Author: Christopher J. Valentino

Rachael Greene stands in the apartment next to hers, which squatters broke into months ago. Photo by Max Nesterak/minnesotadigest.com. BEMIDJI — The apartment building where Rachael Greene has lived for 14 years has nearly been taken over by squatters. Every day, she leaves her apartment not knowing what to expect. The hallways are filled with graffiti. The windows are smashed out. Shirtless young men, high on meth or opioids, wander in and out of the unlocked doors. “It’s sad because I’ve been down that road,” Greene, 41, said. “But I didn’t destroy anything … They destroyed my home. And with…

Marissa Bremer-Roark, a building and grounds worker at the University of Minnesota, leads her fellow workers in a chant calling for higher wages on Aug. 30, 2022. Photo by Max Nesterak/minnesotadigest.com.University of Minnesota students and parents arriving on campus for move-in day on Tuesday were met by a picket line of custodians, dining staff, mechanics and groundskeepers chanting against the university’s “poverty wages.” The workers held the informational picket as negotiations have stalled between the university and Teamsters Local 320, which represents 1,500 U of M workers across the state. “I can’t afford to pay my bills,” Marissa Bremer-Roark, a…

Starbucks workers and supporters picket outside the store at 4712 Cedar Ave. in Minneapolis during the workers’ second strike on Aug. 30, 2022. Photo by Max Nesterak/minnesotadigest.com. Workers at a south Minneapolis Starbucks went on strike for the second time on Tuesday, hitting the company during one of its most important days of the year: the first day of pumpkin spice latte season. “Pumpkin spice is a hallmark of Starbucks, and it’s a really big day for them,” said Emily Mahoney, a shift supervisor. “So, this is saying, ‘hey, we mean business.’” The one-day strike comes a month after workers…

GOP gubernatorial nominee Scott Jensen and running mate Matt Birk hold a press conference at the Minnesota State Fair on Tuesday, Aug. 30. Photo by Michelle Griffith / minnesotadigest.com.Republican nominee for Minnesota governor Scott Jensen wants to convert low-performing public schools to charter or private schools, ban so-called “critical race theory” and crack down on truancy with the help of law enforcement.  Jensen unveiled his sweeping education plan at the State Fair on Tuesday, which would drastically alter Minnesota schools and reduce funding for the state’s Department of Education.   “We want to make this all about the kids,” Jensen said…

Republican nominee Scott Jensen posing for a photo with fairgoers. Photo by Baylor Spears/minnesotadigest.comA mother crouched down to pin “Walz Failed” buttons on each of her children near Republican gubernatorial nominee Scott Jensen’s campaign booth. Outside the Miracle of Birth barn, fairgoers cooled themselves with “Walz Failed” fans. Overhead, a plane circled every few minutes with a banner screaming “Walz Failed.”  The Republican message to voters was ubiquitous at the State Fair, as the party looks to unseat Gov. Tim Walz after one term and elect Jensen, a Chaska family doctor and former state senator. Over by the Department of…

The city lost $300 million in revenue in 2020 and 2021 — with hits to things like parking and sales tax revenue — and is using federal funds to make up for half of that. Photo by Tony Webster.The city of Minneapolis will use $81 million in federal pandemic relief to balance its budget over the next two years, and hopes revenue stabilizes to avoid a fiscal cliff when the federal money ends in 2025. Whether downtown Minneapolis office towers bounce back from pandemic-induced woes in the next two years is key to helping refill city coffers. Minneapolis is not…

Photo courtesy of Shakopee Public Schools. Fewer than half of Minnesota students are proficient in math and 51% are proficient in reading, according to newly released results of standardized test scores. The portion proficient in math decreased from 55% to 45% since the the last pre-pandemic round of tests. Minnesota children proficient in reading decreased from 59% to 51%. Just 41% of Minnesota students are proficient in science, down from 51% in 2019. Seven percent of students didn’t take the tests, down from 20% in 2021. The tests weren’t given in 2020. Minnesota’s racial gaps in education — for years…

Blood sample tube positive with Monkeypox virus, new epidemic disease in 2022 Photo by Getty Images. WASHINGTON — The White House held a virtual meeting Thursday with more than 1,000 college and university officials to help them prepare for a school year when monkeypox cases are expected to crop up on campus.  The Biden administration’s monkeypox and COVID-19 response teams as well as representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discussed “best practices and measures for colleges and universities to take to curb the spread of” monkeypox as well as coronavirus.  “Federal officials offered practical guidance on how…

WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN – Former President Donald Trump listens as Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels speaks to guests during a rally. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images. Republican candidates who claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump have been nominated for governor in four critical swing states, raising concerns that if elected they could try to sway election results in 2024 and beyond.  In Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, Republican primary voters elected a candidate who has denied the results of the 2020 election and believes that voter fraud influenced the results. GOP voters also nominated an election-denying…

President Joe Biden, seen here in Michigan touting the promise of electric vehicles, unveiled a plan this week to cancel some college debt. Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance.The Biden administration’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 of an individual’s federal student loan debt could completely eliminate the balances of 30 to 50% of Minnesota borrowers, according to federal data. Figures from the Department of Education show that about 781,000 Minnesotans have student loan balances with the federal government. About 228,000 have balances of less than $10,000, with an additional 168,000 holding between $10,000 and $20,000 in debt.  The actual number…