Thursday, January 3, 2013
The biggest stories of the past year.
With 2012 being a presidential election year, it’s no surprise there was no shortage of political news over the past 12 months. What was more unexpected was just how much conflict there was in some races that turned out to be routs. Add in the twists and turns of a long-awaited project, and you have an eventful year. 5th District Race Gets Ugly Incumbent Rep. Keith Ellison and Republican Chris Fields traded barbs throughout the race for the 5th District seat. But the nastiness hit a new low less than three weeks before Election Day, when the opponents launched personal attacks during a debate on KFAI Radio. The two called each other liars, and Ellison twice called his Fields a "lowlife scumbag." Southwest Light Rail Sees Ups and Downs …
Monday, November 12, 2012
The community had the sixth most-even rates of the 38 communities that Patch covers.
Hopkins voters marked yes on the voter ID and marriage amendments at one of the most even rates in the communities Patch covers. The voter ID amendment saw 37.62 percent of votes marked yes—just 2.33 percent more than the 35.29 percent yes votes that the marriage amendment received. While most cities tended to vote similarly on both amendments, Hopkins had the sixth closest rates of the 38 cities that Patch covers. Most cities that Patch serves had more support for the voter ID than the marriage amendment. And some, including seven around Lake Minnetonka, registered greater support for voter ID by between 11 and 16 percentage points. Just two Patch cities—Roseville and Fridley—had greater support for the marriage amendment than voter ID…
The chambers promised to work with new and returning legislators to see the Southwest LRT project through.
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Monday, November 12, 2012
Editor’s Note: In the lead-up to the 2012 election, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce, Edina Chamber of Commerce, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and TwinWest Chamber of Commerce talked with candidates and voters about the need for the Southwest Light Rail Transit project. The election brought in numerous legislators who support the project and transferred control to the DFL, which has historically been more supporting of light rail than their Republican opponents. TwinWest Chamber Director of Government Affairs Judy Johnson issued the following statement on behalf of the five chambers. “Discussions before the election were a great opportunity for us to educate voters and policymakers …
Sunday, November 11, 2012
This week's selection includes a new gallery/gift shop, a levy rejected, school boundaries issue, DFL wins and good news for Southwest Light Rail Transit.
Editor’s Note: Every week we will bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Plymouth, Richfield, Southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, and St. Michael. District 281 Bus Driver Asks Student to Pick Up Gun A Robbinsdale Area Schools spokesperson said a bus driver asked a seventh-grade boy to pick up a gun he spotted along the road. The district is shocked by the incident and has communicated with parents and students. Bus Driver Fired After Asking ISD 281 Student to Pick Up Gun The incident occurred on Nov. 8 around 8 a.m. The district immediately took action after the driver notified school employees about the weapon. A Hillary-…
Friday, November 9, 2012
Voters in the mostly suburban cities Patch covers were more opposed to the proposed gay-marriage ban than Minnesota voters generally.
Here's how residents in a selection of Minnesota cities voted on the ballot measure that would have added a definition of marriage as only between one man and one woman to the state Constitution. Statewide, the ballot measure failed to exceed the 50 percent level of support it needed in the Nov. 6, 2012 general election. It got 47.53 percent, according to unofficial results from all but two of Minnesota's 4,102 precincts' results. Taken together, people in cities served by Patch—mostly in the Twin Cities suburbs—rejected the marriage amendment in greater proportion (61.21 percent) than Minnesotans taken as a whole (52.47 percent). Support for the amendment in places covered by Patch ranged from 14.51 percent in Southwest Minneapolis to 54.…
Ninth grader Dmytro Deyneko, who’s from Hopkins’ sister city of Boryspil, praised a process so many American take for granted.
Americans have no shortage of complaints about their electoral system: There are too many negative ads. There’s too much money. The campaigns are too contentious. But that’s not the way a visiting Ukrainian student from Hopkins’ sister city of Boryspil sees it. Ninth grader Dmytro Deyneko is one of several Ukrainian students in the community as part of The Ukraine/Minnesota Civic Leadership Engagement Program for Youth. The students are attending local schools, participating in civic leadership development activities and sharing their thoughts with the Minnesota youth. As part of the program, Deyneko got to observe this year’s election process. When the City Council officially welcomed the students Wednesday, Deyneko took that as an …
‘Major opponents of transit lost their 2012 re-election bids, particularly in the areas representing the Southwest Light Rail Transit Corridor.’
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Friday, November 9, 2012
Editor’s Note: The Counties Transit Improvement Board, a five-county agency that invests in transit using a quarter-cent sales tax and $20 a motor vehicle sales tax, published this article Thursday. The election results make it clear the dialogue about transit in the State of Minnesota has changed. “Voters throughout the State of Minnesota expressed the desire to shift the state’s focus to fundamental questions about how we can best invest in our communities to achieve a prosperous and thriving future,” said Counties Transit Improvement Board Chair Peter McLaughlin. “Transit is part of the solution that will make our region competitive.” Major opponents of transit lost their 2012 re-election bids, particularly in the areas representing…
The most thoughtful, moving, controversial or just plain funny comments from around the west metro between Nov. 2 and Nov. 8.
Each week, Patch users contribute numerous insights, opinions and observations. The following is a collection of the most thoughtful, moving, controversial or just plain funny comments that appeared on Patch sites in Eden Prairie, Edina, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Richfield, Shakopee, Plymouth, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. Click on the headline to read the full story and join in the conversation. (The comments below are not meant to reflect the opinions of Patch or its staff.) *** Minnesota Voter ID Amendment: This Is Why I'm Voting 'No' Readers weighed in on the issue before they voted on Nov. 6. Doug Lind planned to vote "no" for several reasons: The GOP attorney representing Mr Emmer in the voter recount said, "No fraud." …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Election Day is bringing in a Legislature that should be more supportive of LRT.
For the past couple years, the road ahead for the Southwest Light Rail Transit was uncertain. It faced steeped opposition from leaders in the Republican-controlled Legislature who oversaw key transportation committees. Shakopee Rep. Michael Beard, the former Transportation Policy and Finance Committee chairman, once even said he wanted to stop the project "in its tracks." But all that changed Tuesday night when the DFL took control of both the House and Senate—sweeping in more light rail supporters and handing the reins to a party that’s historically been a bigger backer of public transit. “The bottom line is we didn’t get anywhere (before), so it’s pretty significant to us,” said Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman, chairwoman of …
After being defeated by incumbent Congressman Keith Ellison, Fields reflects on the outcome of Election Day and encourages people to keep up their fight for a better America.
Editor's note: The following is a release from Chris Fields for Congress. Dear Friends, Last night was a very tough night for Republican candidates across the great state of Minnesota. In one night the State House and Senate went from red to blue. Seats that were traditionally “safe” lost in a landslide. This loss is tough for all of us. I came up woefully short in my campaign to unseat Keith Ellison. However, the campaign for freedom never dies. It is because of the tremendous support, and generosity that each of you has given me we will live to fight another day. Our fight is not against Keith Ellison or the Democratic Party, it is a fight for America's future. This is a time to reflect but not retreat from our core values…
Bruce Rowan
3:49 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012
I think it's interesting that only a single one, just one, Patch community voted to pass the Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment. Remind me to stay out of St. Michael. more ›