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Minnesota Reformer
More states enact salary transparency laws to fight gender, racial pay gaps
To combat gender and racial wage gaps, nearly a dozen states recently have enacted pay transparency laws that require employers to be more open about the wages and benefits they offer. Most of the laws require employers to disclose wages in job postings and some bar them from asking a job candidate about their salary […] The post More states enact salary transparency laws to fight gender, racial pay gaps appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Huge dairy farms planned for eastern North Dakota
Two dairy farms planned for eastern North Dakota would more than quadruple the number of dairy cows in North Dakota and provide a dramatic shift to the livestock industry in a state that has fallen behind its neighbors in animal agriculture. Riverview Dairy, based in Morris, Minnesota, hopes to build a 25,000-cow dairy farm southeast […] The post Huge dairy farms planned for eastern North Dakota appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Minnesota human services department investigating 15 autism providers
The state of Minnesota is investigating 15 autism providers and has already completed other investigations, withheld payments due to credible fraud allegations and forwarded cases to law enforcement “when appropriate,” according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. The post Minnesota human services department investigating 15 autism providers appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Here’s what the French anti-fascist election coalition can teach us
On Sunday, July 7, French voters saved their republic from the political guillotine by decisively rejecting the extremist Rassemblement National, or RN. Before ballots were cast in the second and decisive round of French legislative elections, pundits predicted that the RN would take between 230 and 280 seats of the 577 in the French National […] The post Here’s what the French anti-fascist election coalition can teach us appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Biden commends NATO strength, pledges more aid for Ukraine against Russia
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said NATO “is more powerful than ever” in remarks Tuesday to honor the 75th anniversary of the alliance and reaffirm allied support for Ukraine one day after Russian missile strikes on a children’s hospital killed dozens in Kyiv. Biden spoke at the annual North American Treaty Organization’s summit happening this […] The post Biden commends NATO strength, pledges more aid for Ukraine against Russia appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
United by their objections to Trump, congressional Dems largely close ranks behind Biden
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats appeared to quell some inner tumult over supporting President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, after highly anticipated internal meetings Tuesday showed the president retained considerable support from the Congressional Black Caucus and other lawmakers in public statements. Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Democrats from both chambers largely declined to detail their […] The post United by their objections to Trump, congressional Dems largely close ranks behind Biden appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Federal regulator: Pharmacy middlemen appear to be raising prices, hurting patients
The federal trade watchdog on Tuesday released an interim report saying that sprawling health care conglomerates are driving out competition in the pharmacy sector and appear to be increasing prices in the process. The interim report comes after the Federal Trade Commission in 2022 announced that it was undertaking a sweeping investigation of pharmacy middlemen […] The post Federal regulator: Pharmacy middlemen appear to be raising prices, hurting patients appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Minnesota water bottle plant receiving millions in subsidies
A new Niagara Bottling plant in the Twin Cities metro is receiving millions of dollars in state and local subsidies to bottle and sell Minnesota water. A deal reached between the company, the state Department of Employment and Economic Development and the city of Elko New Market will give Niagara Bottling more than $4.3 million […] The post Minnesota water bottle plant receiving millions in subsidies appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Congressional Dems urge a more robust Biden on the campaign trail, but few openly revolt
WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress called on President Joe Biden to prove to voters that he is up for another four years in the Oval Office, though many in interviews pledged to stick with him as the presumptive nominee as they returned to the Capitol on Monday following the Fourth of July recess. Questions over […] The post Congressional Dems urge a more robust Biden on the campaign trail, but few openly revolt appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Confusion, clinic closures may have caused big declines in contraception use, study shows
Clinic closures in the wake of the Dobbs decision and questions about the legality of emergency contraceptives, including disinformation that some are abortion drugs, may have contributed to a sharp drop in the rate of prescriptions for contraceptives in states with the most restrictive abortion bans, according to a University of Southern California. The decline […] The post Confusion, clinic closures may have caused big declines in contraception use, study shows appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Biden tells congressional Dems he is staying in the race, urges end to speculation
