cut the corporate tax rate on businesses. (To see a Patch story and UpTake video of Dayton's speech, click on this link.) Bottom line: The governor said he wants to provide property tax relief, boost funding for K-12 education, …
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Real men not only wear pink, but have fought the fight against breast cancer. This weekend, men can join the popular women's cause against breast cancer at the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Conference in St. Paul.
Breast cancer isn’t just about pink ribbons anymore. Despite the common perception that women are only affected by breast cancer, thousands of men are also diagnosed with the disease each year. In fact, approximately 2,190 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among men in 2012, according to the American Cancer Society. In addition, approximately 410 men will die from breast cancer this year. A Pledge invites men in the community, corporate leaders, political figures and entrepreneurs to step up and pledge to raise awareness for breast cancer by supporting the 11th Annual Twin Cities Breast Cancer Awareness Conference alongside their spouse, sister, daughter or mother. The conference is set for Saturday, Oct. 6 in St. Paul…
Monday, October 1, 2012
The project is one of two being expedited with the "We Can't Wait" initiative.
President Barack Obama is apparently a supporter of expanded light rail in the Twin Cities area. The Obama Administration announced today that the Southwest Light Rail project is one of two projects in the country that will be expedited due to the "We Can't Wait" initiative. That initiative aims to speed up the various processes required to get a big project off the ground. In the case of Southwest LRT, the Federal Transit Administration is using an enhanced coordination process with other federal agencies as well as exploring using the NEPA/Clean Water Act merger process, which is estimated to save several months by aligning multiple permit and review processes to work concurrently instead of sequentially. The target date for completing …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The project was scored poorly by the Department of Employment and Economic Development but still received some funding Thursday.
Gov. Mark Dayton on Thursday approved $2 million in grant funding for Southwest Light Rail, just days after the project received a low score from the state's economic development department. Dayton approved a total of $47.5 million in grants, with the largest chunk—$25 million—going to a new St. Paul Saints ballpark, the Star Tribune reports. On Tuesday, local leaders criticized the state Department of Employment and Economic Development for giving SW LRT the lowest score among the 37 projects that applied for grant funding. "Someone at DEED should be fired if they think a Saints Ballpark creates more jobs or has a bigger regional impact than a new LRT line," Rep. Ryan Winkler wrote on Twitter. However, the governor had final say over the …
Friday, November 11, 2011
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton delivered the keynote address during the state's official Veterans Day ceremony in Inver Grove Heights on Friday morning.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton recalled his visits to Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan and the beaches of Normandy during his short Veterans Day speech, delivered in Inver Grove Heights on Friday morning. During his remarks, Dayton also emphasized the importance of finding jobs for veterans, and touted the proposed expansion of the state's GI Bill as a step toward securing employment for some of the roughly 400,000 veterans in Minnesota. The speech was part of the state's official Veterans Day ceremony, which included a community breakfast, and presentations from other local and state officials.
44.831961
-93.066768
Minnesota National Guard Armory
8076 Babcock Trl, Inver Grove Heights, MN
/articles/video-gov-mark-dayton-s-veterans-day-address
994455
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Veterans and community members gathered for a Veterans Day breakfast in Inver Grove Heights, which was followed by the state's official Veterans Day ceremony.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- David Henke
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Friday, November 11, 2011
A handful of local and state officials addressed a packed house at the Minnesota National Guard armory in Inver Grove Heights this morning as part of the state's official Veterans Day ceremony. The event was preceded by a free community breakfast.
44.831961
-93.066768
Minnesota National Guard Armory
8076 Babcock Trl, Inver Grove Heights, MN
/articles/photos-minnesota-recognizes-its-veterans-at-a-ceremony-in-inver-grove-heights
994455
/locations/5795244
Jimmy
9:42 pm on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The DFL just dug themselves a deep hole. The DFL like the GOP will find out how dividing the gay issue is. Throw in the broad reaching unionization of daycare effort. Add smoking taxes on the non-rich, wealthy don't smoke. Jacking up taxes $2,100,000,000, 2014 can't come to soon. more ›