Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Legislation to allow gay marriage in the state cleared its final hurdle Monday, May 13. With Gov. Mark Dayton expected to sign the bill as soon as tomorrow, Minnesota will become the 12th state in the country to allow same-sex couples to marry.
The Minnesota Senate approved H.F. 1054 Monday, May 13, clearing the way for Minnesota same-sex couples to marry in the state. The 37 to 30 vote, which was seen as the last hurdle for the legislation, makes Minnesota the 12th in the United States to recognize same-sex marriages in state law. Gov. Mark Dayton's office announced a signing ceremony set for 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 14. Democrats, known locally as the DFL party, hold a 39-28 advantage in the Minnesota Senate. Debate began shortly after noon Monday, with the Republican Party introducing a pair of amendments to the bill, both of which were voted down by state Democrats, who control the Senate. It quickly moved to speeches invoking personal feelings and relationships surrounding the…
Monday, May 6, 2013
After Gov. Mark Dayton called a recent town hall audience rude, Patch wants to know what you think is acceptable behavior.
A week ago, an audience at Shakopee High School responded with laughter, head nods and interruptions when Gov. Mark Dayton said that the state's legislators are underpaid. In a Tuesday press conference, Dayton said the behavior was juvenile and reminded him of his ninth grade general science classes in New York City. Such responses are hardly unknown. As debate heated up on health care reform a few years ago, protests often greeted Democratic members of Congress trying to sell the legislation to constituents in Town Halls. More recently, Nick Espinosa and Sam Richards dumped glitter on presidential candidate Mitt Romney at the beginning of a speech in Eagan in February 2012. Such outbursts aren’t confined to the United States either. In …
Sunday, May 5, 2013
This week's compilation includes a Red Cross Hero, 'unemployment is a very boring existence,' MCA issues, profitable liquor store, superintendent search and light rail.
Editor’s Note: Every week we bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, Southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. Brooklyn Park Man Pulled From Maple Grove Pond Dies The 20-year-old man was pulled from the pond near the 12300 block of Elm Creek Boulevard. Freshwater Society Officially Declares Ice Out on Lake Minnetonka The call came at 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning; Hennepin County Sheriff’s Water Patrol uses a different standard. Dayton Heckled in Shakopee, Calls Audience 'Rude' and 'Juvenile' Gov. Mark Dayton told a Shakopee audience that "I’ve been all over the state and I’ve …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Gov. Mark Dayton, in his first appearance since having back surgery late last year, will outline his proposed budget for the next two years.
Laying out financial plans for the next two years, and with a Democratic controlled Legislature out in front of him, Gov. Mark Dayton will address both the public and public servants at the Minnesota State Capitol this morning. You can watch streaming video, live, courtesy of the UpTake right here as Dayton will lay out a series of tax hikes, line-item increases and an expected payment shift for Minnesota schools in his address. It's the first public appearance for Dayton since he had back surgery in Rochester, MN last month. Media outlets such as Minnesota Public Radio are saying the budget could have a big impact on Dayton's political future. The first-term governor has not hinted whether or not he will run again for the state's top seat…
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Patch will pause to remember the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary.
Patch websites in Minnesota will go dark for a moment Friday morning to honor the memory of those killed one week ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. The brief Patch blackout is set for 8:30 a.m. CST on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Gov. Mark Dayton has called for a moment of silence in Minnesota one hour later, at 9:30 a.m. CST. In his statement (click on PDF thumbnail), Dayton also asked places of worship and government buildings that have bells to ring them 26 times "in honor of each life that was taken far too soon at Sandy Hook Elementary School." Twenty children and six adults died in the mass shooting. Newtown Patch's news hub has extensive coverage of the events of Dec. 14 and since, including the names of those who died…
Thursday, May 10, 2012
It was a legislative all-nighter; watch the Senate take the final stadium vote this morning.
One final hurdle for a Vikings stadium remains: Senate passage of a reconciled bill that was approved by the House this early this morning. Wright County area Reps. Bruce Anderson, Joyce Peppin and Joe McDonald all voted against the bill early Thursday. Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, who is running in November for the new Senate seat representing St. Michael, Albertville and Otsego, aslo was a "no" vote. We have live coverage of that Senate debate and vote, which was expected to start around 9 a.m. However, at 10 a.m. the Senate had yet to convene. Earlier this week, Minnesota's House and Senate passed two different versions of Vikings stadium bills. Yesterday, it was the job of a conference committee made of members of both chambers to negotiate a …
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed 12 bill Wednesday morning ending the government shutdown that tied up Minnesota for nearly three weeks.
Insults were hurled. Accusations were made. Pleas were ignored. But in the end, the people’s business was finished. Gov. Mark Dayton just signed into law all 12 budget bills passed in the middle of the night Wednesday by the Minnesota House and Senate. Dayton’s signatures ended the shutdown of Minnesota government. At 20 days, it was the longest continuous state government closure in Minnesota history. Wednesday morning Dayton kept his promise that he wouldn’t sign any of the bills until all 12 had passed through both houses of the legislature. It took less than an hour’s work for Minnesota lawmakers, who reconvened Tuesday afternoon, to pass five bills—and each legislative body ended up passing 12 bills between 3 p.m Tuesday and 3:30 a.m…
Monday, June 27, 2011
After a dark week of trading punches via the media, the Republican leadership and Gov. Mark Dayton held talks Friday and Saturday in efforts to avoid a shutdown.
This weekend was an eventful one in the ongoing struggle to prevent an all-out government shutdown of Minnesota state services. Gov. Mark Dayton met with the Republican leadership extensively on Saturday and, according to Session Daily, reached consensus on a number of issues including state government finance, K-12 education, transportation, public safety, jobs and economic development. But while it appears progress is being made, there is still cause for concern after Sunday talks ended just 60 minutes into discussion and both Dayton and lawmakers avoided the media, Forbes reported. The parties are searching for common ground in their proposed state budgets, which differ by $1.8 billion. Dayton is hoping to tax the highest-earning 2 …
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
The Buffalo native, who represents all of Wright County, will be sworn in Tuesday, Jan. 4 as the state's first female majority leader in the Senate. She gave Patch an exclusive one-on-one just a week before that big day.
Christmas came early for Minnesota State Sen. Amy Koch this year, and she'll be the first to admit it. The small business-owner from Buffalo has become the most powerful woman in Minnesota state politics, earning the title of Senate Majority Leader after she and her party swept their way through the 2010 election Tuesday, Nov. 2. As the campaign chair for the Senate Republican Caucus, a position she volunteered for after a 2008 humiliation that saw the Republicans fall into a "superminority," Koch was rewarded for her efforts. Three days after the Republicans took control of the Minnesota Senate for the first time in 38 years, she was named the state's first ever female majority leader. "It's humbling," Koch, 39, who represents all of …
Mike Hindin
9:37 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Try anything with John Wane in it. I don't care about Hollywood past or present. more ›