ST. PAUL (AP) – Minnesota’s Senate has passed a bill providing relief for massive health insurance premium hikes. Thursday’s action on a major priority in the 2017 legislative session, doesn’t mean the work is over. The House is expected to pass similar legislation next week, but they’ll need to iron out major difference with Governor Mark Dayton before checks start…
Once again, the city of Duluth saw an increase in their tourism tax dollars. Receipts from the hotel/motel tax are up over 10% for January through November of 2016. The food and beverage tax is up over 4%. The city credits marquee events like Grandma’s marathon, the Tall Ships festival, and Hockey Day Minnesota for the big gains. They also…
ST. PAUL – Representative Rick Nolan’s spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday, that he is considering entering the race for Minnesota governor in 2018. Others who have entered the race include St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Representative Erin Murphy, and State Auditor Rebecca Otto, who just recently announced her candidacy on January 9. Nolan, 73, currently represents the 8th Congressional District in…
WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Donald Trump held his first full news conference on Wednesday, since winning the 2016 presidential election. The last time Trump held a news conference, he was plunging into a heated general election campaign with Hillary Clinton and suggested Russia could help dig up some of his rival’s emails. At the news conference, Trump beamed over plans by…
Obama’s Farewell Speech Preview
MADISON – Governor Scott Walker delivered his 2017 State of the State Address at the Wisconsin State Capital, today, January 10, 2017. One of his many topics included jobs creation and a drop in the unemployment rate. He noted “during the four years before we took office, Wisconsin had lost more than 133,000 jobs and the unemployment rate peaked at…
Duluth, Minn.-The Duluth city council voted Joel Sipress as their president for 2017. The selection usually comes without a lot of fanfare, but this year brought some added interest to the council chambers. Councilor Noah Hobbs is on his first term on the council and was also vying for the seat. The city council was clearly divided on the issue,…
As a tradition, the Duluth City council votes on a new president each year. Political expert Cindy Rugeley says in Duluth, the city council president is usually almost pre-determined, with the person with the most experience taking on the leadership role. “In this instance, a new council member is saying, I want to change this. Â I want to be the…
ST. PAUL (AP) – Officials at Minnesota’s state-run insurance exchange say more than 103,000 people signed up for health coverage in the latest enrollment period. MNsure officials say the 103,578 signups set a record by about 15,000, even as premiums have been rising as much as 67-percent. Exchange officials say tax credits are sparing many people the worst of the…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota state auditor Rebecca Otto announced Monday, she is planning to run for governor next year. Otto is the third Democrat to announce a campaign to replace Democratic Governor Mark Dayton who will leave office when his term expires. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said in December he will launch a campaign. State Representative Erin…
WASHINGTON (AP) – It’s official: Congress has tallied the Electoral College votes and Donald Trump has been elected president. Mike Pence was elected vice president. Democrats raised plenty of objections as the votes were counted Friday in a joint session of Congress, but they didn’t have the votes to sustain them. All 538 electors met in their respective state capitals…
Republican lawmakers in Minnesota announced their plan to bring relief to those who are paying rising health insurance premiums. Some of those currently insured face premium increases of up to sixty-seven percent. Healthcare facilities around the Northland say they’re keeping tabs on the legislative process. The GOP plan provides both some short and long term solutions to the problems MnSure…
FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Republicans who control the Minnesota Legislature have their own plans to address health insurance costs. GOP lawmakers vowed to quickly move a relief package for the residents paying premium increases of up to 67 percent this year on the individual market. But disagreements with Gov. Mark Dayton over how to shape…
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has proposed the largest bonding bill in the state’s history. The $1.5 billion bill would fund projects all over the state. Several projects around the Northland have made the governor’s list. Many of them were on last year’s bonding bill as well. Some are hoping that the 2017 version of the bill passes and that it…
ST. PAUL – Governor Mark Dayton and Lt. Governor Tina Smith, today, January 4, released their 2017 Jobs Bill, which would invest around $1.5 billion into community infrastructure projects and create 22,950 Minnesota jobs. What Minnesotans Need to Know: $3 Billion – Thanks to the Dayton-Smith Administration’s sound fiscal management over the last six years, the State of Minnesota has…
LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Governor Rick Snyder has signed legislation to further shield municipalities from lawsuits filed by people who trip and fall on sidewalks. The law enacted Wednesday lets cities defend themselves by saying sidewalk defects are “open and obvious.” Supporters say Detroit pays millions annually in sidewalk-injury settlements and should have a defense that is available to businesses….
ST. PAUL (AP) – Governor Mark Dayton is asking the Legislature to gear up for public construction projects. The Democratic governor unveiled his $1.5 billion wishlist, Wednesday of infrastructure upgrades, new buildings, and early learning centers. The major borrowing package comes just one day into the legislative session and after the Legislature failed to pass such a package last year….
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) -Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin has been re-elected to serve as the speaker of the House of Representatives. The 46-year-old Ryan will serve his first full term as speaker after succeeding John Boehner in October of 2015. Ryan will lead the GOP charge to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature health insurance law and cut taxes and regulation….
