Thursday, May 17, 2012
County Board Chair Mike Opat delivered the 2012 address today in Plymouth.
Hennepin County Board Chair Mike Opat gave the State of the County address today at the Plymouth Creek Center in Plymouth. The TwinWest Chamber of Commerce hosted the event. A State of the County address hasn't been given since 2009. The reason? "There have been no speeches because given the state of the economy and federal and state budgets there wasn’t much I could say that was interesting enough to warrant an event like this," Opat said. "Like the rest of public-sector America…we have been hunkered down and focused on the basics." During his speech, Opat touched on changes to several areas of the County, that were also highlighted in a county press release: Budget/Finances "The State of Hennepin County is one of flat budgets and …
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Patch asked the District 44 legislator to review how he did working toward the goals he set before the start of the session.
At the start of this year’s session, Patch asked local legislators what they wanted to accomplish. After the session ended, we returned to the legislators to see how they thought they did working toward those goals. Below are the thoughts Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) shared with Patch. The conversation doesn’t end here, though. We want to know what you think about the performance of your state senator and representatives. Did they make progress toward their stated goals? Were they stymied by the opposition? Were they working toward the right goals? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Here’s what Latz had to say. Goal: “Continue to focus on policies to bolster Minnesota’s economy and create jobs, which includes passage of a …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Sheriff Rich Stanek is learning about homeland security and countering violent extremism that impacts both the U.S. and Israel.
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek is currently overseas in Israel, attending an international counterterrorism program. Dubbed "2012 Law Enforcement Mission to Israel," the program is intended to provide attendees with a better understanding of homeland security and countering violent extremism that impacts both Israel and the U.S. The program includes discussions with Israeli government officials, military officers and leading academics, in addition to discussions regarding emergency preparedness from Israeli first responders including police, rescue and bomb disposal. "I appreciate the opportunity to build partnerships and learn best practices from first responders who are experienced in national security challenges,” Stanek said, in a…
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Members voted to end its 46-year-old Human Rights Commission last year, now they're revisiting the need for the commission.
The Golden Valley City Council announced it will put together a task force to look into the need for a Human Rights Commission. The City Council dismissed all members of the Human Rights Commission at the end of last year after a proposed resolution created a rift between the council and the commission. The proposed resolution from the Human Rights Commission read: “To Form a Task Force that will Identify and Adopt Best Practices that Prevent the Use of Unnecessary Force by Golden Valley Police Officers." The resolution was pitched after a fatal shooting on Interstate 394 in September that involved a Golden Valley police officer. A grand jury recently cleared the officer of any wrongdoing. In December, City Manager Tom Burt released a …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Local Republicans readying for Paul's appearance Friday.
See updates below. Ron Paul is set to speak at the Minnesota Republican convention Friday, and party activists in the Fifth District are preparing for a possible Paul win—with one local activist saying "I get the feeling I'm witnessing history." Paul is poised to make a strong showing in Minnesota after congressional-district conventions gave him 20 of 24 available national delegates. The Texas congressman was denied a speaking slot at the 2008 state convention, but has proven a popular candidate and speaker here since—turning fans away, for example, from an over-capacity speech in Arden Hills shortly before Minnesota's 2012 caucus night. On Monday, Paul announced his campaign would stop spending money in states that haven't yet held …
Challenger Chris Fields talks to area nonprofits and says Ellison 'isn't as well liked as people may think.'
Rep. Keith Ellison and a U.S. senator last week introduced a bill to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. On Thursday, he and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) said the legislation would "do away with tax breaks, financial assistance, royalty relief, direct federal research and development and many loopholes that benefit the fossil fuel industry," according to Ellison's U.S. House website. “Big oil companies alone make more than $300 million every day but the oil, gas, and coal industries still have their hands in the taxpayer’s pocket,” Ellison said. “We need to get off the fossil fuel bandwagon that keeps us dependent on oil and contributes to climate change. The $113 billion in taxpayer handouts that oil, gas, and coal companies receive …
Sunday, May 13, 2012
This week's selection includes lots of school news, including state Teacher of the Year and Robbinsdale's top educator for 2013.
City Council Lifts Edina's Happy Hour Ban The amendment removes part of the city ordinance governing prices of alcoholic beverages at Edina's restaurants. Pink Water Draws Concerns in St. Michael, Albertville The Joint Powers Water officials that oversee the area's tap water supply are aware of the situation. The colored water is harmless in normal doses. On Gay Marriage, Richfield Catholic Parishes of One Mind Three Catholic churches in Richfield recently affirmed they will be following the lead of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul, urging members and others to vote yes on the anti-gay marriage amendment. Edina's Jackie Roehl Named Minnesota Teacher of the Year The 10th-grade English teacher at Edina High School is first-…
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The plan was approved by the Senate on Thursday.
With Senate approval coming on Thursday by a 36-30 vote, a new Minnesota Vikings stadium is on its way. After plenty of twists and turns throughout the legislative session, debate intensified this week, as the House and Senate both held several late-night sessions to discuss the bill. All that remains now is a signature from Gov. Mark Dayton, who has been an ardent stadium supporter. Dayton is holding a press conference at 5:45 p.m. today with stadium bill authors, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and team owner Zygi Wilf, and Dayton could sign the bill then. The new stadium will cost roughly $975 million, with the team slated to pay a little less than half. The state will pay about $348 million by expanding gambling. The city of Minneapolis …
The Senate is voting on the conference committee bill today—with the governor's pen next.
The Vikings stadium bill is almost at the finish line at the state Capitol. After the House gave final approval at around 3:30 a.m. today, the Senate now gets its say. You can watch live video of the proceedings above, courtesy of The UpTake. Make sure to click on the "Senate" feed. If the bill passes the Senate, it would go on to Gov. Mark Dayton, who has been an ardent stadium supporter. The plan calls for a $975 million stadium to be built downtown Minneapolis, on the current Metrodome site, with the state share of funding coming via a gambling expansion.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
The plan passed by a 38-28 margin late Tuesday.
Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) joined 37 other senators in passing a Vikings stadium bill late Tuesday. With the 38-28 vote, the plan will now head to a House-Senate conference committee so differences can be ironed out. The Star Tribune reports that both the House and Senate bumped up the amount the Vikings would pay—the House to $532 million, the Senate to $452. The team has proposed $427 million. In addition to changing the state's overall contribution, the Senate also tweaked how that money would be raised, adding a series of user fees on things like tickets and parking that would supplement money raised from expanded gambling, the Star Tribune notes. The conference committee will be responsible for reconciling the two bills and …
Ryan Gauthier
12:55 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
As the article mentions, the trip is completely funded by the American Israel Education Foundation. more ›