Madison Mcvan

Gov. Tim Walz and his DFL colleagues in the state Legislature have touted a law passed in 2024 that “banned book bans.”  But school districts in Minnesota are still limiting students’ access to books. In St. Francis, district leaders are relying on an anonymous Florida-based website — with links to the right-wing group Moms for […]

Leaders of Hennepin Healthcare, who oversee the state’s largest emergency room, fear federal cuts to Medicaid will increase the number of patients coming to the emergency department with serious, preventable conditions.  But if Congressional Republicans want to achieve their goal of extending tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy while leaving areas like defense and […]

Susheel Kesireddy was among the first people to move into a brand-new townhome community in Inver Grove Heights eight years ago. He figured his homeowners association’s insurance would cover any needed repairs to the outside of his home, while his personal insurance covered the inside.  So he was stunned when he received a $16,116 bill […]

The one-seat advantage — though temporary — has paid dividends for Republicans.

A Republican and a Democrat together pitched recommendations to rein in homeowners’ associations at the House housing committee Wednesday. A working group convened by the Legislature spent much of the past year discussing how the state could empower homeowners in the face of rising complaints against unrestrained homeowners’ associations and property management companies. The group […]

A sports betting bill backed by major gambling companies failed to pass a key committee Thursday, dealing a blow to advocates who were optimistic about the odds of legalizing sports betting this year. The Senate State and Local Government committee failed to advance a bill authored by Sen. Matt Klein, DFL-Mendota Heights, despite support of […]

As President Donald Trump begins ramping up immigration enforcement, some immigrants in Minnesota are worried that the data they’ve handed over to the government when filing taxes, requesting financial aid or applying for a drivers’ license will be used to identify and deport them. Since 2023, undocumented immigrants in Minnesota have been able to get […]

When Johann Teran’s plane touched down in Miami in May, the clock started ticking.  Teran, a lawyer from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, would be allowed to work in the U.S. for two years after the date of his arrival under a Biden administration initiative called humanitarian parole for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.  Nearly 8 […]

One-quarter of Minnesota households with children are food insecure, according to research released Wednesday by the nonprofit hunger relief organization Second Harvest Heartland. The food bank’s first-ever statewide survey, conducted in collaboration with Wilder Research, found that overall 19% of Minnesota households are food insecure. The majority of food insecure families are able to eat […]

Last year, a brand-new coalition of faith groups, housing developers, social justice advocates and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle united behind a set of wide-ranging policies designed to make housing in Minnesota more affordable by building more of it. Most of the coalition’s priorities died, but they’re back again this year, with a […]