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The budget-setting preseason at Minnesota's Capitol is about to give way to the session's full-blown debate, helped along by an economic forecast that guides tax-and-spending parameters. Friday's release of the comprehensive report will determine whether Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature still have a projected $1 billion surplus at their disposal — or if it's gone up or down since the last look in December.
Behind a bill to add a scant three lines to Minnesota's hunting laws is a story of an aging man. George Krog served in the military, first in Cuba and then in the Philippines. He made a career out of working with steel, retired, paid his taxes and bought a deer hunting license every year. Now 84, Krog is afraid he won't get a shot at a buck again.
As lawmakers are trying to make changes to the state's lottery, Gov. Mark Dayton is celebrating it. At a news conference Friday morning, the Governor said the lottery has generated $2.4 billion for public projects since its inception 25 years ago.
A Minnesota state senator resigned Friday from an outside job leading a municipal association that lobbies at the Capitol, despite a ruling from ethics regulators that it wouldn't constitute a conflict of interest.
New campaign reports are about to shed more light on the price of political power. Reports being made public Tuesday contain details on financial activity for candidates, parties and political groups involved in last year's campaigns for Minnesota offices.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk is cranking up the pressure to pass a major transportation package this year. The Cook Democrat said Thursday he thinks the Legislature will punt until at least 2017 if lawmakers fail this session to pass new funding for roads and bridges.
Gov. Mark Dayton is holding up his focus on education in his new budget as an investment in Minnesota's future. Schools and early learning programs make out well in the Dayton plan announced Tuesday.
The short week at the Minnesota Legislature means less time to complete work on some time-sensitive matters. Legislators were returning to St. Paul on Tuesday. By week's end, they hope to send Gov. Mark Dayton a bill containing about $20 million in tax deductions and credits.
Minnesota lawmakers moved Tuesday to set up swift approval of tax deductions and credits affecting thousands of people and business owners getting ready to file 2014 forms. Tax committees in the House and Senate advanced legislation that lines Minnesota's code up with some recent federal changes. Final votes in each chamber could come later this week, sending the bill to a supportive Gov. Mark Dayton before personal income tax filing season begins next week.
Minnesota's state band rehearses in a basement cafeteria, stores its music in a hard-to-reach closet and can't afford a marimba. But it could get some official appreciation if a pair of state House bills quietly introduced Thursday become law. A group of DFL lawmakers wants to throw the band $50,000 over the next two years and guarantee free rehearsal space.
Minnesota lawmakers dangled the possibility of free vocational college tuition, student-loan forgiveness in certain career fields and tax breaks for the agriculture, mining and timber industries as potential uses for a $1 billion projected surplus.
Free vocational college tuition for Minnesota high school graduates? Student-loan forgiveness for working in specialized fields or rural communities? Tax breaks for the mining and timber industries? A prohibition on performance bonuses for Minnesota health exchange executives?
Top Minnesota lawmakers have had early discussions about cramming more work into the next five months so they could skip a 2016 session amid a construction-ravaged Capitol. Senate Minority Leader David Hann raised the prospect Tuesday, and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk hasn't ruled it out. Bakk acknowledged having preliminary talks with House Speaker Kurt Daudt about that option.
The strike of a gavel Tuesday will start Minnesota's Legislative session, a marathon of bills, amendments, debate and disagreements that will run into the spring. Here's a taste of what may be brewing at the Capitol this year.
Existing emergency accounts are probably sufficient to cover state costs related to severe June flooding and avoid the need for a special session of the Minnesota Legislature. That message was delivered Tuesday by Gov. Mark Dayton's administration.
Minnesota's defense against future budget shortfalls is a bit sturdier. State finance officials said Tuesday they deposited $150 million more into Minnesota government's main rainy-day account.
Gov. Mark Dayton has signed a trio of major bills that he says will help Minnesota's economic growth. The governor was surrounded by legislative Democrats on Tuesday as he signed the tax, budget and construction project bills without a single line-item veto.
