Good morning, and happy Friday. It’s been a long week. Thanks to everyone who supported MPR News during our member drive.
There is word that 1st District U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn has died. His wife, former Republican Party of Minnesota Chair Jennifer Carnahan posted this on Facebook Friday morning: "It is with a broken heart, shattered spirit and overwhelming sadness I share my husband Congressman Jim Hagedorn passed away peacefully last night. Jim loved our country and loved representing the people of southern Minnesota. Every moment of every day he lived his dream by serving others. There was no stronger conservative in our state than my husband; and it showed in how he voted, led and fought for our country. Jim was a loving husband, son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, friend, brother-in-law, son-in-law, Vikings, Penguins and Twins fan and will be missed and remembered by many. While nothing can accurately prepare you for the unimaginable pain, intense sorrow, suffocating grief and seemingly never-ending emptiness that engulfs the entire body, soul and spirit when your forever love passes away; at least we can smile knowing Jim is smiling from heaven encouraging us to keep chasing our dreams, loving unconditionally and fighting for the country. Jim Hagedorn, I love you. I miss you. I feel empty without you. I will forever be holding your hand."
Hagedorn was 59. He was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2019 and announced last summer it had returned. In early January he disclosed he had tested positive for COVID-19, and said he would be treated by the Mayo Clinic because of his cancer. He was first elected to the 1st District seat in 2018 and was reelected in 2020.
Overnight teachers and staff in Minneapolis and Saint Paul public schools voted to authorize strikes amid an impasse in contract negotiations. The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers said 97 percent of teachers and 98 percent of support staff voted in favor of a strike. The Saint Paul Federation of Educators said 78 percent of its voting members supported a strike. The votes do not mean teachers are going on strike right away, but they empower union leaders to call one. There are required cooling-off periods of at least 10 days during which the unions and district management can continue trying to reach an agreement.
A top Minnesota Senate Republican said Thursday she will retire rather than face off against a fellow Republican after redistricting paired them in the same district. Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, endorsed Sen. Rich Draheim of Madison Lake. “Representing the people of Southern Minnesota for two decades has been a tremendous honor and I have treasured my time in the Senate,” Rosen said in a statement in which she endorsed Draheim. MPR’s Brian Bakst has a rundown of some of the tough choices lawmakers face after that judicial panel redrew Minnesota’s political boundaries this week. There are more than 20 pairings in the House, although some involve incumbents who previously said they wouldn’t try for another term. The Senate has nine member versus member districts, but that list shrinks when retiring senators are removed from the equation. Most of the faceoffs involve members of the same party — a product of partisan concentration by geography — but there are a handful where incumbents of opposite parties could square off in November.
Redistricting is also shaking up some congressional hopefuls' plans.The Duluth News Tribune reports Ernest Joseph Oppegaard-Peltier III, 33, of Bemidji, had been planning to run as a Democrat in the 7th District. After the panel ruled Tuesday, he found himself in the 8th District, so he’ll run there. He tells the News Tribune he believes he is best suited to represent a district that includes all seven of Minnesota Anishinaabe reservations. “I look at the field and I don’t see any candidates with any Indigenous interests on their platforms or even in their talking points,” he said. “And that’s shameful to see. So I'm in it to represent our tribal communities and our allied communities.” He joins incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, of Hermantown, and Theresa Lastovich, of Chisholm, the only other DFL candidate in the race so far. And DFLer Reed Olson, of Bemidji, who had been running for Congress in the 7th District as a Democrat, also now lives in the 8th District. Olson, a Beltrami County commissioner, told KAXE radio on Thursday that it would take time to decide whether he'll run in the new district. “Now I’ve suspended my campaign in the 7th. … I haven't formally declared that I'm going to run in the 8th. I'm going to take some time to kind of assess and reach out to people and probably make a decision in a couple of weeks,” Olson said.
On the day of Amir Locke’s funeral, a state House committee debated a bill that would sharply restrict the use of no-knock warrants. Locke was killed by a Minneapolis police officer serving a search warrant. MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports Rep. Athena Hollins, DFL-St. Paul, said her bill would prevent a similar situation from ever happening again. “No matter what you think about race or systemic oppression, you can’t argue that this bill would have any effect other than keeping our communities and our officers safe,” Hollins said. “No-knock warrants are a dangerous tool.” Under the bill, no-knock warrants would be limited only to cases of people being held against their will and in danger of death or great bodily harm. St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson said officers are dealing with dangerous criminals when a no-knock warrant is involved. “We are dealing with people who have demonstrated over and over and over again that they will not comply, that they will not be civil, that they will use any means necessary to avoid capture,” Anderson said. Rep. Brian Johnson of Cambridge, the lead Republican on the committee, said the bill is the wrong approach. Johnson said no-knock warrants are an important tool in the toolbox for police. “Do not take tools away that are used properly,” Johnson said. Members of the House Public Safety Committee voted 10-9 for the bill. All the committee’s Republicans and one Democrat voted against it. The bill now goes to the judiciary committee.
A major public health crisis facing the next Minnesota governor is unlikely to play out in the same fashion as COVID-19 did for Democratic Gov. Tim Walz,MPR’s Brian Bakst reports . As the pandemic moves toward a more-hopeful phase, the Legislature is contemplating changes to the emergency powers laws that gave Walz tremendous leeway to impose restrictions, spend money and mostly guide the health response on his own. Republican lawmakers are zeroing in on the law that gave Walz so much control over the pandemic response — one that enabled him to close schools and businesses, halt nonessential surgeries, require masks and more. The executive powers issue is also a prominent piece of the governor’s race, with Republican candidates saying they wouldn’t employ the authority in the same fashion Walz did. Even some Democrats say changes should be considered, and Walz says he’s willing to talk about it. MPR’s Peter Cox reports state Senate Republicans outlined a proposal Thursday to spend $322 million to provide $1,000 bonuses to long-term care staff who stay in their current roles, as well as signing bonuses for those who decide to join the industry. The plan also calls for grants to cover costs of education and training. "Our long-term care facilities, our assisted living [centers], our nursing homes have been just decimated by COVID and we are in a real crisis,” said Karin Housley, R-Stillwater. “They were in a crisis even before COVID.” Operators agree staffing concerns existed before the pandemic, but they say the problem was made much worse by COVID-19 in the last year — and in part because the job market offers opportunities for higher pay for less stressful work. Some nursing home operators said they lost employees because of vaccine mandates.
This newsletter is going to take Presidents’ Day off (always a big party at my house that day). See you again here Tuesday. | 