Category: State News

Maricopa County Recorder Attempted to Have Conservative ASU Professor Fired over Social Media Posts, Lawsuit Claims

Rachel Alexander
Aaron Ludwig

We the People AZ Alliance (WPAA), represented by Kari Lake’s former attorney Bryan Blehm, filed a lawsuit last week against outgoing Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer demanding records related to Richer allegedly attempting to get a conservative Arizona State University professor fired and disciplined by the State Bar of Arizona. WPAA requested an email between Richer and States United Democracy Center (SUDC), concerned that the far left activist group was aiding Richer in his attempt to get Aaron Ludwig fired.

The complaint asserted, “On July 31, 2022, Defendant Richer, acting as Maricopa County Recorder, sent an email to the Directors of ASU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice seeking to have a faculty associate terminated from ASU for sharing a Tweet. … Defendant’s email also shows that the Recorder, in his capacity as Maricopa County Recorder, intended to seek sanctions against the faculty member through the State Bar of Arizona as the faculty member was also an attorney licensed to practice law in Arizona.” 

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Minnesota Parents, Private Colleges Suing Walz over PSEO Law Appear in Federal Court

Alpha News
Becket Fund for Religious Liberty

A group of parents suing Gov. Tim Walz over a new law that would prohibit certain private colleges from participating in the Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program appeared in federal court last week.

Melinda and Mark Loe and Dawn Erickson are co-plaintiffs in the petition they filed last year against Walz and his Minnesota Department of Education commissioner, Willie Jett, which alleges that a new law the Democratic governor signed to prohibit colleges that have a statement of faith requirement for students from participating in PSEO programs is unconstitutional.

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Minnesota Attorney General Sues Glock over Criminals Illegally Modifying Guns

Alpha News
Keith Ellison

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Thursday that he’s suing Glock, Inc., an Austrian firearms manufacturer, for “knowingly manufacturing and selling handguns that can easily be converted into machine guns,” he said in a livestream press conference and subsequent press release.

Although Glock does not manufacture the aftermarket add-on devices called auto sears or “switches,” which can convert Glock handguns to fire automatically and are generally illegal to possess in the United States, the attorney general accused Glock of “refus[ing] to make design changes to discourage this conversion and promotes ‘fun’ of machine guns.”

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Report: Minnesota DHS Has Not Tried to Recover More than $40 Million in Overpayments

Alpha News
Minnesota Money

A new report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) found that the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has not tried to recover over $40 million in overpayments that went to healthcare providers under the state’s Medical Assistance program.

In Minnesota, DHS is responsible for administering several healthcare programs including Medical Assistance (MA), the state’s Medicaid program.

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Derek Chauvin Hires New Attorney, Plans to Ask for Convictions to Be Overturned

Alpha News

Derek Chauvin’s new attorney indicated in court documents filed late last month that the former Minneapolis police officer plans to ask for his convictions to be overturned or, in the alternative, request a new trial.

Chauvin was found guilty in April 2021 of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree murder, and third-degree murder in the May 2020 death of George Floyd. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his case in November 2023, ending his direct appeal.

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University of Minnesota Hit with Federal Civil Rights Complaint for ‘Segregated, Racially Discriminatory Program’

Alpha News
Liz Collin

The University of Minnesota has been hit with a federal civil rights complaint regarding a race-based program—and it isn’t the first time the feds have been called in to investigate.

Bill Jacobson, president of the Legal Insurrection Foundation and its Equal Protection Project, joined Liz Collin Reports to speak about the latest complaint his group has lodged against the U of M Twin Cities.

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Ban on ‘Male Physiology’ in Women’s Sports Could Hurt Catholics, Minnesota Supreme Court Suggests

Just the News
Volleyball

The day before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in a case that could decide the availability of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgical removal of healthy breasts and genitals for gender-confused minors, the Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments on another transgender issue: eligibility rules in private athletic competition.

The hypotheticals from the justices got creative, with one speculating that bowling leagues could bar Catholics from competition if the high court upheld USA Powerlifting’s ban on athletes in women’s competition who have completed male puberty.

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Minnesota Republican Lawsuit Seeks New Election in House Seat That Could Decide Majority

Alpha News

Minnesota House of Representatives candidate Aaron Paul, a Republican, filed an election contest lawsuit on Friday that seeks to bring a new election in House District 54A.

The election in District 54A proved to be one of the closest elections in Minnesota this year. After a recount was conducted last week, State Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee, led Paul by just 14 votes in the race for the Scott County legislative seat.

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Minnesota County Attorney Claims 20 Ballots Likely Thrown Away in 15-Vote Margin Race

Daily Caller News Foundation
Minnesota House Race

An investigation into missing ballots in a tight Minnesota state House race found they were most likely thrown away and will not be recovered.

