A Republican lawmaker has drafted a bill that would require Minnesota to sell a facility it purchased for the storage of deceased COVID-19 patients.
Due to a projected surge in COVID-19 fatalities, the state of Minnesota spent $6.9 million in May to acquire a warehouse for the “temporary storage of human remains.” As of early June, however, the facility had yet to be used.
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Due to a projected surge in coronavirus fatalities, the state of Minnesota spent $6.9 million to acquire a warehouse for the “temporary storage of human remains,” but the facility has so far gone unused.
“What’s contemplated by the purchase is to buy a building where we can properly handle with dignity and respect and safety the bodies of Minnesotans who may fall victim to the coronavirus,” Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Joe Kelly said during a press conference in early May.
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A state senator warned of a “major crisis” in Minnesota’s long-term care facilities in a letter sent last week to Gov. Tim Walz.
State Sen. Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point), chair of the Senate Family Care and Aging Committee, applauded the governor for releasing a “five-point plan” earlier this month on addressing the crisis, but said she has seen “few indicators the trend is reversing.”
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A group of small business owners described the devastating economic impact of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order in a recently released video.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called a press conference Friday afternoon to discuss the modeling the state is using in its coronavirus response, but faced harsh criticism for closing the briefing to the public.
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State Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point) said the Minnesota Department of Health’s decision to withhold information about the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on nursing homes “only brings unnecessary grief and frustration to many Minnesota families.”
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State Sen. Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point) urged her colleagues to support a bill that would exempt freelance artists from being required to obtain a full cosmetology license for basic hair and makeup services.
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Sean Ryan, a Lake Elmo resident and former journalist, announced this week that he will seek the DFL endorsement in the race against Sen. Karin Housley for the Senate District 39 seat. In announcing his candidacy, Ryan touted the fact that when he was in high school—more than 20…
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The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) began targeting Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) and other swing-state Democrats Monday with a new billboard campaign. “Ask Tina Smith about the 430,478 Minnesota jobs at risk under the Green New Deal,” the NRSC’s new Minnesota billboard states. Smith has expressed support for the Green…
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The Minnesota Republican Party continued its 10-year statewide losing streak Tuesday, but party leaders are hesitant to accept any blame for the disastrous performance. State Republicans lost up and down the ballot in both local and federal elections, losing races for the governorship, attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor,…
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Newly-elected Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) made no mention of her Republican opponent Karin Housley during her victory speech Tuesday night nor in her posts made on social media after the election. Smith, who took over for Al Franken less than a year ago after his resignation, defeated Housley 53 percent…
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Both Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) hung on to their Senate seats Tuesday in a what turned out to be a big night for Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party. While there was little doubt that Klobuchar would win her bid for a third term in the Senate,…
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Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) was recently listed as one of the top 10 most vulnerable senators seeking reelection in the nation, joining fellow Democrats like Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND). Unlike like her Democratic colleagues, however, Smith is campaigning in her first race for the U.S.…
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Minnesota’ candidates running in the special election to replace Al Franken in the U.S. Senate met for their final debate Sunday night in front of a raucous crowd at St. Paul’s Fitzgerald Theater. One of the topics discussed was the rise of incivility and “extremism” in politics, which was on…
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Republican Karin Housley campaigned through the night Friday in her final push against Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) in their race for the U.S. Senate. The Housley campaign kicked off its 18-stop, 44-hour get-out-the-vote bus tour immediately following Thursday night’s debate at Hamline University, arriving in Duluth at 11:30 p.m. to…
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Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) seemed to suggest during Thursday night’s debate that she would support President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall, but the Minnesota Republican Party called her comments insincere. Smith faced off against Republican challenger Karin Housley at Hamline University in St. Paul for the second-to-last debate of the…
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Most Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party candidates have avoided campaigning with Keith Ellison ever since he was accused of domestic abuse, but Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) praised him as a “terrific” candidate on Thursday. “Everybody, Keith Ellison is going to make a terrific attorney general,” Smith said during one of the first…
