Good morning, and happy Thursday.
Gov. Tim Walz is promoting state tax rebates as a way to cushion the expense of back to school shopping. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports: For some recipients, the timing is ideal. “This comes at the best time possible,” said Ebonie McMillan, a mother of three who joined Walz at his news conference Wednesday. She said she’ll use her rebate on children’s clothes and other supplies ahead of the new school year. “It’s like a good boost to start the school year out for the kids,” McMillan said. “Then they can go to school and feel happy and content like everyone else should feel.” But the extra money isn’t putting a smile on everyone’s face. Across social media, some are complaining that the rebates of $260 per person aren’t big enough, given Minnesota’s giant surplus. Republican lawmakers say the rebates are a letdown compared with what Walz proposed amid his re-election campaign last year. House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, considers it a broken promise. “Voters were being promised up to $2,000 checks — taxpayers were being promised that when it was campaign season looking for votes,” Demuth said. “Paltry? Yeah, $260 is very paltry.”
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against an additional 14 alleged members of Minneapolis street gangs. MPR’s Matt Sepic reports: The new criminal complaints follow similar charges brought in May against 45 suspected members of the Highs and Bloods. Authorities have expanded the crackdown to include several additional gangs. Seven of the newly-charged defendants are suspected to be part of the Lows gang, which generally operates in north Minneapolis south of West Broadway Avenue. Prosecutors also brought complaints against four additional people allegedly affiliated with the Highs, which operates north of West Broadway. Two alleged members of the 10z are also newly charged. The 10z has territory south of downtown Minneapolis, officials said. All 14 of the new defendants face gun charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm because of previous state-level convictions. Two also face machine gun charges, and three are charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The defendants are in custody.
Two weeks after becoming the first recreational cannabis dispensary in Minnesota to open its doors for business, the Red Lake Nation in northwestern Minnesota said it’s working on a mobile dispensary, which will resemble a food truck. MPR’s Mathew Holding Eagle III reports: Once completed, Red Lake leadership said the unit will allow them to expand their cannabis business into other markets, but only on tribal lands. Tribal Secretary Samuel Strong said he’s “very excited to see how the community will respond,” adding that they hope their marketing works “really well.” “Obviously, there’s some more security concerns that would be involved with a food truck, but very similar to that concept,” Strong said. “You know, setting up shop and being able to serve customers and have the same level of customer service while being mobile and being more available to our consumers.”
The Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association is expressing concerns over a new state law that bans school resources officers from “using prone restraint and comprehensive restraint on the head, neck and across most of the torso.” The group sent a letter to Walz and other state officials this week saying the law could make it harder for officers to control dangerous situations. KSTP reports that Walz said Wednesday he would seek to clarify the law: “The law is written to provide, there’s exceptions to student health, risk to them, risk to the police, so it is not being interpreted correctly in that they certainly have the authority to do that,” Walz said Wednesday. “I certainly think we should all agree that we should not kneel on the necks of students unless someone’s life is at risk and that is written into the law to be able to do that.” The governor said state lawyers confirmed to him that the updates aren’t total bans and allow school resource officers to still use certain restraints if the level of seriousness warrants them. “Yeah, we’ll clarify that the law . . . and I asked for my team to read me the law and the interpretation with the attorneys down there and there’s exceptions for health and safety of students and the officers, just like there is for everything,” Walz added.
The St. Paul City Council voted Wednesday to override a mayoral veto and place an early child care and education funding measure on the 2024 ballot for voters to decide. The question for voters is whether to raise the property tax levy each year for 10 years to pay for early childhood care and learning for low-income families in the city. MPR’s Jon Collins reports St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter vetoed the proposal last month, saying it was not practical or actionable and that it would only raise about half the money the city would need to fulfill the goals of the measure. Council member Rebecca Noecker said planning has been underway on the measure for years and urged the council to move forward. "This vote commits us to action and to a robust public conversation about investing in our kids and families and it's time to move that conversation forward,” Noecker said. The override passed 5-2 with council members Mitra Jilali and Russell Ballinger voting against.
The Minnesota Reformer notes: The University of Minnesota on Wednesday announced it has hired former Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen as its next chief lobbyist at the State Capitol. Beginning Aug. 28, López Franzen will be the U’s executive director of government and community relations, where she will oversee lobbying efforts for all five of the U’s campuses and lobby her former colleagues. “Melisa is a knowledgeable and dynamic leader. Her meaningful experience in the legislative process, as well as the respect she’s earned from a broad array of state, federal and local officials, will make her an outstanding leader for our government relations work,” U Interim President Jeff Ettinger said in a news release. | 