Minnesota lawmakers are gone from the Capitol after ending the 2014 session on Friday night. It was an unusually short and productive session. Included on the completed list is the bill to legalize medical marijuana, which became among the most publicly visible -- and contentious -- issues of the year.
Sensing an imminent finish to their legislative session, Minnesota lawmakers took stock Friday of accomplishments and potential campaign liabilities in a year marked by Democratic drives to boost the minimum wage and target school bullying as well as bipartisan efforts to legalize medical marijuana, fix public infrastructure and deliver tax cuts using surplus money.
Last-minute deals are coming together at Minnesota's Capitol, which means final votes are closing in on $1 billion in construction authorization, a budget bill and tax cuts. The pace quickened Thursday as lawmakers faced a weekend deadline to complete their session.
Minnesota lawmakers have a deal on a medical marijuana bill that would set up eight distribution sites and allow qualified patients to access the drug in oil, pill and vapor form. The agreement announced Thursday was crafted to suit concerns of Gov. Mark Dayton, who backs it.
Dozens of firefighters from across Minnesota arrived at the State Capitol on Wednesday to talk about the importance of fire sprinklers. According to fire crews, a deadly fire last weekend could have been prevented if the home had fire sprinklers.
In a preview of the floor debate ahead, a Minnesota House committee has advanced a plan to have the state finance $1.1 billion in construction projects amid misgivings over priorities. The plan combines cash financing and borrowing.
Leading lawmakers have announced how they will dispense with what remains of Minnesota's $1.2 billion budget surplus, a framework that suggests the election-year legislative session is moving toward conclusion. The agreement released Friday by Democratic leaders would allow for $103 million more in tax breaks on top of the $447 million already enacted this year.
With just three weeks left in this year's session, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed a new version of the bill that includes a state study on how medical marijuana availability would impact Minnesota.
The Anoka-Hennepin is facing a $21 million budget deficit, which the administration blame on many factors.
Flavor World is a Twin Cities-based creative hub that makes clothing, hosts events and provides services for the local art scene. It is one of five local arts organizations selected to be a part of Vibrant Storefronts.
The Winnipeg Jets face the Minnesota Wild for a matchup within the Central Division Monday night.
A legal fight could stunt the growth of Minnesota's blooming marijuana market.
The cost of Thanksgiving dinner is still nearly 20% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Union Gospel Mission is lightening the load by welcoming 10,000 families through their meal kit pick-up.
The Anoka-Hennepin is facing a $21 million budget deficit, which the administration blame on many factors.
Flavor World is a Twin Cities-based creative hub that makes clothing, hosts events and provides services for the local art scene. It is one of five local arts organizations selected to be a part of Vibrant Storefronts.
The cost of Thanksgiving dinner is still nearly 20% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Union Gospel Mission is lightening the load by welcoming 10,000 families through their meal kit pick-up.
A recent Bethel University graduate made her mark as an athlete and in her community.
The plan is a 10-year vision for downtown Minneapolis that has several recommendations, including improvements to the skyway system, widening access to public restrooms, creating an outdoor skating rink and more.
A woman shot in Rochester early Sunday was likely targeted, police said.
A central Minnesota deputy assisting at the scene of a crash suffered serious injuries when another driver hit his parked squad car while he sat inside it, authorities said.
The shooting happened just before 7 p.m. Thursday near 10th Street Southeast and First Avenue Southeast.
Authorities recovered multiple guns and a "significant amount of ammunition" from the home of a man accused of threatening his neighbor over her sexual orientation, charges say.
Minnesota will once again be one of the top states in the country for voter turnout.
Authorities are urging a Wisconsin man accused of faking his death and fleeing to Europe to come home and spend the holidays with his wife and three children.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is grappling with a case affecting whether the swing state's nonpartisan top elections official can remain in her post despite not being reappointed and confirmed by the state Senate.
Documents say Steven Williams resigned from the Prescott, Wisconsin police force "in lieu of termination."
