April 12, 2006 - A new state audit says county workers make errors on more than two-thirds of the applications they process from immigrants trying to use public health programs. The Legislative Auditor found that county workers made mistakes in seven of every ten cases where they evaluated a non-citizen's eligibility to receive health care. The report says the mistakes could allow some non-citizens to get care they're not entitled to. State lawmakers generally agree that the high number of mistakes is a problem but they differ on how serious it is. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
April 12, 2006 - Some Minnesota lawmakers say they're hearing the message from thousands of people calling for immigration reform. An estimated 30-thousand people marched to the state Capitol last weekend to support immigration reform, and some lawmakers are pushing legislation to help undocumented workers in the state. Governor Pawlenty has called for cracking down on illegal immigration, and although his proposals are unlikely to get through the Legislature intact this session, he could get some political traction from the issue. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
April 19, 2006 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak state of the city address. Public safety was the top priority outlined in his address. Rybak delivered his speech Tuesday afternoon in north Minneapolis -- a part of the city that contains several high crime neighborhoods. The mayor focused much of his speech on plans to bring jobs, housing, commerce and hope there. Report also contains community commentary on reaction to Rybak’s speech.
April 26, 2006 - It hasn't gotten as much attention as the stadium, but it's been a wild couple of weeks on the budget front in the Minnesota House. Republican leaders had planned to pass as many as nine budget bills to take care of various spending priorities. But to their dismay, those bills were accumulating initiatives that were picking up votes from Democrats and moderate Republicans. House leaders are trying to control a razor-thin Republican majority, which is getting tugged from both the right and the middle. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
April 27, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Sheck reports that after more than seven hours of debate, the Minnesota House gave the go-ahead to a controversial plan for a new outdoor stadium for the Minnesota Twins. By a comfortable 76 to 55 margin the House approved a measure that would allow a Hennepin County to impose a sales tax without voter approval.
April 28, 2006 -
May 1, 2006 - Several thousand immigrants, mostly Latino, gathered in Powderhorn Park today for the "A Day Without Immigrants" protests. MPR's Annie Baxter reports.
May 7, 2006 - State Representative Keith Ellison of Minneapolis has won the Democratic endorsement for Congress in Minnesota's Fifth District. Delegates endorsed Ellison to succeed retiring Congressman Martin Sabo, who has held the seat since 1978. If elected, Ellison would be the first African American Congressman in Minnesota history. But the endorsement doesn't guarantee that he'll be DFLer on the November ballot because several Democrats say they'll run in a September primary. MPR’s Tom Scheck reports from DFL convention.
May 9, 2006 - The DFL-controlled Minnesota Senate has side-stepped a showdown on abortion by stripping several measures out of its budget bill. Lawmakers passed a $127 million supplemental spending measure last night on a vote of 64 to 3. The original bill involved much more state spending. But with several abortion-related amendments looming, DFL leaders pulled out nearly $80 million dollars worth of health and human services provisions. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.
May 19, 2006 - State lawmakers will be back at the Capitol today working on getting the major issues resolved before Monday's constitutional deadline to adjourn. Late last night, Governor Pawlenty and legislative leaders agreed on a spending plan. They hope the deal sets the course for a smooth ending to the legislative session. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports..