In two separate courtroom trials coming up, two fraud defendants are set to face juries. The first jury trial began yesterday (Sept. 25) at the federal courthouse in downtown St. Paul, before district Judge Susan Richard Nelson. The defendant, Sharmaine...
Minnesotans are not optimistic about the direction of our state as they head to the polls this November. Fifty-five percent of respondents to the latest Thinking Minnesota Poll said the state is moving in the wrong direction. Only 36 percent believe the state...
State and local taxes and spending Sun Post: Robbinsdale sets 6% preliminary tax levy increase for 2027 Rochester Post Bulletin: Rochester City Council considers capping 2027 property taxes at $124.9M Park Rapids Enterprise: Hubbard County raises preliminary...
A lawsuit filed yesterday by the state attorney general against the nonprofit company Partners in Nutrition shines more light onto the larger free-food fraud scandal. It’s known as the “Feeding Our Future” scandal, named after the nonprofit company of the same...
In 2025, New Mexico became the first U.S. state to offer universal childcare. In Minnesota, the DFL could push for a similar policy during the 2027 legislative session. To illustrate what this could specifically mean for taxpayers, I estimate the program’s...
Hassan Ahmed Hussein entered a guilty plea yesterday for his role in the Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) Medicaid fraud. I’ve been tracking some 116 defendants charged by the local U.S. Attorney for welfare fraud in Minnesota over the past four years. Of...
Education Minnesota’s political involvement is no secret. The state teachers’ union is a major spender on lobbying and political activity in Minnesota, and its political action committee (PAC) has directed most of its candidate and political committee spending...
On June 18th, Open AI robot-agents were researching health data posted on Australian public facing reports when they apparently broke into an area they were not authorized to be. What the agent reached was Services Australia’s Medicare Statistics Reporting...
Back in June, Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB) released its end of session “General Fund Balance Analysis” with forecasts for the current budget biennium (FY 2026-27) and the next (FY 2028-29). These are the last estimates we will get before the...
The top ten stories for the week: for news, commentary and more; on energy, environment and natural resources; from around the state, country and world. Energy & Public Utilities Energy Information Administration (EIA) => Sales of Electricity to Ultimate...