An attorney representing a conservative prosecutor struggled Monday to convince Wisconsin's liberal-leaning Supreme Court to reactivate the state's 175-year-old abortion ban.
Jennie-O turkey brand will display its float at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the fifth consecutive year.
The cost of Thanksgiving dinner is still nearly 20% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Union Gospel Mission is lightening the load by welcoming 10,000 families through their meal kit pick-up.
From the Twin Cities to the North Shore, here are the holiday tree lightings and parades in 2024 in the Twin Cities and in Greater Minnesota.
A group of young adults wants everyone, regardless of what suburb or rural area they live in, to know what it's really like to live in the heart of the city and to sometimes not have a place to live at all.
Inside Catholic Charities St Paul Opportunity Center, local physicians, surgeons, and lawyers gathered on Sunday to support people experiencing homelessness.
A man is expected to survive after being shot during a possible drug deal in Minneapolis' Dinkytown neighborhood Thursday morning, police said.
A legal fight could stunt the growth of Minnesota's blooming marijuana market.
Anoka-Hennepin School District administrators blame many factors for the huge deficit. Jonah Kaplan breaks down what's at stake and the potential impact on the classroom.
Special counsel Jack Smith asked a federal judge to toss out the charges against President-elect Donald Trump in the case stemming from the 2020 election.
President Biden pardoned two turkeys, Peach and Blossom that hail from Minnesota, where they will return.
President-elect Donald Trump is making his final selections for who might join him in the White House as part of his cabinet in January.
The average price for a typical turkey is about $25 this year. That's 6% cheaper than last November.
"We literally walk in and dust off the jackets because they have been sitting for a while," she said.
Thieves capture radio signals from your key fob by using a device that grabs that fob's signal, even from long distances. That signal can be stored and re-used.
The price of housing in Minneapolis rose less over the last five years compared to other metro areas around the U.S.
The Wild also partnered with community food shelves to give out Turkeys this holiday season.
Authorities southwest of the Twin Cities say a teen Fleet Farm worker is in the hospital and a man is in custody following a stabbing Sunday.
A woman shot in Rochester early Sunday was likely targeted, police said.
A couple from Connecticut is charged with allegedly orchestrating a retail theft operation that may have cost Lululemon as much as $1 million.
The shooting happened on the 1500 block of Lake Street East just before 8:30 p.m.
When cyclist Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson was murdered in Texas, U.S. Marshals assigned to the case used a unique tactic to track down her suspected killer in Costa Rica and bring the fugitive to justice.
Last year, Minnesota lawmakers passed new protections after a young woman testified about contamination in her community just before she died. Her sister is now carrying on the fight to protect other families.
The Minnesota Department of Health and the United States Department of Agriculture say they have confirmed a total of 15 cases of E. coli related illnesses in Minnesota.
PFAS are forever chemicals used in everyday items like nonstick pans, dental floss and food packaging that can build up in our bodies and harm our health.
A new Minnesota state law requires school districts or charter schools to adopt a policy on the use of cellphones in school by March of next year. But one nonprofit has gotten a jump start, working with students to help them find a balance between devices in and out of school.
The Mayo Clinic says surgeons there successfully performed a face transplant for a Michigan man who was severely injured from a self-inflicted gunshot wound 10 years ago.
One of the most successful computer games of all time is currently being developed by Apple as a forthcoming movie.
Chuck Woolery was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978.
English hyperpop artist Charli XCX will be coming to Minneapolis on April 26, 2025.
After almost a decade of "Disney on Ice" performances, a Minnesota native is eagerly anticipating his first show at the Xcel Energy Center.
Post Malone announced Tuesday that the "Big A** Stadium Tour" will come to U.S. Bank Stadium on May 20, 2025.
Meet a student athlete from Chisago Lakes with endless drive, despite a surprise diagnosis. Plus, Becker and Totino-Grace battled at U.S. Bank Stadium for the Class 4A championship.
The Winnipeg Jets face the Minnesota Wild for a matchup within the Central Division Monday night.
A recent Bethel University graduate made her mark as an athlete and in her community.
