9/20/2024 -- U of M Innaugurates New University President

Government

Hennepin County Board Approves 5.5% Increase To 2025 Property Tax Levy

The Summary: The Hennepin County Board approved a 5.5% increase to the 2025 property tax levy, raising over $1 billion in revenue, which accounts for about a third of the county’s budget. The increase is lower than the 6.5% hike approved for 2024.

Impact on Homeowners: According to county data, a median homeowner with a property valued at $390,000 will pay an additional $44 in property taxes in 2025.

Budget Allocation: Hennepin County’s total proposed budget for 2025 is nearly $3 billion, with about $1 billion funded through property taxes. The budget will increase by 3.6% from 2024 to cover costs like employee salaries, benefits, and capital projects.

Healthcare and Capital Projects: The county will allocate $10 million from the levy to cover growing uncompensated care costs at Hennepin Healthcare Medical Center. Additionally, $100 million is earmarked for the Blue Line Light Rail extension.

Business

❯ HCMC Board Chair Steps Down: Babette Apland, the Hennepin Healthcare Board chair, resigned after criticism of her comments blaming Somali immigrants for rising healthcare costs at HCMC. Apland has been replaced by Mohamed Omar as interim chair.

❯ MN Cup Champion Crowned: Momease Solutions, a Plymouth-based startup, won the $50,000 MN Cup grand prize for developing a lactation-boosting bra that enhances breast pumping with heat and massage.

❯ Target Ramps Up: Target plans to hire 100,000 seasonal workers for the holiday season, with positions focused on order pickup, stocking, and purchases.

Education

University of Minnesota Innaugurates New President

The Summary: Rebecca Cunningham was inaugurated as the 18th president of the University of Minnesota in a ceremony on Wednesday, where speakers praised her and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan presented her with the university’s traditional mace.

Priorities and Background: Cunningham, who previously served as Vice President for Research and Innovation at the University of Michigan, highlighted her focus on affordability. She took over as president on July 1 and now oversees a $4 billion budget for five campuses.

Disruption by Pro-Palestinian Protesters: The event was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Minnesota Divest Coalition, who called for the university to divest from Israel. After several minutes, the protesters left, allowing the ceremony to continue.

Compensation and Role: Cunningham is the university’s second female president, earning over $1 million annually in salary and retirement contributions. She replaces Interim President Jeff Ettinger and manages a student body of over 68,000 and nearly 27,000 employees.

What Else We’re Reading…

MinnPost Releases Poll Results Highlighting Minnesotan’s Views on Trump/Harris, Safety, And Differences Between Rural and Urban Issues

Key Takeaways From The MinnPost Polls:

1. Voters in Greater Minnesota are primarily concerned with rising costs (67%), illegal immigration (53%), and taxes (45%), while in the Twin Cities, top issues include abortion rights (56%), rising costs (54%), and housing (48%).

2. Donald Trump has a strong favorability rating among 87% of Greater Minnesota Republicans, but a -59% net favorability rating in the Twin Cities. Kamala Harris is favored by 84% of Twin Cities Democrats, underscoring regional and partisan divides.

3. Governor Tim Walz is viewed favorably by 73% of respondents in the Twin Cities, but 64% of Greater Minnesotans view him unfavorably, with 95% of Republicans in Greater Minnesota holding negative views of him.

4. Perceptions of safety in the Twin Cities differ regionally, with 85% of Republicans in Greater Minnesota feeling unsafe there, while 82% of Twin Cities residents say they feel safe.

Read the full article here.

GAME: Wordle

Play' today’s custom wordle here.

Sports 🏀

Minnesota Lynx Secure #2 Seed As Playoffs Begin 🏀

The Summary: The Minnesota Lynx have been the WNBA’s hottest team coming out of the Olympic break and have nabbed the #2 seed in the eight team playoff bracket.

The Opponent: The Lynx will face the Phoenix Mercury in the first-round, best of three series starting on Sunday. The Lynx went 3-1 against the Mercury in the 2024 season.

Who To Watch: The Lynx have been led by Napheesa Collier who has had an All-WNBA season. The Mercury have a trio of players who were on the 2024 Olympic gold mead team: Kahleah Copper, Diana Taurasi, and Brittney Griner.

Buy Tickets: You can watch the Lynx in person with tickets starting at $30.

Other Sports:

🏒 The Minnesota Twins lost 3 out of 4 to the Cleveland Guardians and now find themselves tied with the Detroit Tigers for the final wild card spot with just eight games remaining. They are 10-20 since August 17th.

⚽ The Minnesota Loons lost 1-2 to Cincinnati on Wednesday.

Quick hits

Headlines From Around The Twin Cities ✔

❯ A MPD officer was fired after using Grindr and squad car for sexual encounters (Fox9)

❯ Bethel University will be cutting tuition by $18,000 starting next year (Kare11)

❯ The Minnesota DFL is demanding GOP Rep. Jeff Dotseth end his campaign after details of domestic violence surfaced (WCCO)

❯ A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging Minnesota’s law against knowingly spreading false information about voting (MN Reformer)

❯ A deadly shooting near a South Minneapolis homeless encampment left one person dead (KSTP)

The Final Word: Duluth Recommendations

I’m heading up to Duluth this weekend to visit family and would love to hear your recommendations for food and drink. I’ve been to Duluth plenty of times, but mainly during Grandma’s marathon weekend so I’m excited to explore on what should be a calmer weekend in the city.

Email me your recommendations!

-Patrick