Thursday, May 16, 2013
A contingent of day care providers and families with children who use that care protested against Senate File 778. But the DFL-controlled Senate approved the measure with a narrow, 35-32 vote after 17 hours of debate.
UPDATE, Wednesday, May 15: It took 17 hours of debate and more than a little arm-twisting from bill author Sen. Sandy Pappas, but the bill allowing day care providers to unionize in Minnesota passed the State Senate early Wedneday by the narrowest of margins. The DFL, which has a nine-member majority in the Senate, had a few members vote "no" on the unionization bill, approving it with a 35-32 vote. Minnetonka Sen. Terri Bonoff of Minnetonka, Greg Clausen of Apple Valley, Bev Scalze of Little Canada and Melisa Franzen of Edina broke ranks with the DFL and voted against the measure. The bill will now move to the House floor, where it will most likely replace a similar bill, H.F. 905, before it could move to Gov. Mark Dayton's desk. * * * …
Gov. Mark Dayton’s signature Tuesday didn’t end the heated debate around same-sex marriage.
Whatever side of the debate you fall on, there’s no denying that this week’s passage of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was a historical moment. Minnesota became just the 12th state to sanction gay marriage when Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill Tuesday. Patch readers quickly wrote in to share their thoughts on the moment. Eagan Patch reader Kathi Malone echoed the view of legislators who voted yes in seeing same-sex marriage as a civil right: I am so happy that finally gay people will be able to have the civil right to marry. This is truly an American vote for freedom. I applaud Sen Clausen and all other legislators who voted for this historical bill. James N added: Thank you Senator Carlson and the entire MN legislature for extending …
Friday, May 10, 2013
The community had 84 percent of registered voters cast a ballot in the 2012 election.
Lakeville had a high voter turnout in the 2012 election for a state that is itself already well above the national average. Minnesota fell to third in the country—behind only Mississippi and Wisconsin, according to data the U.S. Census Bureau made public Wednesday evening. Although it had the highest levels in the country of voter turnout in the 2008 election, the 73.2 percent of citizens who voted here in 2012 is still comfortably above the national average of 61.8. (The Census Bureau’s rates are different from those from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office, which lists a 76.11 percent voter turnout rate. The Census Bureau’s rate for Minnesota is listed as having a margin of error of ± 2.1 percent.) The Census Bureau didn’t provide …
Monday, May 6, 2013
The Republican senator from District 56 updates residents on the Daycare Unionization Bill and the Dream Act.
Editor's note: The following is an update from Lakeville Sen. Dave Thompson (R-District 56), dated May 3. Catching Up This is not my usual comprehensive update, because I sent you information just [a few] days ago. However, there are some things you need to know. At this point in session things are moving very quickly. Daycare Unionization Bill Democrats are highly motivated to get daycare providers and personal care attendants (PCA) under the union umbrella. This is not a good idea. Most daycare providers and virtually all PCAs are self-employed. The union model doesn’t even fit for these folks. This legislation is a brazen attempt to grow union membership and create yet another group that is working to get more money from taxpayers…
Holberg: "We have just three weeks left before the state’s budget must be passed, and both the House and Senate Tax Omnibus bills are under consideration after a tough struggle to pass them."
Editor's note: The following is a newsletter from Lakeville's State House Representative Mary Liz Holberg, R-Lakeville. Minnesotans are justifiably concerned about the runaway tax and fee increases headed their way when this legislative session adjourns. We have just three weeks left before the state’s budget must be passed, and both the House and Senate Tax Omnibus bills are under consideration after a tough struggle to pass them. A conference committee is now merging the two tax bills and a final product will come back to the House for final passage. The 2013 House Tax Omnibus Bill was passed last week by a handful of votes with bipartisan opposition. The Senate’s bill (including new taxes on clothing and personal services) passed on …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The state dropped two spots in the League of American Bicyclists’ annual rankings.
