3/25/2024 -- Movement at the Capitol

Government

Getting You Caught Up: Top 5 Things Happening At The Minnesota Capitol 🏛

1.Minimum Wage Increases: The Minnesota Senate Labor Committee advanced a proposal to increase the statewide minimum wage to $15 an hour starting this summer, with incremental increases until it reaches $20 by 2028, intending to address long-standing wage stagnation.

2.Book Bans: New legislation introduced in both the Minnesota House and Senate aims to prevent book banning in public and school libraries based on content or subjective objections.

3.Gun Control: Lawmakers are proposing stricter penalties for straw purchases of guns, making it a felony offense punishable by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine, with harsher penalties if the gun is used in a violent crime; the bill aims to close loopholes that led to the tragic incident in Burnsville.

4.Childcare Subsidy: DFL lawmakers are proposing a $500 million subsidy plan to alleviate the burden of child care costs for Minnesota parents, with reimbursements available to families earning up to $174,000.

5.Public Health Option Deferred: Gov. Tim Walz's office is deferring the creation of a public health insurance option in Minnesota this year due to cost concerns and hopes for a quick legislative session.

Weather

Snowstorm Brings 1-2 Punch in the Twin Cities and Greater MN — Up to 12 inches of Snow Expected Through Tuesday ❄

The Summary: At the time of publishing this newsletter (11pm on March 24th), the Twin Cities has 4.8 inches of snow. Click here for the most up-to-date total.

Flights Delayed: Even before the snow had really started accumulating on Sunday, the MSP airport already cancelled 115 flights. The cancellations come during one of the airport’s busiest weeks with many families travelling for spring break.

Wave #1: The first wave of snowfall on Thursday left about 3 inches of snow accumulation across the Twin Cities metro. Other parts of the state reported up to 8 inches of snow. The first round caused nearly 200 car crashes on Minnesota roads.

What To Expect: Check out the lastest forecast from the National Weather Service to know what we’re in for in the next 24 hours. At publishing time, a combination of snow and rain is expected to continue into Tuesday.

Business

40 Under 40 List Announced: The Twin Cities Top Young Business Leaders Recognized By Mpls/St.Paul Business Journal 🏆

The Summary: The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal announced its annual 40 under 40 list this last week.

Notable Honorees:

❯ Erin Pash, CEO and Founder of Ellie Health: since opening her first mental health clinic in 2015, Pash has grown Ellie Health to more than 200 clinics and 1,200 therapists in 32 states.

❯ Gerald Klass, Soul Bowl Co-Owner: Klass transitioned from Crave's executive chef to open Soul Bowl, now a thriving business with multiple locations and ventures including a food hall, speakeasy, and charity meal service.

❯ Rebekah Metzdorff, founder of Mill City Running and Saint City Running: Metzdorff loves building vibrant running communities and offering personalized service to customers. Mill City and Saint City have become staples in the Twin Cities running community.

❯ Dr. Tori Bahr, section medical director at Gillette Children's: Bahr leads initiatives to improve care for special needs patients transitioning to adult care, advocating for health equity and quality improvement.

Read the full 40 Under 40 list here.

GAME: Three Headlines and a Lie

The rules are simple. There are four headlines, three are real ones and one is a fraud. Try to spot the lie — the links will reveal which one’s are real and which one is the lie.

❯ New legislation has been proposed to allow Minnesota women to go topless in public (link)

❯ A full-size space shuttle could be making a landing in St.Cloud (link)

❯ A St. Paul resident is one of 10 people with perfect March Madness brackets (link)

❯ Thousands of fish were found dead after ice melts on a Minnesota Border Lake (link)

What Else We’re Reading…

“Don't pee in your Cheerios.” - Kathy Cargill

In the last couple weeks, we have posted links to articles talking about the Cargill’s buying up land in Duluth, which hasn’t come without scrutiny from locals and even elected leaders. Well, a new interview with Kathy Cargill has revealed that she didn’t take too kindly to the criticism. Cargill told the WSJ that she planned to beautify Duluth’s Park Point, but will no longer be following through on this plan

Sports

🏀 The Minnesota Boys High School State Basketball Championships wrapped up this weekend and the following schools were crowned champions: Minnetonka (AAAA), Totino-Grace (AAA), Breck (AA), Cherry (A). Also, check out this monster dunk from the AAA game.

🏀 The Gopher men’s basketball team ended their season in the second round of the NIT after losing to top seeded Indiana State

🐺 The Timberwolves celebrated Naz Reid night by giving all fans a “Naz Reid” beach towel (Marney Gellner on X)

🏒 The Gopher men’s hockey team received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and will head to Sioux Falls where they will face Omaha in the first round. The game will be at 7:30pm on Thursday.

🏀 The Gopher women’s basketball team will play host to Pacific in the second round of the WNIT (Gopher basketball on X)

Quick hits

Headlines From Around The Twin Cities ✔

❯ The 19 Bar in Minneapolis, one of the oldest gay bars in the country, is closed until further notice after a fire broke out (Bring Me The News)

❯ MPD Chief Brian O’Hara suggested the department is so understaffed that they’ll have to stop investigating property crime (MN Reformer)

❯ Hennepin County Officials say there is potential they could eliminate homelessness by end of 2025 (ABC)

❯ Bryant Avenue named a top 5 new bike lane in the United States (People for Bikes)

❯ St. Paul city leaders are advocating for new legislation to help curb copper thefts (WCCO)

Beyond the Twin Cities

Headlines From Greater Minnesota ✔

❯ Hundreds of former fosters in Minnesota may lose state financial aid for college if funding gap isn’t filled (MPR)

❯ Rochester has banned camping on city property in attempt to curb homeless encampments (Star Tribune)

❯ Only 1 percent of Minnesotans ages 65 or older are up to date on COVID vaccine (MPR)

The Final Word: Small Window for Sledding 🛷

With this new snow, there is a small window for Minnesotan’s to get their sledding fix. Check out this new list of the best sledding hills in the Twin Cities that was put together by The Racket.

-Patrick