Rilyn Eischens

The Minnesota Senate passed on Tuesday a bill that the GOP majority describes as a “free-market solution” to ensuring more Minnesotans have access to paid family leave. The bill, introduced by Sen. Julia Coleman, R-Waconia, would allow insurance companies to offer paid family leave benefits product…

The Minnesota House on Wednesday approved a proposal to make hourly school workers eligible for unemployment benefits. The provision — included in the majority DFL House’s jobs bill — would allow bus drivers, cafeteria staff and paraprofessionals to apply for unemployment benefits during summer break. Labor and education unions have pushed for the change for […]

Minnesota is one of 24 states unlikely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to an analysis by the think tank Guttmacher Institute. That could make Minnesota an island in the upper Midwest. Three neighboring states have laws on the books to automatically make most abortions illegal if federal protection for abortion […]

Wide racial gaps in reading proficiency have persisted for years. In 2021, fewer than 30% of Black, Indigenous and Latino third graders were proficient in reading — nearly half the statewide rate.

Minnesota Republicans repeated debunked tales about schools providing litter boxes for students who identify as cats during debate over the House education budget bill Wednesday. Reps. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, and Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, shared the fictional stories in support of Drazkowski’s p…

A marijuana legalization party is calling for changes to Minnesota’s candidate ballot access law ahead of the 2022 election, a move they say would prevent deceitful or frivolous campaigns appearing on ballots. The Grassroots Legalize Cannabis Party wants all candidates for state office to be required to gather voter signatures in order to get their […]

A Minnesota state Senate candidate who made national headlines for attending a Democratic convention while in active labor has not decided whether she will suspend her campaign or run in the primary election, according to her campaign manager. Erin Maye Quade, a former state representative, withdr…

Minnesota’s racial disparities in health care coverage worsened in 2021, according to survey data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Health. About 10.2% of Minnesotans of color didn’t have health insurance in 2021 — up from 7.6% in 2019, according to MDH. At the same time, the uninsured rate among non-Latino white people fell from […]

Minnesota education officials on Wednesday defended the state’s management of federal nutrition funds to lawmakers, during the third legislative hearing about nutrition program fraud alleged to have taken place early in the pandemic. Minnesota Department of Education leadership told members of the…

Campaign finance data released Friday show Gov. Tim Walz far outraising Republican gubernatorial hopefuls, with more than $1 million in contributions so far this year. The field of GOP candidates vying for the party’s nomination is crowded. The candidates include former state Sen. Dr. Scott Jensen,…

Minnesota drivers have been slow to adopt electric cars, but a potential new Tesla sales center and the state’s forthcoming clean car rule could accelerate the shift. Electric cars accounted for fewer than 0.4% of registered vehicles in Minnesota last year, according to the state Department of Transportation. Although electric vehicles are less harmful for […]

Claims of inflated COVID-19 mortality counts have been a common — and baseless — talking point among right-wing pundits.

Eleven educators from across Minnesota were named finalists for the state’s Teacher of the Year award Monday. The award is given each year by Education Minnesota, the statewide teachers union. This year’s finalists were selected from a group of 77 nominees. Teachers with at least five years of experience who work at public or private […]

A proposal to pour $850 million over four years into Minnesota’s struggling child care industry cleared a House committee Thursday. The House early education committee approved a budget bill that seeks to make child care more accessible by boosting aid to families and providers, funded by the state’s projected $9.3 billion budget surplus. The proposal […]

Public safety officials urged lawmakers on Friday to boost funding for early childhood and family programs as a crime reduction strategy. In a joint hearing of the state House early childhood education and criminal justice reform committees, researchers and law enforcement said spending more on chil…

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe received more than $729,000 in federal funding for a solar energy project, the United States Department of Energy announced Monday. The Department of Energy is distributing $9 million to 13 tribes, including Leech Lake, for projects aimed at expanding access to sustainable energy. The Leech Lake Band will use […]

Minnesotans’ wallets have been hit with a double-whammy this spring as both gas prices and inflation climb. The surging gas costs are paining consumers and making headlines here and across the country — but just how bad is it? Once adjusted for inflation, gas prices are not out of the historical no…

Public defenders across Minnesota could be nearing a strike after the state sent a “last, best and final” offer that attorneys say doesn’t address “longstanding and rampant issues.” Teamsters Local 320 represents more than 700 public defense attorneys and staff statewide. The bargaining team unanimously recommended members reject the offer, according to a news release, […]

Gas tax holiday proposed by Minnesota Democrats. Republicans counter with permanent tax cuts.

A Senate GOP proposal to create a school voucher-style program in Minnesota would shift about $178 million away from public schools over the next two years, according to analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Budget Office. The “education savings accounts” — which would give families state money to pay for private school tuition, textbooks and school […]