President Joe Biden pledged Monday to stay in his race for reelection, even after a weekend in which a growing number of Democrats asked for him to withdraw and a key U.S. House Republican called for an investigation into the president’s doctor. In a letter to congressional Democrats, Biden argued that the calls for him […] The post Biden tells congressional Dems he is staying in the race, urges end to speculation appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Minnesota House GOP makes case for divided government by citing state’s ‘systemic fraud’
Minnesota House Republicans on Monday said that the state’s Democratic trifecta has failed to take responsibility for burgeoning fraud occurring in programs overseen by state agencies, and they argued that electing more GOP lawmakers in November will mitigate future fraud. In recent years, numerous investigations by the state’s nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor have […] The post Minnesota House GOP makes case for divided government by citing state’s ‘systemic fraud’ appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Five notes on the debate about antisemitism at the University of Minnesota
Nothing is simple. Everything is complicated. The state Senate’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee — led by chair Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park — convened on June 25 in order to spotlight “anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incidents at the University of Minnesota.” These were the words on the Senate’s published meeting schedule. They neatly convey […] The post Five notes on the debate about antisemitism at the University of Minnesota appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
The Topline: Minnesota anglers are inadvertently killing off loons
Welcome to The Topline, a weekly roundup of the big numbers driving the Minnesota news cycle, as well as the smaller ones that you might have missed. This week: Midwestern weather predictability; loon deaths from lead tackle; and puddles vs. lakes in Wisconsin. There’s a saying I’ve heard pretty much everywhere I’ve traveled in the […] The post The Topline: Minnesota anglers are inadvertently killing off loons appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
In Twin Cities and beyond, district energy systems see pressure to cut carbon emissions
The operators of the decades-old energy systems that heat and cool buildings in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul have ambitious plans underway to reduce emissions. The mostly hidden networks of insulated pipes connected to centralized heating and cooling equipment are known as district energy systems. They’ve long been championed as an energy efficient way to […] The post In Twin Cities and beyond, district energy systems see pressure to cut carbon emissions appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
‘Frustrating’ partisan stalemate: the new normal for farm bills?
WASHINGTON — The stalemate over the current farm bill may be solidifying a new era in farm politics as it joins the last three farm bills in a trend of delays and partisan division — a contrast from the legislation’s history of bipartisanship. Every five years, Congress is tasked with drafting a new federal farm […] The post ‘Frustrating’ partisan stalemate: the new normal for farm bills? appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
The number of job openings has declined sharply in every state
The number of job openings has declined sharply in every state since 2022, better aligning the numbers of unfilled jobs and people seeking work. Nationally, for the first time since before the pandemic, the number of job openings and unemployed people is roughly in balance: a little more than one opening per person looking for […] The post The number of job openings has declined sharply in every state appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
Minnesota high school graduates reflect on challenges in college admissions, financial aid
Mariam Elias, a recent graduate of White Bear Lake Area High School, can’t bank on using her or her family’s money to pay for four years of schooling. For her, working for scholarships and seeing what she qualified for was essential, so she planned to apply for federal student aid as soon as she could. […] The post Minnesota high school graduates reflect on challenges in college admissions, financial aid appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
6 strategies to enhance safety for children with autism and disabilities
Children with autism and disabilities often face unique challenges when it comes to safety, particularly due to the risk of elopement. Elopement, or wandering away from safe environments, can occur for various reasons, including executive functioning differences, social skill variations and sensory sensitivities. For non-speaking children, the inability to communicate their need for help further compounds the danger.
What to the slave is the Fourth of July?
Editor’s note: Below are some excerpts from a speech on the meaning of the Fourth of July delivered by Frederick Douglass in Rochester, New York, July 5, 1852. Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your […] The post What to the slave is the Fourth of July? appeared first on Minnesota Reformer.
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The Minnesota Reformer is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to keeping Minnesotans informed and unearthing stories other outlets can’t or won’t tell. We’re in the halls of government tracking what elected officials are up to — and monitoring the powerful forces trying to influence them. But we’re also on the streets, at the bars and parks, on farms and in warehouses, telling you stories of the people being affected by the actions of government and big business. Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. Minnesota Reformer retains editorial independence.
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