Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Watch live video at 10 a.m. Wednesday as he introduces the legislation at a press conference.
Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 46B), whose district includes Hopkins and St. Louis Park, is among the authors of a bill that will allow same-sex marriage in Minnesota, according to a Minnesotans United news release. On Wednesday morning, Simon, Minneapolis Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-District 61) and Minneapolis Rep. Karen Clark (DFL-District 62A) will discuss the bill they authored and why they think it’s important to pass the legislation in 2013. United Church of Christ Minnesota Conference Minister Karen Smith Sellers, Rabbi Michael Latz of Shir Tikvah Congregation and others will join the legislators at tomorrow’s event. The legislation is not yet posted on the Minnesota Legislature’s website. Watch the press conference live at 10 a.m. in …
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 …
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
What stories attracted the most readers in 2012?
Readers have an eclectic taste when it comes to what they like to read on Patch. The most-read stories of 2012 ranged from politics to astronomy to crime and public safety. Here’s a look at the stories that garnered the most attention this year. Minnesota Companies that Support the Marriage Amendment/Minnesota Companies that Oppose the Marriage Amendment On Nov. 6, Minnesotans voted on a proposed constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as between one man and one woman in the state constitution, reflecting existing state statute. In the lead-up to that vote, several companies staked out a position on one side or the other. The list that Patch compiled drew thousands of readers. Geminid Meteor Shower 2012: When and …
Friday, November 16, 2012
The most thoughtful, moving, controversial or just plain funny comments from around the west metro between Nov. 9 and Nov. 15.
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.) *** Cover Your Butts? Leggings and Yoga Pants Debate in Minnetonka Continues Online It's become a nationwide topic: What are people saying about the Minnetonka High School principal asking for modesty? Melanie Lundheim explained the situation in simple …
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…
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.…
DFL leader are coy on the prospects.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
‘Hopkins Votes’ is a mock election that teaches students about the democratic process.
Hopkins students may have come to the same conclusions as Minnesotans who can actually vote, but the races in their districtwide mock election were decided in a much more one-sided fashion than the real races that had voters staying awake late into the night. Hopkins students picked President Barack Obama by more than a three-to-one margin and favored Sen. Amy Klobuchar nearly five to one. The amendment questions that were up in the air for so long in the actual election lost in a landslide. “Hopkins Votes” is a mock election organized by the Hopkins school district. Students learn about how voting works, voting etiquette and what it means to be a good citizen. Fourth through sixth graders vote for both president and senator, using only …
While proponents were saying the race was still too early to call, the Associated Press called the race shortly before 2 a.m. The vote means the state constitution will not define marriage as only between a man and a woman.
The Minnesota Marriage Amendment has been rejected. The campaign to amend the Minnesota state constitution to limit the definition of marriage to strictly between heterosexual couples was defeated Tuesday by more than 51 percent of a statewide vote. With 92 percent of state precincts reporting, the Associated Press reported shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday that Amendment 1—informally known as the Minnesota Marriage Amendment—had failed: "Vote No" won. Speaking to a cheering crowd of hundreds at St Paul's River Centre, Richard Carlbom, the campaign manager for Minnesotans United for All Families, told audiences that Minnesota was the first state in the nation to reject a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage at the ballot …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Video from various spots around the metro, including Republican Party headquarters in Bloomington and the DFL Party's gathering in Minneapolis.
Red. Blue. Downtown or Southtown, we will have it covered tonight as election results come in around the Twin Cities. Twin Cities Patch sites are teaming up with our friends at TheUptake to bring video coverage from various sites tonight as we wrap up this historic election. The embedded player allows you to change feeds, or "channels," to check out the coverage and interviews you want to see. Thanks for "tuning in," and enjoy a whole new way to take in the Election Night.
Dan Johnson
11:46 am on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Marriage it is a fundamental right of the individual. The only eligibility requirement for fundamental rights is being human. Reasonable restrictions may be made only when a compelling and legitimate governmental interest can withstand judicial scrutiny. Most can agree with the courts that reasonable restrictions include age, ability to demonstrate informed consent, and not being closely related … more ›