State and Local News That Matters
Michigan State University (MSU) employees are asking the university to restore pay cuts that were issued during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a resolution passed by the Faculty Senate, employees were forced to take 10-month salary cuts of 1-8%, an 18-month, 50% cut in retirement match, and at least a 36-month gap between merit raises for all non-union academic management, faculty, and academic staff.
Two Wisconsin state lawmakers are proposing changes to the state constitution regarding bail guidelines. Republicans Representative Cindi Duchow (R-Delafield) and Senator Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) are “drafting a resolution to allow court commissioners, who make decisions on bail amounts and conditions, to consider additional factors.”
A protest allegedly over “occupying native land” erupted at the Mall of America on Black Friday. In video of the incident obtained by The Minnesota Sun, protesters can be heard banging native drums and chanting while standing in the mall’s rotunda.
Several school districts in Minnesota have implemented various measures to minimize in-person learning once again.
In the face of a COVID spike and the coming of winter, some districts are opting to temporarily switch back to distance learning, while others are canceling classes or extending breaks.
On Monday the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District announced a transition to distance learning for “most students” that will last until at least Friday, Dec. 3.
A Racine Sheriff called for the removal of a supervisor over posting bail for an alleged gun thief. Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling says that a county supervisor needs to be removed from his position after he posted bail for a man who is accused of stealing three sheriff’s SWAT team guns.
The union for St. Paul police officers filed a lawsuit over a COVID vaccine mandate that will be in place in the new year. The mandate does not allow for testing and masking as a substitute for getting vaccinated, however they will allow medical and religious exemptions, sources say.
Two Minnesota restaurants, Boardwalk Bar and Grill and a chain named Shady’s, will need to fork over $25,000 and $30,000 in fines respectively for violating COVID lockdown orders in 2020.
The restaurants are obligated to pay the fines after settling lawsuits filed against them by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, according to a press release.
A former car dealership mogul has thrown his hat into the race to be the next governor of Michigan, intending to run against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D).
Kevin Rinke is a Republican who made a fortune in the car business. He said he will put $10 million of his own into defeating Whitmer, who has spent her term in office plagued by scandals.
GoFundMe’s about-face on facilitating donations to legal funds for Kyle Rittenhouse after his acquittal Friday is prompting questions about comparable fundraisers it left up for anti-police rioters and left-wing activists accused of violence.
The massive crowdfunding platform, whose biggest fundraisers include several left-wing causes, explained that its “long-standing policy” prohibits raising money for individuals charged with a violent crime.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced that her department has lifted suspensions on the driver’s licenses of more than 150,000 Michiganders after implementing new laws last month.
The department lifted the suspensions of 12,000 Michiganders in October. Michiganders who are now eligible for a driver’s license may still need to pay a reinstatement fee or renew or reapply for a license, depending on how long the license was suspended.
GoFundMe’s about-face on facilitating donations to legal funds for Kyle Rittenhouse after his acquittal Friday is prompting questions about comparable fundraisers it left up for anti-police rioters and left-wing activists accused of violence.
Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Committee, the group responsible for redrawing the state’s congressional districts, is under fire from both sides of the political aisle.
In October, the members of the group held a closed-door meeting, despite the fact the state’s Constitution says the “commission shall conduct all of its business at open meetings.”
Senator Ron Johnson (R) criticized ‘Catch and Release’ policies in a Fox News interview, saying that’s how situations like the one in Waukesha develop. Johnson said that those policies need to be reworked both for border security and within the United States justice system.
The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul offered counseling to students who were ‘impacted’ by the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case. They said, “As individuals and communities, we may need time to process the verdict.”
A group of Republican lawmakers in the Michigan State Senate signed a letter written by Senator Jim Runestad (R-White Lake), urging the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) to withdraw its membership and affiliation from the National School Board Association (NSBA).
In the letter, the state lawmakers expressed concern over the direction of local schooling and the role parents are allowed to play in their children’s education.
More Headlines…
There are a lot of questions about how the suspect in Waukesha’s parade tragedy was out of jail.
State Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Madison, on Monday said the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office must provide more answers about how Darrell Brooks was released on bail just days before police say he drove through the parade crowd in Waukesha.