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Minnesota Republicans are in striking distance of former Sen. Al Franken’s (D-MN) seat, and national Democratic Party leaders are finally starting to take notice. Smith, who was appointed to replace Franken after he resigned, still leads in most polls, but received considerable criticism after skipping the only debate televised statewide.…
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Republican Karin Housley debated an empty podium Sunday night after Democratic opponent Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) declined to participate due to a “complicated schedule.” But nobody seems to know what scheduling conflicts in particular prevented Smith from attending, and Smith herself didn’t elaborate beyond saying that she has “just a…
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During Sunday’s night of debates, Republican Karin Housley repeatedly criticized Democratic opponent Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) for declining the opportunity to debate due to a “complicated schedule.” KSTP’s moderators began the live interview by questioning Housley, who appeared on the stage unopposed, about her 2009 remarks comparing Michelle Obama to…
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A new poll shows that Republican Karin Housley is within three points of incumbent Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) who is running in her first election since replacing Al Franken. According to Change Research, 43 percent of likely voters support Housley in the special election while 46 percent said they support…
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Both of Minnesota’s U.S. Senators are refusing to participate in any further televised debates but are still leading their opponents in the polls. 5 Eyewitness News invited Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) to participate in Sunday’s debates, which will also include the gubernatorial and attorney general…
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Republican Senate candidate Karin Housley called on the Minnesota Office of Attorney General to conduct an investigation into the domestic-abuse allegations against Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN-05). In a Monday statement, Housley criticized her opponent, Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), for campaigning with Ellison while requesting a “quick and thorough” FBI investigation…
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Republican senatorial candidate Karin Housley recently criticized her “opponent’s continued hypocrisy” on her handling of the abuse allegations against both Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN-03) and Judge Brett Kavanaugh. As The Minnesota Sun has extensively reported, Ellison currently stands accused of two domestic-abuse allegations, but is continuing his run for Minnesota…
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Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) spent years as an abortion lobbyist fighting against “commonsense” legislation throughout the Midwest before she ever entered politics. From 2003 to 2006, Smith served as Planned Parenthood’s vice president for external affairs for Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota, where she fought against informed-consent laws as…
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The Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police made two big political endorsements last week. On Thursday, the powerful group endorsed Republican Karin Housley for U.S. Senate in her race against incumbent Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), appointed to succeed disgraced former Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), who resigned in January after allegations of…
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A new poll released Wednesday confirms that the race between Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) and Republican Karin Housley will be unusually “competitive” in a typically blue state. The poll, conducted by KSTP and SurveyUSA, shows that Smith, who was appointed to her position after Al Franken resigned, leads her opponent…
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Minnesota’s political candidates took a brief pause from the campaign trail Tuesday morning to commemorate the seventeenth anniversary of 9/11. “Today, we both mourn and remember the tragedy of September 11. We’re reminded of those who gave everything serving and sacrificing for others. 17 years later, we remember those highest…
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Mike Lindell, founder and CEO of MyPillow, first met President Donald Trump the summer before the 2016 election. “When I met him, I go: ‘Wow, there’s nobody on this planet I’d rather have be my president than Donald Trump,’” he told The Minnesota Sun. Lindell was launched into the political…
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At a Friday press conference in downtown St. Paul, Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) claimed that women can’t have “economic security” without access to abortion. The press conference was organized in opposition to President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, who poses a threat to the pro-choice movement. “We know,…
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New reports show that Sen. Tina Smith’s (D-MN) husband has up to $1 million invested in a hedge fund based in Bermuda, a well-known tax haven. The Washington Free Beacon was the first to discover the investment, noting that the senator’s husband, Archie Smith, has an investment of possibly $1…
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The latest poll out of Suffolk University shows that Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson (pictured, left) trails his opponent Rep. Tim Walz (pictured, right) by only five points in the race for Minnesota’ governorship. The poll, conducted between August 17 and August 20, surveyed 500 Minnesotans on their opinions of…
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