In sparsely populated districts, TV hearings save money District Judge Jerry Seibel rides a circuit to preside over cases throughout western Minnesota. Increasingly, that means turning on the TV and manning a remote control.August 13, 2012
Unique court lets tribal and state judges fight addiction together The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe has joined with two northern Minnesota counties to create a "wellness court" that for the first time is letting tribal and district court judges act together to handle addiction and substance abuse.August 13, 2012
Budget crunch forces cities and counties to rethink policing Since 2007, 20 Minnesota cities have disbanded their police departments to save money and others have trimmed officers. The state's local government budget crunch has hit the realm of public safety.August 13, 2012
Lottery sales going up, even as other gambling goes down The Minnesota State Lottery had a record year. Sales totaled $520 million in the year that ended June 30, topping last year's record by $16 million. For the past five years, lottery sales have been climbing, even as sales of other forms of gambling have gone down.August 3, 2012
Combined response to a hazardous waste spill in the middle of the night A situation tailor made to overwhelm the emergency services of a small town turned into a model of local, state and even federal cooperation. Sometimes Homeland Security money does more than fight terrorism.August 2, 2012
Most medical businesses already prepared to follow law The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's health care law doesn't change much for Minnesota's big medical device companies, hospitals, or health insurers.June 29, 2012
Minn.'s health care left largely intact by high court's ruling Today's ruling by the Supreme Court on the Affordable Care Act is only a way station in the law's history. The decision provides certainty that federal health care passes constitutional muster, but it remains to be seen whether it passes muster with the voters and their officials following the election.June 28, 2012
Medicaid expansion overlooked in Supreme Court anticipation When the Supreme Court announces its long-anticipated decision on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, all eyes will be on the so-called individual mandate.June 28, 2012
Proposed rules would ban emergency room debt collection The U.S. Department of Treasury released proposed regulations Monday that would ban debt collection activities in the emergency rooms of non-profit hospitals.June 25, 2012
State proposes Medicaid adjustment as Boomers enter system The Minnesota Department of Human Services unveiled a proposal this week to adjust the state's Medicaid program to prepare for the expected influx of aging baby boomers.June 19, 2012