Governor Tim Walz this afternoon (Wed) at a "Rally for Democracy" at the State Capitol says many Minnesotans benefited from the fights that happened before us... "It is frustrating that we're fighting for women to make their own choices about their health care." Walz is talking about a leaked draft opinion that suggests the U-S Supreme Court could overturn the 1973 Roe -v- Wade decision legalizing abortion.

The largest property tax cut for homeowners and renters in over 20 years... child care tax credits...  and no state income tax on Social Security benefits for those making under 75 thousand dollars -- among highlights of Democrats' tax cut bill the Minnesota House passed today (Wed, on a vote of 69-to-62).  Dilworth Representative Paul Marquart: "It looks at our families, it looks at our seniors and say(s), how can we be of the most help with this tax bill." Republicans say Democrats could lower state income taxes permanently for Minnesotans, except... ..."spend is what you do -- spend, spend, spend [...]

The Republican-controlled Minnesota Senate is threatening to *not* give the University of Minnesota any funding from a supplemental higher education bill, unless the Board of Regents establishes a special commission to address students' and parents' concerns about some athletics programs being cut at the "U."  Republican Senator Jason Rarick from Pine City: "I didn't want to tie up funding to the University of Minnesota to this....  I wanted them to respond to what the people of Minnesota are asking them to do.  They failed!" Saint Cloud Democrat Aric Putnam says he also wants a special commission, but withholding funding from the [...]

Controversy continues to swirl after the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion suggests an end to legal abortion.  Sarah Stoesz (stays) with Planned Parenthood says there are already legislatures in the U-S where lawmakers... "Attempts to make abortion illegal specifically refer to ectopic pregnancies and wanting to protect the life of the fetus in an ectopic pregnancy even though we know that it would endanger the life of the woman carrying that ectopic pregnancy." An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the main cavity of the uterus--and most often occurs in a fallopian tube.

(Washington, DC)  --  It looks like another COVID surge could be on its way.  The CDC is predicting 42 states will see a rise in hospital patients over the next two weeks, including Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida.  Daily admissions have already jumped by 20-percent.  What's more, the CDC expects another five-thousand people to lose their battle with coronavirus before the end of the month.  It's predicted that Ohio, New York and New Jersey will likely see the most cases.

(Kasota, MN)  --  The Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office is announcing over one-thousand fentanyl pills have been found and seized.  The department says a drug task force found the pills in a storage locker Wednesday in Kasota just north of Mankato.  The pills are blue and made to look like prescription oxycodone pills according to deputies.  The announcement by the Sheriff's Office says one suspect is in custody relating to the seizure and is facing charges of drug possession and sales.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is joining with other state attorneys general in calling for President Biden to cancel all federal student loan debt.  Ellison and attorneys general from New York, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, Washington, and Puerto Rico sent a joint letter to Biden Monday, urging him to erase all federal student loan debt through an executive order.  The letter points to benefits to the borrowers and the impact the action would have on racial and economic justice initiatives.  That request follows comments by Biden that he would be taking "a hard look" at taking executive action.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin [[SHO-vin]] is facing at least two decades in prison after reaching a plea deal in his federal civil rights trial.  Chauvin pled guilty yesterday morning to one count of violating George Floyd's civil rights during his deadly May 2020 arrest.  Prosecutors agreed to dismiss a second civil rights violation charge and a set of charges related to allegations he badly beat a Black teen with a flashlight in 2017.  The judge sentenced Chauvin to 20 to 25 years in prison.

South Central College's Customized Workforce Education division is offering a unique program designed to provide individuals with autism the training needed to prepare for a career as a computer numerical control (CNC) operator.  The “Uniquely Abled Academy” will be offered at SCC’s North Mankato Campus from June 6 – August 26, 2022. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply by May 9 at southcentral.edu/uaa.

MANKATO – In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the Mankato Family YMCA is encouraging community members to join the conversation about mental health. Mental health is how we think, feel and act. At the Y, we recognize that we all have mental health, and mental health is an important part of our physical health and social-emotional well-being, as well as a core component of our identity. “We can all play a role in supporting each other’s mental health – at the Y and in our communities,” said John Kind, Executive Director. “The first step is to start talking [...]