Christopher Snowbeck writes for the Star Tribune, “Thousands of Minnesota employers have just weeks to comply with federal rules calling on workers to undergo COVID-19 vaccination or get tested weekly to show they’ve not been infected with the pandemic virus. The rules weren’t a surprise, but Thursday’s announcement set the timeline and specified that employers won’t have to cover testing costs. Companies with 100 or more employees must ensure all their workers are fully vaccinated by Jan. 4, at which point those who are not must wear masks and undergo weekly testing, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said.”
For Axios, Russell Contreras says, “Cities and states are unlikely to see many new ‘defund the police’ proposals after Minneapolis voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot measure to overhaul the city’s police department, one of the nation’s largest police unions tells Axios. … ‘I believe, by and large, that ship has sailed,’ said Jim Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, a national police organization that represents 356,000 officers.”
The Forum News Service reports: “Private talks have resumed about how Minnesota should divvy up $250 million in hero pay for front-line workers and $10 million for farmers hit by historically dry conditions, state legislative leaders said Thursday. After a bipartisan working group closed out its business last week without a clear plan for lawmakers, Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders picked up discussions privately, the governor told Forum News Service. The negotiations come after Walz and Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, last month clashed over the terms for reconvening the Legislature for a special session.”
In the Rochester Post-Bulletin, Nora Eckert reports, “The most important decisions made in Minnesota’s organ transplant system may not be determined in a hospital or surgeon’s room, but in a sleek office building on Minneapolis’ north side. The $18-million structure bearing the name ‘LifeSource’ holds Minnesota’s organ procurement organization, one of 57 such organizations federally designated to oversee the delivery of organs from the deceased to those in need. The typically behind-the-scenes organization has recently found itself in an unfamiliar position: under scrutiny. LifeSource has twice been classified as underperforming by a federal agency, and it is one of 11 organ procurement organizations Congress is investigating for lagging performance and potential conflicts of interest.”
Also in the Star Tribune, Susan Du writes: “Minneapolis Park Commissioner Meg Forney showed up at the elections office on the first day of candidate filing with a contingent of women who’d pledged — despite a variety of life experiences and political views — to work collaboratively on the Park Board. Three months later the results are in, and women had swept seven out of nine seats on a body where they had previously been a minority voting faction. … In the first election following the Park Board’s controversial and short-lived promise to provide refuge for homeless encampments last summer, four incumbents chose not to seek re-election and three incumbents were voted out.”
For MPR, Elizabeth Shockman reports, “Minnesota schools have dealt with a lot lately. The pandemic still forces some students, teachers and their families into quarantine. Parents argued at school board meetings over masking and racial equity. And many districts asked voters for more money to pay for staffing, technology and repairs. On Tuesday voters heard those requests and decided to give many districts a boost. ‘Statewide, it was a good night for schools,’ said Greg Abbott, spokesperson for the Minnesota School Boards Association. Voters gave district funding requests a higher than average approval rate.”
A KMSP-TV story says, “Applications for low-income family housing waitlist in Minneapolis will be open 8 a.m. Friday until 12 p.m. Tuesday. The Minnesota Public Housing Authority (MPHA) is accepting applications for its waitlist for family housing of 2-5 bedrooms. Applicants must meet eligibility criteria to qualify, then they will be placed on the waiting list based on a random drawing for each bedroom size.”
Rohan Preston writes in the Star Tribune: “A month after Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ shut down on Broadway because of breakthrough COVID-19 infections, two Twin Cities playhouses have canceled performances because of the pandemic. Artistry in Bloomington announced Thursday that it has scotched a week of performances and pushed back its opening of ‘Little Women: The Broadway Musical,’ initially scheduled for Thursday, to Nov. 11 because of COVID-19. … On Wednesday, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres canceled its evening performance of ‘Music Man’ because an actor was unwell. Performances resumed Thursday.”
WCCO-TV reports: “Earlier this week, Plymouth police broke up a street fight of the most unusual kind. Two eagles decided to do battle near the intersection of 41st Avenue and Nathan Lane. It went on for quite a while and in front of a small crowd. Officer Mitch Martinson was doing traffic enforcement near the high school that day, ensuring the safety of students. He never thought he’d also be ensuring the safety of eagles. … Martinson said the eagles did not appear to be hurt when they flew away. The Raptor Center said sometimes those fights end in serious injuries or even death.”
For the AP, Stephen Groves reports, “South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem contradicted her own labor secretary Thursday about a meeting last year in her office, saying it didn’t include any discussion about how her daughter could still win a real estate appraiser license after a state agency moved to deny it. The Republican governor answered questions from South Dakota reporters on the episode for the first time Thursday, more than a month after The Associated Press first reported on it. While a Republican-dominated legislative committee and state government ethics board have looked into the matter, she called AP’s reporting on the meeting ‘twisted’ and ‘manipulated.’”
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