Following a recount, incumbent Democratic- Minnesota state Rep. Brad Tabke leads Republican Aaron Paul by just 15 votes, with officials saying they had records of 21 more people voting than ballots received, according to a Scott County, Minnesota, investigative report. Of the 21 ballots unaccounted for, 20 came from a single precinct, sparking an investigation that found the votes were likely thrown away and have already been shredded.

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Minneapolis Subsidizes Rent for Artists to Turn Vacant Storefronts into ‘Vibrant Cultural Hubs’

Alpha News
Blackbird Revolt

The City of Minneapolis has announced the first recipients of its Arts & Culture Vibrant Storefronts initiative, a pilot program providing over $224,000 to help local arts organizations turn empty storefronts into “vibrant cultural hubs.”

In a press release, Mayor Jacob Frey praised the initiative as a “game-changer,” adding, “This is just the beginning,” while pointing to plans to expand the program into Uptown with even more taxpayer dollars.

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Report: Minnesota Criminal Justice System ‘More Favorable’ to Black Criminals than White Criminals

Alpha News
Person Arrested

A newly released report from the Center of the American Experiment (CAE) challenges the narrative that Minnesota’s criminal justice system is racially biased against black offenders.

According to the report, titled “Case Closed: Minnesota’s Offender Outcomes Devoid of Racial Bias,” black offenders reportedly face more favorable outcomes in the system compared to white offenders across various stages, including incarceration.

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Starting in 2025, Illegal Immigrants Will Have Access to Minnesota’s Publicly-Funded Healthcare Program

Alpha News
Doctor and Patient

Illegal immigrants in Minnesota will be able to use a state-run healthcare program starting in Jan. of 2025, a bulletin from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) says.

Last year, Democrats in control of state government passed a law which expanded MinnesotaCare eligibility to illegal immigrants. A publicly-funded healthcare program that has existed since 1992, MinnesotaCare provides health insurance to low-income individuals.

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Rep. Claudia Tenney Calls to Disbar New York AG Letitia James for ‘Weaponizing the Justice System’ and ‘Trying to Take Trump Out’

Rachel Alexander

During an interview on the Fox Business Network, Representative Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24) called to disbar New York Attorney General Letitia James for “weaponizing the justice system” and “trying to take Trump out.” James, who went after the Trump Organization in 2022, said during a press conference after this month’s election that she would use the law to “fight back” against Trump.

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Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Grapples with ‘Destabilizing’ Turnover ‘Crisis’

Alpha News
Lawyers

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is in crisis, hemorrhaging attorneys at a rate that would make even a fast-food chain flinch.

That’s according to AFSCME Local 2938, a labor union that represents Hennepin County attorneys and legal support staff. In contract negotiation documents from August, the union warned that even with immediate pay adjustments, it could take years—if not decades—for some divisions within the office to regain “their pre-2023 levels of proficiency, professionalism, and recognized statewide leadership among fellow county attorneys’ offices.”

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Bucks County, Pennsylvania Votes to Count Illegal Ballots Because ‘People Violate Laws Any Time They Want’

TPappert

The two Democratic members of the Bucks County Commission voted to count ballots the Pennsylvania Supreme Court determined are illegal in a previous ruling, with the county specifically giving election workers orders to count mail-in votes returned with an incomplete, incorrect, or missing date.

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Somali Pirate from Minneapolis Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Kidnapping

Alpha News
Abdi Yusuf Hassan

A Minneapolis man is one of two Somali pirates convicted of kidnapping this week and sentenced to federal prison for 30 years.

Abdi Yusuf Hassan, now 56, a naturalized U.S. citizen and prior resident of Minneapolis, along with Mohamed Tahlil Mohamed, now 43, of Mogadishu, Somalia, held American journalist Michael Scott Moore hostage for nearly three years in Somalia after kidnapping him in 2012.

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Minnesota Public School Teacher Tells Students to ‘Take Today to Mourn’ Following ‘Heartbreaking’ Election

Alpha News
Brian Isles

A teacher at Minnesota Connections Academy, an online public school, sent an email to eighth grade Language Arts students saying he wondered how he “could possibly come to school” following last week’s election of President Donald Trump.

“It’s the fact that it’s pushing an agenda. The Democrats are saying that it’s not happening, but it very clearly is,” Antonio Pici, a law enforcement officer and veteran, shared with Alpha News.

