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Long overdue deal in Minnesota Legislature

Local Editorials

On Tuesday, the Minnesota House passed a bill to replenish the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and get bonuses to frontline workers. It was hailed as a breakthrough in the Legislature after months of stalemate. That breakthrough resulted in Thursday’s announcement that House and Senate leaders struck a deal to go forward with a plan that includes $2.7 million to replenish the trust fund and pay back a debt to the federal government for jobless aid. It also features $500 million in bonuses for workers who took risks during the pandemic. A total of 667,000 workers will ...

Don’t chance it — stop for children getting off buses

Local Editorials

One May day in 2019, a Minneapolis girl, 11 was hit by car after getting off a school bus. A 60-year-old man was arrested. Witnesses said he was traveling in his vehicle at a high-speed when he attempted to go around the stopped bus. The accident left the girl fighting for her life and facing several surgeries. There was conflicting information in the case whether or not the bus driver lowered the bus stop arm at the time of the incident. However, drivers must use extreme caution when approaching a parked school bus to avoid such horrific tragedies. Ever so often our court reporters ...

Make a deal to help save state from crime wave

Local Editorials

Open up the Minneapolis Star Tribune any day of the week. Violent crime is often highlighted on the front page. The inside of the Minnesota section is filled with disturbing reports. In Monday’s edition, the Star Tribune reported on a fatal stabbing early Sunday morning on a Metro Transit bus and a deadly shooting two hours earlier in the area of Hennepin and Lagoon Avenues. In Saturday’s edition, the newspaper reported of a forensic scientists with the Minneapolis police department shot multiple times while off duty. Another article reported on a man who was wanted on several ...

Readers' Views

Letters to the Editor

Community Center Support To the Editor: I am looking forward to the new community center with year round indoor swimming and other activities. I am happy to see the support for this in the Fairmont community. As a student in Fairmont, I am pleased that new options for activities are being developed. I hope that the community center is built soon and I am confident it will benefit us all. I appreciate the city leaders who support its development and our working to make it happen. Levi Loughmiller Fairmont

IRS is in desperate need of money and staff

Local Editorials

This is not a normal tax year for the Internal Revenue Service. As millions of American households scramble to meet the April 18 filing deadline, it’s easy to view this as just another tax season that causes temporary annoyance and then fades in the headlines and minds of most people. But there’s a lot more at stake. The IRS is currently limping along without enough staff or funding. Congress, especially Republicans, needs to face up to reality. The IRS still manually enters the information on paper tax returns into its computing system because its technology is so outdated. ...

Paddling sports wonderful, but training necessary

Local Editorials

One of the silver linings of the pandemic was that more people connected or reconnected with the outdoors. Bicycling, simple walks, gardening, visits to parks, bird watching and other outdoor pursuits surged. Paddlesports was no exception. A record 38 million people took to lakes and rivers to kayak, canoe and use stand-up paddleboards in 2020, according to the latest data from the Outdoor Foundation. The number includes 2.5 million paddlers who were new to the sports. But the increase also brought a surge in accidents. There were 331 accidents and 202 fatalities, also a record. ...