New Biden action against Putin

Addressing a concerned nation and anxious world, President Joe Biden has vowed in his first State of the Union address to check Russian aggression in Ukraine, tame soaring U.S. inflation and deal with the fading but still dangerous coronavirus.

Biden declared Tuesday night that he and all members of Congress, whatever political differences there may be, were joined “with an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny.”

He asked the lawmakers crowding the House chamber to stand and salute the Ukrainians as he began his speech. They stood and cheered.

The U.S. president is aiming to lead the country out of the pandemic and reboot his stalled domestic agenda as well as confront Russia’s aggression. [Continue Reading]

Around the state, 59 people have been affected by group home closures just this year, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. These are facilities that often serve people living with disabilities that require specialized assistance and care.

As of last fall, there were 257 fewer beds in group homes than there were in 2020, according to the Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota.

The accelerating rate of closures are driven by staffing shortages in the profession that predate the pandemic but have been made worse by it, say group home operators. In the last quarter of 2021, more group homes closed than opened, signaling an unsustainable trend.

"There's nowhere to go," says one Minnesotan whose sister's group home is closing this month.