Good morning. See ya 60s, hurry back next year.
The legal tussle between Jennifer Carnahan and the Minnesota Republican Party she used to lead has ended. Both Carnahan and the party have agreed to drop dueling lawsuits that stem from her 2021 resignation under pressure. MPR’s Dana Ferguson writes that the cases were dispensed with after mediation sessions. Money won’t change hands, according to a stipulation. Carnahan sued last year, saying she was disparaged by GOP officials; the party sued her, claiming mismanagement. Carnahan told Dana, “I've moved forward to a much more positive and better place in my life. It didn't serve anyone well, myself or the party.” The party reiterated its belief that Carnahan’s case was “baseless” and said it would turn its full attention to 2024 races.
A man who assaulted Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig at her Washington apartment building was sentenced to 27 months behind bars. At a hearing yesterday, Kendrid Khalil Hamlin apologized to Craig for the February assault that left her bruised, cut and emotionally shaken. According to a report by The Associated Press , Hamlin said he wants to get mental health and substance abuse treatment. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg called the conduct “extremely problematic” even if mental health issues contributed. Craig said in a victim impact statement that she moved and is still coping with other fallout from the incident.
The special election contest for a Minnesota House seat is set. A DFL primary last night ended with Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school board member Bianca Virnig as the party nominee in the suburban district currently represented by a Democrat. Dana reports that Virnig topped three other DFL candidates and will face Republican nominee Cynthia Lonnquist and Libertarian candidate Charles Kuchlenz in the December special election. State Rep. Ruth Richardson is stepping down midway through her term. Regardless of the outcome, the House DFL will enter the 2024 session with the majority, but the race will dictate how much breathing room the party has in the election-year session.
Minnesota’s latest unemployment report shows more of the same: The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.2 percent. That’s up a tick but still low by historical standards. Dana reports that state officials say Minnesota hit its highest number of jobs on record last month. October marked the first time that the state posted more than 3 million seasonally adjusted jobs. Education and health, professional services and leisure and hospitality sectors saw the biggest job growth in October.
One job area in need: truck drivers. MPR’s Dan Gunderson had an interesting story on the agriculture industry testing out autonomous trucks. They’re being used in sugar beet country, where the labor market is tight. But so far, the driverless trucks are mainly being used on the North Dakota side of the border. That’s because Minnesota law currently allows platooning of trucks only on freeways or expressways with a permit from the Department of Transportation. A MnDOT spokesperson said a change in state law will be needed to allow the trucks on other highways.
Minnesota’s new posture toward marijuana means new opportunities, including research. MPR’s Dan Kraker notes that the University of Minnesota School of Public Health now has a Cannabis Research Center. It will assess health impacts of the state’s recent legalization of recreational cannabis for adults, and help inform future policies and practices as the new law is rolled out. The bill making recreational cannabis legal set aside $2.5 million in annual funding to pay for the center.
Cases of alleged child maltreatment don’t routinely result in intensive investigations and a diversion program could be allowing abusers to escape serious consequences. That’s the conclusion of the Star Tribune’s latest installment in a series about Minnesota’s child protection system. It’s worth your time. Expect lawmakers to delve into the topic next year. | 