A Minnesota school district banned parents and residents from school grounds for one year after they complained about an alleged sexual abuser in the building with their children. Now a local legal nonprofit says it will pursue action unless the district reverses this decision.
Maria Isabel Harju, a resident, and Cassandra Bonine, a parent, were both banned from school property after attempting to speak out at a school board meeting about how students felt uncomfortable with an accused sexual deviant, who is apparently male, attending class at their high school. Although the accused student has not been convicted, students are uncomfortable enough with his presence that they staged a walkout, demanding his removal while court proceedings are ongoing.
Minnesota's New House Republican Caucus raised concerns about the Minnesota Department of Education's (MDE) newly released draft of their K-12 Academic Standards about social studies. They took issue with the curriculum outlined under the social studies section titled “Ethnic Studies.” One statement, categorized under the heading “resistance,” says that students will “organize with others to engage in activities that could further the rights and dignity of all.” According to the...
Governor Tim Walz (D) announced he is activating 400 National Guard members to assist with the growing staff shortage in the state’s nursing homes. “Our long-term care facilities are facing an all-hands-on-deck moment, and that’s why we are taking unprecedented action to support skilled nursing workers, residents, and patients,” said Governor Walz.
Michigan businessman Kevin Rinke on Monday formally launched his campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2022.
Rinke, who enters a crowded and growing GOP field, has pledged to self-fund his campaign, unlike his other Republican opponents.
The driver in the Waukesha mass murder event Sunday has a long criminal history spanning nearly two decades. Darrell Edward Brooks, the man taken into custody after he drove through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, killed 5 and wounded 48 others in the mass killing.
Five are dead and dozens more injured after a Black Lives Matter activist and two others allegedly plowed through a crowd of Christmas paraders in Waukesha Sunday evening.
Some say it’s “karma” for the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, who walked after a jury decided last week that he acted in self-defense in the killing of two rioters, and the injuring of a third.
The flag at the Wisconsin Capitol – as well as flags across the rest of the state – will be lowered to remember the people killed in the tragedy at Waukesha’s Christmas Parade.
Gov. Tony Evers issued an order to lower the flags after five people were killed and dozens more were hurt Sunday afternoon. The official count is 40-plus injured, including 12 children.
The governor on Sunday said his thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted.
The City of Madison on Wednesday announced that all individuals who serve as poll workers will be mandated to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
Earlier this year, city officials detailed the vaccine requirement or testing for all city employees. A recent memo certified that the requirements would be extended to poll workers.
The parents of one of the two men shot and killed by Kyle Rittenhouse during three nights of rioting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year vowed to continue their fight for justice for their slain son.
A jury found Rittenhouse not guilty Friday of all five charges in the case including first degree intentional homicide in the death of Anthony Huber.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has admitted that declaring another state of emergency in the face of rising COVID cases would lead to negative political repercussions.
In a Wednesday call with reporters — from Finland, no less — the governor said he won’t invoke emergency powers while Minnesota’s COVID cases spiked to the highest 7-day average in the United States.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will be issuing a face mask advisory effective until further notice. The agency is also offering guidance for the holidays, citing an increase in COVID-19 and flu cases.
MDHHS will issue a Public Health Advisory that recommends everyone over the age of two should wear a face mask at indoor gatherings regardless of vaccination status. The agency recommends establishments implement a mask policy.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) released a statement following the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, saying that “We must move forward.” Rittenhouse was declared not guilty on all five counts against him.
The fight over Wisconsin’s next political map took its next step toward a courtroom Thursday.
Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the new maps drawn by Republican lawmakers.
“What’s sitting in front of me here are gerrymandered maps modeled after the same gerrymandered maps we’ve had for a decade,” Evers said in a video message. “They were sent to my desk over the objections of a decade’s worth of people in this state demanding better, demanding more, and demanding a fair, nonpartisan process for preparing our maps for the next 10 years.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) awarded $2.5 million in Michigan Industry Cluster Approach 3.0 (MICA 3.0) grants to business groups statewide to address labor shortages.
“These grants are putting Michiganders first by helping innovative employers in high-demand industries address talent shortages across Michigan,” Whitmer said in a statement. “Together, we can continue leading the future of agriculture, construction, IT, manufacturing, mobility, and so much more as we usher in a new era of prosperity for our families, communities, and small businesses.”