Good morning. These two Wisconsinites are pretty happy today (apologies to the Vikings fans).
The newest member of the MPR News politics coverage team takes his post today, and he’s coming to us from the political frying pan known as Iowa. Say hello to Clay Masters. For now, here’s Clay’s hello to all of you: “I’ve been Morning Edition host and lead political reporter at Iowa Public Radio for the last 10 years. I’ve covered three seemingly never-ending Iowa caucus cycles (one still in process) since starting at IPR as a statehouse correspondent in 2012. So I bring a lot of years of experience covering state and national politics. I’m a native of Lincoln, Nebraska, and graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in journalism (I’m obligated to say “Go Big Red” here). I started my career in public broadcasting at Nebraska Public Media, where I did everything from producing to hosting to helping launch the regional agricultural and rural public media collaborative Harvest Public Media. Minnesota has felt like home to me for the last couple of decades; my spouse is a native and my family is here regularly enjoying a Twins game or the beautiful natural resources the state has to offer. I hope to see a lot more of it as I settle in by pedaling down many of the state’s bike trails. I’m excited to join a stellar team and get to know another state’s politics.”
Clay hopes to get to know the lawmakers, staff members, lobbyists and politically involved people as he settles in. But some of those faces will be changing, thanks to upcoming legislative retirements. Dana Ferguson reports on some big-name lawmakers hanging it up after 2024. They include House Ways and Means Chair Liz Olson, Labor and Industry Chair Mike Nelson, Judiciary and Civil Law Chair Jamie Becker-Finn among others. Late Sunday afternoon, state Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, announced that he would also hang it up after the 2024 legislative session. Pelowski has served 37 years and chairs the Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee. This list will grow throughout the year. All 134 House seats are on the ballot, so some legislators could be retired during the election.
The Supreme Court will hear Donald Trump’s appeal after the Colorado Supreme Court banned him from the state’s 2024 ballot. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Trump had committed insurrection during the Jan. 6 attack and is barred from holding office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, ratified after the Civil War. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on Feb. 8. The primary season will be right around the corner and the judges will probably decide quickly.
Law enforcement and regulators are set to meet this week over the “cannabis flower loophole.” Regulators and law enforcement are buttoning up all the loose ends of the state’s new recreational marijuana law as they prepare to roll out the retail phase. One issue in the new law is a loophole regarding cannabis flowers. MinnPost reports that right now, some interpretations of the law suggest that the Office of Medical Cannabis (the agency in charge of the regulation of marijuana until a permanent Office of Cannabis Management is established) does not have regulatory oversight of the sale of cannabis flowers. The agency is assigned to regulate products made from hemp, but the law approved last year doesn’t explicitly say anything about the raw hemp flower itself. Regulators, law enforcement and other state agencies will discuss who watches over sales of marijuana in hemp stores and how.
And continuing our marijuana coverage (are you sensing a theme this year?) Dana Ferguson attended a training for officers on a roadside testing tool that can detect cannabis and other drugs in a driver’s spit. The roadside oral fluid device, administered like a Breathalyzer test, is part of a pilot project to collect data on how many people are driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs.The tests are able to detect THC and other controlled substances. During the pilot phase, the results of the tests can’t be used against drivers in court or be used as probable cause for an arrest. The project will last a year — after that, it will be up to Minnesota lawmakers to decide if they will become a fixture and qualify as evidence. Catch Dana’s story on Morning Edition.
Remember the state plane up for auction? Well, it’s sold. The State Patrol aircraft that had been up for auction saw a flurry of last-day bids that pushed the sale price up. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports that bidding for the 40-year-old Cessna opened $2,500 but the plane sold for more than $125,000 . A few bidders, who weren't publicly identified, went back and forth on the final day of an online auction. The plane the State Patrol is off-loading is being replaced with a newer single-engine aircraft. The new plane has been purchased but won't be put into service until it is outfitted with special law enforcement equipment. The patrol is also getting a new tactical helicopter thanks to nearly $19 million in funding the state Legislature approved. The patrol currently has two helicopters and four planes that are based in St. Paul and Brainerd. | 