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GOP, DFL State House Leaders Prepare to Negotiate ‘Power-Sharing Agreement’

Alpha News
Hortman and Demuth

With almost all the dust settled the day after the election in Minnesota, caucus leaders in the Minnesota House faced the media for the first time since they learned that Republicans and DFLers are likely to be deadlocked in a 67-67 tie when the 2025 legislative session starts on Monday, Jan. 13

Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman and House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth both acknowledged that their caucuses will have just a few weeks to structure the organization of their chamber in a challenging, but not unprecedented, “power-sharing agreement.”

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Klobuchar Defeats White, Wins Fourth Term in U.S. Senate

Alpha News
Klobuchar and White

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar won a fourth term Tuesday night after beating Republican challenger Royce White by double digits.

Klobuchar, a Democrat, has represented Minnesota in the U.S. Senate since first being elected in 2006. She won her first three elections for the seat by more than 20 points.

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Heritage Foundation Lawsuit Seeks ‘Transparency’ on Minnesota’s Voter Roll Maintenance

Alpha News
ballots

Minnesota state leaders are facing a new lawsuit from the Heritage Foundation, which alleges the state has not disclosed crucial details on an estimated 1,000 voters who were removed from the voter rolls.

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U.S. House Report Says Walz ‘Colludes with the Climate Cartel’ in Managing Public Pension Fund

Alpha News
Tim Walz

A new report from the U.S. House Judiciary Committee claims that Gov. Tim Walz’s handling of Minnesota’s $140 billion public pension fund is driving up energy bills for consumers in Minnesota and other states.

Titled “How Governor Tim Walz’s State Public Pension Fund Colludes with the Climate Cartel to Raise Energy Costs for American Consumers,” the report accuses Walz of using the Minnesota State Board of Investment (MSBI) to push overly ambitious climate goals that are being felt in consumers’ wallets.

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Minnesota County Fires Election Worker After Republican Spots Ballot Security Lapse in Realtime

Daily Caller News Foundation
Election Ballots

Hennepin County, Minnesota, fired an election worker who left several boxes of mail-in ballots unattended after a local GOP group exposed the alleged negligence, according to a statement from county officials released Friday.

Minnesota Senate District 50 Republicans — the Republican Party’s official political unit for portions of Minnesota cities Edina and Bloomington — snapped a photo outside of Edina City Hall Friday showing a courier vehicle’s “rear door ajar with ballot transfer cases inside.” A review of parking lot surveillance footage found the ballots were not tampered with, and a comparison of the votes with the statewide voter registration system for absentee ballots found a perfect match.

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‘Women’s Sports Are Legal’: Female Athletes Challenge Trans Activists at Minnesota Supreme Court

Daily Caller News Foundation
San Jose State Volleyball

In the absence of NCAA rules limiting eligibility for women’s college volleyball to females, several teams forfeited games against San Jose State University this season without explicitly citing a player on SJSU’s team who allegedly is a transgender athlete.

The University of Nevada overruled its team this week when players voted to forfeit its Oct. 26 match against SJSU, claiming a forfeit would violate state and federal law and NCAA and Mountain West Conference rules, but promised not to punish individuals for sitting out.

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Minnesota Teachers Union Conference to Feature Sessions on ‘Pronoun Usage,’ ‘2SLGBTQIA+’ Ideology

Alpha News
Education Minnesota

Public school teachers from across Minnesota will meet in St. Paul Oct. 17 to participate in a conference put on by Education Minnesota, the state’s teachers union.

At Education Minnesota’s 2024 MEA Conference, educators will learn about, and discuss, various public education topics in conference sessions throughout the day. While some of those sessions appear to cover noncontroversial topics, others are steeped in what Center of the American Experiment policy fellow Catrin Wigfall described as “ideological agendas.”

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North Carolina U.S. Rep. Foxx: Americans ‘Have Been Cheated Out of $250 million’ by Walz’s Failures

Alpha News

As Gov. Tim Walz seeks a promotion to second-in-command of the country, Congress is investigating how he allowed the largest COVID-era scam in the nation to unfold in Minnesota while serving as the head of the state.

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As Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz Signed Legislation to Bypass Electoral College

Alpha News
Tim Walz

Over the span of 48 hours, national news outlets have reported that Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz went from declaring he’d like to see the Electoral College abolished in favor of a national popular vote to seemingly walking back that statement in a sit-down interview on ABC News.

But those who pay attention to not just what the Minnesota governor says on the national campaign trail, but what he has done in his capacity as governor, know better.

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Minnesota Housing Development Company with Plans to Build ‘Valuable Asset to the East African Community’ Sued for Fraud

Alpha News
Nolosha Development

In a lawsuit filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, an Eden Prairie business is accused of engaging in deceptive trade practices and defrauding Somali families.