The NFL currently gives the Vikings a 98% probability of making the playoffs. So now the question becomes: is this team for real?
Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil and Dejan Joveljic each scored two goals to help the LA Galaxy beat Minnesota United 6-2 to advance to the Western Conference finals.
In this election, Klobuchar faired much better than all other Senate Democrats — she won by a significantly larger margin.
For Democrats the postmortem continues on why Vice President Kamala Harris and her Running mate Governor Tim Walz performed more poorly with almost every demographic than Joe Biden did in 2020. In Minnesota, Senator Amy Klobuchar did much better than Harris with some of those same groups.
As Election Day nears, experts say voters in Wisconsin and other battleground states will decide the 2024 presidential election winner.
As Election Day nears, experts say voters in Wisconsin and other battleground states will decide the 2024 presidential election winner.
As Election Day nears, experts say voters in Wisconsin and other battleground states will decide the 2024 presidential election winner.
There are a lot of quirky town names in Minnesota: Embarrass, Nowthen, Clontarff, Kiester. But the people of Nimrod believe their name stands out from the rest.
Did you know that donkeys are fast, smart and can build life-long bonds with other animals and people? It's believed that donkeys are smarter than most dogs.
The Fitzgerald Theater is the oldest active theater in St. Paul — but is it also haunted?
Wisconsin bars are known for their pints and their patrons. About the last thing you'd expect to discover in such a place would be 55 feet of historic American artwork.
Did you know Minnesota has a real castle? Miller Castle, near Nisswa.
This holiday season, you might pull out a Betty Crocker cookbook to find a tried and true recipe.
Krueger is the third-generation owner of Krueger's Christmas Tree Farm. While he finds joy in knowing the evergreens will make a family happy, they might not realize the effort it took to reach these towering heights.
As President-elect Donald Trump fills out his cabinet, there's one department for which he's yet to announce a leader. That could be because he promised it wouldn't exist after taking office.
The tiny sensory organs that cover our tongue allow us to detect five basic tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami — which is a savory, rich or meaty flavor.
Grabbing a TV for a steal-of-a-deal is a popular move during the holiday season. This year, industry experts are expecting shoppers to go big — like really big.
Regions Hospital and Children's Minnesota share photos of their tiniest patients dressed to the nines for Halloween.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Thursday night due to the arrival of a severe geomagnetic storm.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Monday night.
Storms ripped through parts of Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Thursday evening. There were several reports of tornadoes and trees were downed in the metro and beyond, including in Cottage Grove, Anoka, Champlin and Fridley.
A powerful thunderstorm tore through the grounds of the Minnesota State Fair on Monday night, delaying Tuesday's opening.
WCCO meteorologist Chris Shaffer says we will chill tonight falling back into the teens.
In Minnesota, weather can be all over the place. Here at WCCO, we want to give you what you need to prepare for what's happening next.
The WCCO Next Weather team says no big storms are expected in Minnesota for Thanksgiving week.
Meteorologist Chris Shaffer says temperatures will continue to fall as we approach Thanksgiving.
NEXT Weather Meteorologist Lisa Meadows says it doesn't look like Minnesota will be dealing with any big storms during Thanksgiving week.
WCCO meteorologist Chris Shaffer says we will chill tonight falling back into the teens.
As many families get ready to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner this week, more Minnesotans than ever are struggling to put food on their tables. The state is on pace to reach 9 million visits to food shelves this year. New funding should help, but as WCCO's Beret Leone explains, that one-time check won't solve the problem.
The city plans to spend nearly a quarter million dollars to breathe new life into empty storefronts. WCCO's Jason Rantala explains who's moving in and bringing their creative energy with them.
A legal fight could stunt the growth of Minnesota's blooming marijuana market. The state had hoped to start awarding the first licenses to cannabis companies tomorrow. But a judge Monday put that lottery on hold after several would-be business owners sued.
Meteorologist Chris Shaffer says temperatures will continue to fall as we approach Thanksgiving.