(Editor's Note: The map above was created by the League of American Bicyclists.) Minnesota is still among the top states in “bike friendliness,” but its ranking fell a couple notches in 2013, according to the League of American Bicyclists. The state was ranked fourth this year, down from second in 2012. It ranked high in legislation and enforcement, policies and programs and education and encouragement. But it was middle of the pack in infrastructure and funding and lower tier in evaluation and planning. Minnesota was also missing three of the league’s “Top 10 Signs of Success: Use the map above to see how Minnesota compares to other states in the various categories. Do you think Minnesota needs to do more to support cycling? Share your …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The school was ranked No. 12 in the state last year.
The annual ranking of public high schools was announced Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report, and Lakeville South High School has dropped off the magazine's list. In 2012, the high school was named the 12th best public high school in Minnesota—and the 607th best in the country—but this year it didn't make the cut as one of the 46 ranked schools. More than 21,000 public high schools throughout the country were reviewed. Criteria include student-teacher ratio, a college readiness index (determined by percentage of students taking and passing Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate exams), and students' proficiency on standardized tests. A total of 50 percent of Lakeville South students took one or more Advanced Placement (AP) …
Monday, April 22, 2013
Holberg: "On Thursday, the Minnesota House approved a comprehensive agriculture and environment finance proposal that spends $822 million in order to better protect our land, air, and waterways and to promote the ag industry."
Editor's note: The following is a newsletter from Lakeville's State House Representative Mary Liz Holberg, R-Lakeville. Greetings from the Capitol: Most Popular Constituent Contact Issue This Week – Tax Omnibus Bill Many of you have contacted me about new taxes and fees being proposed this year. Ironically, as Minnesotans rushed to file their taxes by the April 15 deadline, Democrats in the House used the day to celebrate and announced their Omnibus Tax Bill, the plan to raise taxes by $2.6 billion over the next two years through higher income taxes, tobacco sales taxes, and a much higher tax on alcohol. The bill creates a Fourth Tier income tax rate of 8.49% for couples with taxable income greater than $400,000 or individuals above $226,…
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Two explosions occurred the afternoon of Monday, April 15, 2013 near the marathon finish line on Boylston Street in Boston, MA.
During the Boston Marathon April 15, two explosions occurred near the finish line—killing three and injuring more than 100 people, according to a report from Fenway-Kenmore Patch. Among the 23,000 runners at the annual race were approximately 500 Minnesota residents, according to StarTribune.com. Here is what some of the runners shared about the incident and their experience. Click on the headline to read the full story. Roseville Runner: Boston Marathon Bombings "Surreal" Eric Kronback said he thought the two explosions were cannons. Blocks Away from Boston Marathon Explosions: Lake Elmo Woman Recounts 'A War Zone' “All of a sudden I heard two huge blasts—and everything went silent," Chris Hess-Withbroe said from her Boston hotel room …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Hall: "As widely reported, initial pull tab revenue for FY 2013 was projected to be $35 million, while updated projections have been scaled back to $1.8 million, a 95 percent reduction."
The following is a column from Sen. Dan Hall, D-District 56. E-pull tabs, Budgets, and Taxes Bipartisan concerns continue at the Capitol over the growing gap between initial and updated projections of electronic pull tab revenue—which is a key funding source for the new Vikings stadium. During this week’s inaugural hearing of the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Sports Facilities, members of both parties called for an expedited hearing on why Governor Dayton’s revenue projections have so far been significantly off the mark. As widely reported, initial pull tab revenue for FY 2013 was projected to be $35 million, while updated projections have been scaled back to $1.8 million, a 95 percent reduction. Officials from the Minnesota …
B. Martin
10:59 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013
I have become convinced that "Mike B." has to be a fictitious poster constructed by someone(s) as a prank to stir the point. At very least, he is trolling; nothing is to be gained from trying to debate issues with whomever is posting under this alias. more ›