Founded two years ago by “passionate Somali-American public health professionals,” Nolosha Development, LLC says it seeks to “address the housing disparity affecting East African households in the Twin Cities.” As such, the company allegedly has been working on the construction of a housing development in Lakeville called “Nolosha-Lakeville.”

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Minnesota Legislator Files Suit to Dismiss Law That Criminalizes Sharing AI-Generated Election Memes

Alpha News
Mary Franson

State Rep. Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to strike down a Minnesota law that can criminalize the sharing of AI-generated election memes.

In 2023, Democrats and Republicans in Minnesota passed a bill, HF 1370, which regulated AI-generated content in Minnesota.

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Angie Craig Voted Against Bill to Establish Protections for Babies Who Survive Attempted Abortions

Alpha News
Angie Craig

Republicans in Congress are working to add new protections in federal law for babies who are born during attempted abortions.

In January of 2023, the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. According to the bill’s chief author, Congresswoman Ann Wagner, the bill “will provide commonsense protections for innocent children and their mothers and will ensure all babies receive the essential care they need at an incredibly vulnerable moment.”

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Walz Administration to Hold Racially Segregated Retreat for ‘BIPOC’ Librarians

Daily Caller News Foundation
Tim Walz

Minnesota State Library Services, part of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s administration, plans to use public funds to pay for a retreat intended exclusively for “BIPOC” librarians, according to documents obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Walz administration describes the event, which will take place in October, as “a day of professional development and network-building designed specifically for BIPOC library workers of Minnesota,” according to a registration page. Minnesota will use public funds to cover hotel lodging, meals and other fees for those attending the program, state documents show.

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Walz’s Former National Guard Colleague Alleges Classified Nuclear Manual Went Missing in Nebraska During His Tenure

Alpha News
Tim Walz

It was September 1995, and Tim Walz’s Nebraska National Guard unit, the 1-168th Field Artillery, upgraded to the M109A5 self-propelled howitzer. One of its capabilities was firing nuclear artillery shells.

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Minnesota Man Believes He Was Recruited to Run a ‘Spoiler’ Campaign to Help Democrat Angie Craig

Alpha News
Angie Craig

A Brooklyn Center man who will appear on ballots this fall as the “Constitutional Conservative” Party candidate in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District has told a national media outlet he believes he was recruited to run as a third-party “spoiler” candidate for Democrats in one of the nation’s most closely watched U.S. House elections.

The Republican challenger in that race, Joe Teirab, is calling the act “blatant election interference” orchestrated by political allies of Democratic incumbent Angie Craig.

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John Eastman Appeals California Disbarment over His 2020 Election Legal Work, Calls the Prosecution Orwellian

Rachel Alexander

Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar, John Eastman, filed an opening brief with the California State Bar Court last week appealing his disbarment for assisting Donald Trump with legal representation regarding the 2020 election illegalities. California Disciplinary Judge Yvette Roland formed her opinion by determining that Eastman’s legal opinions were wrong and that there was no election wrongdoing.

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Shoplifting and Vehicle Thefts Soared as Haitian Migrants Poured into Ohio Town, Police Data Shows

Daily Caller News Foundation

Reports of shoplifting and vehicle theft increased considerably in Springfield, Ohio, following the arrival of thousands of Haitian refugees, according to data obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation through a records request. The town, which had a population of 58,622 in 2020, has taken in between 12,000 and 20,000 Haitian refugees over the past three years, marking a population increase of between 20.4% and 34.1%. From 2021 to 2023, Springfield also saw a 51.5% jump in motor vehicle theft reports and a 112.8% spike in reports of shoplifting, data provided by the Springfield Police Division shows.

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Conservative Florida Attorney Appeals License Suspension, Denounces Political Censorship over Calling His Opponent ‘Corrupt’ and ‘Swampy’

Rachel Alexander

Chris Crowley, a conservative attorney in Florida, filed an appeal with the Florida Supreme Court last month contesting a 60-day suspension of his law license for exercising free speech during his political campaign for the state attorney’s office in Florida’s 20th Judicial Circuit.

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University of Minnesota DEI Professor Reported to Bias Team for Using ‘Piñata of Shame’ Phrase

The College Fix
University of Minnesota Professor Valerie Tiberius

An anonymous person reported a University of Minnesota (UMinn) professor to the bias team for using the phrase “piñata of shame” in an editorial.

It is one of the 175 bias reports filed in the 2023-24 school year and obtained recently by The College Fix through a records request.

