Child care union vote, synthetic drug suit tossed, Dayton 2014

Posted at 7:45 AM on November 16, 2011 by Michael Olson
Filed under: Around MN

Dayton orders union vote by child care providers
Gov. Mark Dayton issued an executive order this morning allowing for roughly 4,300 daycare providers in Minnesota to decide whether they should join a union (MPR News). The governor also stressed that even if a union is authorized, membership would be voluntary. The election will be conducted by the state Bureau of Mediation Services (AP).

"There is nothing in Minnesota law that provides the governor with the power to do the thing that he says he's going to do," said Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, who chairs the Senate health and human services committee."And I think the real question for us is, what do you do with a governor who won't follow the law?" (Pioneer Press)

The Big Story Blog: High cost of child care
Minnesota ranks as one of the costliest states in the nation when it comes to child care. We'll look at the issues today surrounding how much child care costs in Minnesota and why. Join in.

Also on Minnesota Today
Judge tosses Duluth head shop lawsuit
A Hennepin County judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Duluth's Last Place on Earth and two other Minnesota synthetic drug retailers challenging a state law that bans certain versions of those drugs (Duluth News Tribune).

Gov. Dayton says he'll run again in 2014
"Eight years, I think, is what it's going to take to really streamline state government, make it more efficient to bring it up to the standards my family set in the past. I'm very fortunate to have the job. I love the job. I work very hard at it" said Dayton (KARE11).

Duluth police want Occupiers out this weekend
After two months of eating, sleeping and occupying the space in front of Duluth city hall, protesters are being told to leave or they will be assisted out by Duluth police (Northland News). Authorities declined to say if they will crackdown on OccupyMN protesters in Minneapolis.

Study: Fewer Minnesotans Ready to Retire
New data shows the number of Minnesotans who believe they are ready to retire is falling, but metro-area workers are not as anxious about their finances as other areas surveyed in the nationwide study (Fox9).

Secretive Cargill heir passes away
Cargill MacMillan Jr., secretive heir to the Cargill family fortune, passed away Monday at age 84, according to the Palm Spring Arts Museum, where MacMillan was a long-time benefactor. Although the cause of death is unknown at this time, he was in declining health (Forbes).

Contributions to Barack Obama by ZIP code
It probably wouldn't surprise you that contributors in the metro area have given the most money to the re-election campaign of Barack Obama, so we decided to slice the data a little differently for this map (MinnPost).

Congressional wealth: How the Minnesota delegation stacks up
Three members of the MN delegation have an average net worth of more than $1 million. Sen. Franken, Rep. Bachmann and Rep. Cravaack top the MN delegation in wealth (Capitol View).

What a transmission control center looks like

Back in August, I had a chance to visit MISO's St. Paul region transmission control center, where engineers and analysts monitor and manage the Upper Midwest's electricity grid 24-7 (Midwest Energy).

Jon Stewart's surprise when Bachmann sounds nearly reasonable

This is a Daily Show clip that you don't see often: In appraising the latest GOP debate, Jon Stewart had a few semi-agreeable things to say about the foreign policy remarks of candidates he frequently mocks, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum (The Atlantic).

High-speed rail: next stop Winona, Minnesota Independent unplugged

Posted at 4:30 PM on November 16, 2011 by Michael Olson
Filed under: Around MN

High speed rail will bypass Minnesota's third largest city, Rochester, according to a recently approved recommendation by the Federal Railroad Administration.

The approved route would follow the existing Amtrak route that traces the Mississippi River between La Cross and St Paul.

"It's our view that this preferred route isn't just a plus for cities along the line but for the whole state," said Winona Mayor Jerry Miller, who chairs the Minnesota High-Speed Rail Commission and has spent years tirelessly advocating for the route (Winona Daily News).

The Rochester Post Bulletin reports local lawmakers are calling the plan "short sighted."

Also on MN Today

On Sunday, Congressman Tim Walz had just four colleagues among the 535 members of the House and Senate who had signed on to his bill prohibiting insider trading on Capitol Hill.

By Tuesday night, the number was approaching 35 and growing.

Walz hadn't become suddenly more persuasive over the weekend. The difference was a Sunday night broadcast by 60 Minutes about Congress being exempt from the insider trading laws that apply to other Americans who use non-public information to enrich themselves in the stock market (Mankato Free Press).

Minnesota Independent staffer says lefty news site is shutting down
Minnesota Independent editor/reporter Jon Collins says he has been laid off and parent organization American Independent News Network will close the local and other state sites (MinnPost). After MinnPost's David Brauer blogged about the closure Minnesota Independent CEO confirmed that the news operation was closing.

"I am writing today to announce the closure of the Minnesota Independent. After five years of operation in Minnesota, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com" -- David S. Bennahum
CEO & founder, The American Independent News Network.

Minnesotans lead nation in donating our time and money
Minnesota's 10,000 lakes aren't our only claim to fame: Those cabins around the lakes belong to some of the most philanthropic-minded residents in the nation (Star Tribune).

The dawn of Winter's Empire
Winter will now occupy our cities and roads, our rails and our minds. A generation will pass and Winter will cement its power. Only much later will the idea ferment that Winter may be defeated: Sprigs of warmth, green shoots of hope. It is then that the opposition will thaw Winter's Empire (Minnesota Brown).

Wis. DNR warns hunters to watch for cougar
State wildlife officials are warning deer hunters to keep an eye out for a cougar roaming west-central and northern Wisconsin (Outdoors with Sam Cook).

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