1/6/2025 -- Walz cracks down on fraud

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Government

Walz Rolls Out Anti-Fraud Proposal Ahead Of Legislative Session ✔

Walz's Anti-Fraud Proposal: Governor Tim Walz has unveiled a comprehensive plan to combat fraud in state programs, particularly those aimed at helping children and people with disabilities. The proposal comes in response to recent investigations that have uncovered significant misuse of public funds.

Key Components of the Plan: The plan includes the creation of a centralized fraud investigation unit within the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Fraud investigators from the Department of Commerce will be transferred to this new BCA unit. State agencies will be granted more authority to block payments to suspected fraudsters.

Legislative Proposals: Walz is proposing increased penalties for fraud and kickbacks, including a new "theft of public funds" offense. The plan includes implementing AI tools to detect payment anomalies in Medicaid, creating a provisional licensing system for autism service providers, and enhancing oversight of charter schools.

Funding and Implementation: The estimated cost of the plan is $39 million over the next two years.

Vikings

Vikings Struggle In Season Finale Against The Lions, Drop To #5 Seed 🏈

🤨 Well, the Star Tribune publishers weren’t the only ones who gave up on the Vikings before the game ended (screenshot courtesy of my dad who caught this funny error before the game was officially over).

The Summary: The Vikings suffered a tough 31-9 loss to the Detroit Lions, giving up the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Game Summary: The Lions dominated the Vikings in all phases of the game, securing their second consecutive NFC North title and the top seed in the NFC. Sam Darnold had a rare mediocre night, completing only 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards and went 0-for-4 in the redzone.

Defensive and Special Teams Issues: While the Vikings' defense contained the Lions initially, they eventually succumbed to Detroit's high-powered offense. Special teams also faltered, with kicker Will Reichard missing a field goal and shanking a kickoff that gave the Lions favorable field position leading to a field goal before halftime.

Playoff Implications: The Vikings, despite their 14-3 record, now find themselves as the #5 seed in the wild-card round. They will travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams in a Monday night playoff game.

Future QB Decision: The upcoming playoff push could have significant ramifications for how the Viking’s move forward at the quarterback position between Sam Darnold and JJ McCarthy.

What Else We’re Reading…

As The New Legislative Session Begins in Minnesota, Lisa Demuth Outlines GOP’s Top Priorities 📃

Minnesota House Co-Speaker Designate Lisa Demuth sat down with the Sahan Journal to discuss the top priorities for the Minnesota GOP in the 2025 legislative session:

1. No new taxes or tax increases

2. Addressing fraud and wasteful spending of state taxpayer dollars

3. Completely ending the tax on Social Security

4. Reviewing and potentially reducing the number of state government employees

5. Evaluating the use of state-owned and leased buildings to cut costs

6. Assessing the number and necessity of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) positions in state agencies

If a Democrat wins the special election in the Roseville district on January 28, the House will return to a 67-67 split between Democrats and Republicans.

Read The Full Story On The Sahan Journal

GAME: Mini Crossword

Think you know the name of a Japanese noodle made of buckwheat? Take a shot at the mini crossword.

Sports 🏈

🏈 The Gopher football team defeated Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Fleck is now 6-0 in bowl games while a head coach at Minnesota. After the game, a surprise guest revealed himself as the Duke’s Mayo masoct.

🏀 The Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Detroit Pistons on Saturday despite Anthony Edwards scoring a career-high 53 points. It’s their second consecutive loss and drops them to 17-17.

🏒 The Minnesota Wild shut out the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday

🏒 The Gopher Men’s hockey team swept Mercyhurst while the women’s team lost to Penn State. Both teams are ranked #3 in the nation.

🏀 The Gopher women’s basketball team continued their hot streak after defeating Illinois on Sunday. They are 15-1 on the season

Quick hits

Headlines From Around The Twin Cities ✔

❯ Minneapolis’ Isles Bun is now the owner of a “World’s Best” title. (Bring Me The News)

❯ Nearly 500,000 Minnesotans can have their records expunged thanks to a new bill (WCCO)

❯ A man was found dead in a car that plunged into the Mississippi River (Fox9)

❯ Despite a 2006 law mandating eighth grade algebra, math performance in Minnesota has fallen short (Minnesota Reformer)

The Final Word: Best Chocolate Chip Cookie 🍪

As I routinely do, I was perusing the Twin Cities subreddit and stumbled upon a recent post from someone who created a grid ranking the best chocolate chip cookies in the metro. They even broke out their analysis into various categories. If you like cookies, and even if you don’t, you have to check it out.

-Patrick