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Minnesota Department of Corrections Employee Quits After Men Inmates Are Allowed in Women’s Prison

Alpha News
Alicia Beckmann

After working for more than a decade as a GED instructor, Alicia Beckmann recently left her job because of a new transgender policy. According to Beckmann, the policy puts both corrections staff and inmates at risk.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections first transferred biological males Christina Lusk and Bradley Sirvio to Shakopee after Lusk successfully sued the state in 2023. A New York Post report last week revealed Gov. Tim Walz’s administration paid nearly $449,000 to a left-wing legal nonprofit as part of the resolution of Lusk’s case.

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Legislators Call on Walz to Condemn A.G. Ellison After He Tweeted ‘Thanks’ to Brazil Hours After Banning X

Alpha News
Gov Tim Walz and A.G. Keith Ellison

Republican legislators are calling on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to condemn a comment Attorney General Keith Ellison posted to social media on Monday that seemingly endorsed a court ruling in Brazil to block its citizens from accessing the X social media platform.

Ellison posted “Obrigado, Brasil!” from one of this two X social media accounts, just hours after the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil upheld a measure which bans Brazilians from using X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

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Former Minnesota School Board Member Sues over Explicit Snapchat, Seeks Board Return

Alpha News

A former West Central Area School District board member is suing multiple individuals after resigning last year over a sexually explicit video he posted on Snapchat.

According to the lawsuit, Jared Olson, who recently filed to return to the school board, claims the video was intended for his wife, but was instead shared to his Snapchat “stories” by accident.

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Poll: Harris’ Lead Cut in Half in Minnesota After Adding Walz to the Ticket

Alpha News
Kamala Harris

Is it possible that a two-time elected Democratic governor of Minnesota is a drag on his presidential running mate in his own state?

That’s one takeaway from a poll conducted late last month on the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in Minnesota, which shows Trump cutting Harris’ lead in half since she tapped Tim Walz to join her ticket as her vice presidential nominee.

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Minnesota School Board Member Questions If People Will Survive Climate Change, White Supremacy

Alpha News
Jen Westmoreland

At a recent school board workshop meeting, Hopkins School Board member Jen Westmoreland questioned whether people will survive climate change and white supremacy.

“If we look at climate grief, if we look at the impacts of white supremacy, if we look at all of these systems of oppression that are bearing down—I mean, there’s like a survival element that we’re talking about, right?” Westmoreland said. “So it’s not like, are you going to go out and get [inaudible] job? It’s like, are you going to survive?”

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Illegal Immigrants, ‘Justice Impacted’ Individuals Among Groups Who Could Receive New Protections in Minneapolis

Alpha News

A series of potential additions to the Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance are under consideration in Minnesota’s largest city. Should these additions be authorized, illegal immigrants, the homeless, and so-called “justice impacted” persons could receive new protections.

Last week, the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission held a meeting to discuss potential changes to the Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance. At that meeting, Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez outlined what he referred to as “our plan” to add “homeless status, immigration status, and justice impacted status as protected classes” in the city’s civil rights ordinance.

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Judge in Arizona ‘Fake Elector’ Case Sets Trial Date for 2026

Just the News

Arizona Superior Court Judge Bruce Cohen on Monday set the trial date in the “fake electors” case, which saw charges brought against multiple allies of former President Donald Trump, for January 5, 2026.

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Minnesota Special Education Program Hands Out $10 Million in Grants

The Center Square
Young boy in learning environment

Minnesota’s Department of Education awarded $10 million in education grants to support and train special education teachers in more than 35 public school districts, charter schools and co-ops. 

“As a former classroom teacher for over 20 years, I understand the impact a dedicated teacher can have on their students’ lives,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday. “By investing in our special education workforce, we can help ensure every student in Minnesota receives the support they need to thrive in their education.”

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Hennepin County Board Approves Pay Rate Increases for Themselves and Other Elected Officials

Minnesota Sun Staff
Hennepin County Board of Commissioners

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, the Hennepin County sheriff, and the Hennepin County attorney are set to receive significant pay rate increases in the next two years after a pair of 6-0 votes from the county commissioners.

On Tuesday, the commissioners held one vote to increase their own pay rates and a separate vote to increase the pay rates of the county sheriff and county attorney. One commissioner, Debbie Goettel, was not present for the votes.

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Walz Repeatedly Implied He and His Wife Used IVF but Harris Campaign Says They Did Not

The Center Square
Tim Walz

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee, repeatedly implied he and his wife used IVF procedures in order to conceive their children. However, the couple never used IVF.

According to both the New York Times and CNN, the Harris-Walz campaign recently disclosed that Walz and his wife, Gwen, did not use IVF to conceive their children. Instead, the couple used a very different procedure called IUI. For months, Walz had been heavily implying that he and his wife used IVF to conceive their children.

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