When this year’s legislative session ended, the governor and leaders of both political parties touted the new laws passed and their successes producing results for the people of Minnesota. Unlike 2018 and several years before, there were no deadlocks that lead to public frustration, lack of action on key issues, contentious special sessions or a government shutdown. Even with divided government
Creative parents, pop culture lead to imaginative names
Sadly, I’ve come to learn my parents lacked imagination. At least when it comes to baby names. When I was born in 1953, I shared my first name with almost 85,000 other baby boys. Michael ranked third as the most popular name for boys born that year, behind Robert and James, according to the Social Security Administration. My parents may
Impeach or not? That IS the question
Brooding Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” has become, for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “To impeach or not to impeach.” That is the question, the big question. Pelosi is taking her time, but the pressure is on, especially after Robert Mueller’s televised speech May 29. Tip-toeing through his guarded words, Mueller reiterated his report does not exonerate President
Will fans fill new stadiums when teams fail?
For sports fans, Minnesota offers competitive teams in all major sports as well as a lineup of first-class venues. With teams in all the pro leagues – baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer – the Twin Cities have as much to offer as any metro area in the country. OK, so we don’t have a NASCAR track and we can’t
What has always and never been?
Graduation. For parents it’s a time of pride. For students, it’s a time to celebrate achievements past and the adult challenges ahead. As we mark this annual passage for our community’s young people, it’s time for the rest of us…friends, family and coworkers…to examine the mindset of this year’s high school seniors. For the last 20 years, Beloit College has
MIAC booting St. Thomas shameful, wrong
If you can’t beat them, kick them out. This appears to be the main rationale behind the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s decision to remove the University of St. Thomas from participating in its athletics competitions after the spring of 2021. Though as a current Johnnie myself I subscribe to the historic rivalry between St. John’s and St. Thomas, I feel
Letter: Stop blaming gun owners for gun violence
Kraig Lalim, Sartell In this time of increased out-of-state political attention on guns, I have to write and mention Minnesotans like me, who grew up with guns. We’ve had them at deer camp, and on the back 40 plinking cans. We’ve gone with them to the range with our daughters, our sons and our friends. We’ve kept that .22 that
As session deadline nears, budget deal pushes aside policy goals
The end is near. Legislators are heading toward a deadline of midnight Monday, May 20, to finish their work. Despite the best intentions at the start of the session to look for early compromises and stick to a deadline to wrap up committee work, the big decisions will happen at the last minute. Last year, the Republican-controlled Legislature and DFL