DULUTH, Minn. – The St. Louis County Board held its annual organizational meeting this morning in Duluth. Commissioner Frank Jewell was elected Board Chair for 2017 and commissioner Keith Nelson was elected Vice Chair. The board introduced newly–elected commissioners Beth Olson and Mike Jugovich. They also appointed committee members and approved their 2017 meeting schedule. Categories: Business, Community, News, News…
MADISON (AP) – Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein says she is launching an organization to ensure every vote is counted in Wisconsin. Stein, who led efforts to recount Wisconsin’s presidential election results, introduced the Count My Vote group at a news conference outside the state Capitol, Tuesday. Stein says her campaign asked for a statewide hand recount, but only…
NEW YORK (AP) – Megyn Kelly, the Fox News star whose 12-year stint has been marked by upheavals at her network and personal attacks on the campaign trail, is headed to NBC News. The move was confirmed by Kelly’s publicist, Leslee Dart. Kelly’s departure deprives Fox News of its second-most-watched host, behind only Bill O’Reilly. Her contract with the network…
MADISON (AP) – Fifteen newly elected members of the Wisconsin Legislature are to be sworn into office, joining incumbents in both the Senate and Assembly beginning their new terms. But not all of them are new to the Legislature. Two of the four new state senators being sworn in Tuesday previously served in the Assembly; Republican Dave Craig of Vernon,…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is proposing raising hunting and fishing fees or linking the fees to inflation as options for generating more revenue for wildlife management. The current state budget mandated the DNR report on dwindling revenue in the agency’s Fish and Wildlife Account. The account funds wildlife management efforts and DNR warden, and…
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Governor Mark Dayton released his first budget proposal, Tuesday, of the 2017 legislative session. He called for a 25-percent reduction in health insurance premiums for the more than 125,000 Minnesotans facing significant increases in the individual market. “For more than two months, I have proposed this relief, so that 125,000 Minnesotans can better afford the health…
MINNEAPOLIS – Today, a federal appeals court tossed out a ruling that the Minnesota sex offender program is unconstitutional. A Minnesota judge ruled the program unconstitutional in the summer of 2015. At that time, U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank cited how rarely anyone gets released from the program and ordered several changes. Those changes included included assessing the more than…
MADISON (AP) – A new state transportation study finds that installing tollways on Wisconsin interstates could raise billions of dollars, but that substantial upfront investments would be needed and federal approval is uncertain. The Wisconsin State Journal reports the Department of Transportation study also finds that Governor Scott Walker’s road-funding plan for the next two years, puts Wisconsin roads on…
ATLANTA (AP) – With Donald Trump’s election, Republicans in Congress will have the opportunity to overhaul Medicaid, something they’ve wanted to do for years. The program provides health care to millions of lower-income and disabled Americans. Currently, the federal government pays a certain percentage of each state’s Medicaid costs. Republicans say states have little incentive to keep expenses down because…
ST. PAUL, Minn.- Gov. Mark Dayton says the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine is “stymied” but he’s not ready to declare it dead yet despite moves by his administration and the Obama administration that dealt serious blows to the project. Dayton says he expects Twin Metals and supporters to try to persuade the Trump administration to reverse the Obama administration’s…
Jeff Monaghan is dropping out of the Superior mayoral race. “Due to personal reasons, I am discontinuing my campaign for Mayor of Superior,” he said in a prepared statement. “By next Tuesday, Jan. 3… I anticipate not having the 200 signatures required to be placed on the primary ballot. Still, I intend to participate in the election and vote for…
MADISON, Wis. – Governor Scott Walker, today, sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump, outlining actions he believes the incoming administration should take immediately upon entering office to restore state control over the governance of a number of programs and services. Walker’s letter also details his concerns over “incessant federal overreach.” “Too often, states have become mere administrative provinces of…
DULUTH, Minn. – Former Duluth Mayor Don Ness has been named the new executive director of the Ordean Foundation. Ness is taking over for retiring Executive Director Steve Mangan in late January. The Ordean Foundation focuses on poverty issues and has given about $68 million in grants to various Northland organizations since 1933. Ness had previously worked at Lake Superior…
ELY, Minn- Mixed feelings in Ely as the Federal government released its decision not to renew mineral leases for the Twin Metals mining project. Ely Mayor Chuck Novack says, “Totally contrary to what’s in law right now. There’s a zone around the boundary waters to protect it.” The decision came in the wake of wide spread concerns from environmental advocates…
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – North Dakota Governor, Jack Delrymple says he and Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault have met to discuss reducing tensions between law enforcement officers and Dakota Access oil pipeline opponents. The pipeline is stalled while developer Energy Transfer Partners and the Army battle in court over permission to cross under the Missouri River. Opponents who’ve protested…
ST. PAUL (AP) – St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman is running for governor in 2018. The Democratic mayor made it official with a Tuesday announcement. Coleman had long been considered as a possible gubernatorial candidate. The speculation increased earlier this month when Coleman said he wouldn’t run for a fourth term as mayor. Coleman joins what’s likely to be a…
MADISON (AP) – Green Party presidential candidate, Jill Stein says she plans to donate any money left over from the $7.3 million she raised to force recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Stein said Tuesday that the exact costs of the recounts aren’t known yet, but she expects to have money left over. Stein is asking donors to complete an…
