Today's Question Blog

January 21, 2014 1:33 AM

Should mining companies contribute more to mining towns?

Mining companies are doing well currently in Minnesota, but the towns where they operate and draw labor from are seeing less from companies for schools and economic development. Marshall Helmberger of the Timberjay does the math and provides some additional context. Read his full article here. To understand just how badly state and local governments Read more →

by Michael Olson

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January 17, 2014 1:41 AM

What is the best part of winter in Minnesota?

MPR News reporter Dan Olson joined Christopher Smith on a recent ice fishing outing. @chris_steller @MPRnews Ice skating outside and sledding. — Melissa Hansen (@ThatGirlMissy) January 17, 2014 @MPRnews Best part of winter? Snow falling like you're in the middle of a gently shaken snow globe & its warm enough to go out and enjoy Read more →

by Michael Olson

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January 16, 2014 1:00 AM

Should public schools randomly drug test students?

Central High School, Duluth, Minn. (Mr Nixter / Flickr) The Duluth school district is considering a policy that would require random drug tests for students. Administrators view substance abuse as a growing problem, reports the Duluth News Tribune. Superintendent Bill Gronseth said he’s thought about the merits of such a program for some time, long Read more →

by Michael Olson

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January 15, 2014 12:41 AM

Is Minnesota prepared for a world where water scarcity is widespread?

Jedediah Purdy writes in the New Yorker about the politics of “no ones job” and how it is seen in the response to the chemical leak in West Virginia’s Elk River. Last Thursday an estimated seventy-five hundred gallons of MCMH, “a chemical used to remove impurities from coal, ran into the Elk from a one-inch…

by Michael Olson

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January 14, 2014 1:42 AM

Is your view of Congress improving?

Congress agrees something. “Top congressional negotiators Monday night released a bipartisan $1.1 trillion spending bill that would pay for the operations of government through October and finally put to rest the bitter budget battles of last year.” (AP) The House is expected to vote Wednesday on the bill. In November, the approval rating of the Read more →

by Michael Olson

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January 13, 2014 12:01 AM

Does Minnesota need a stronger anti-bullying law?

“When the Minnesota Legislature convenes next month, lawmakers are expected to take up a bill designed to strengthen the state’s anti-bullying law, often described as one of the weakest in the nation,” writes MPR News reporter Tim Post. The House passed just such a measure late in the last session, but the Senate did not Read more →

by Michael Olson

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January 10, 2014 1:05 AM

Do you support the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine?

PolyMet Mining wants to mine copper, nickel and precious metals for 20 years at a site located just north of Hoyt Lakes in the Superior National Forest. The NorthMet Deposit is part of what is known as the Duluth Complex, which stretches from about 150 miles north of Duluth all the way to the Canadian Read more →

by Michael Olson

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January 9, 2014 12:51 AM

What issues are Republicans and Democrats ignoring at their peril?

Precinct 14 (Photo courtesy Matt Abe) Dissatisfaction with the the two major political parties in the US is high. A new poll from Gallup indicates that a record number of Americans view themselves as political independents. The survey, based on more than 18,000 interviews conducted throughout the year, found that 42 percent identified as independent, Read more →

by Michael Olson

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January 8, 2014 1:36 AM

What is your community’s most significant water problem?

“Even in the land of 10,000 lakes, water is no longer unlimited. Lakes shrink, groundwater drops, wells go dry or get contaminated. Some cities have to look harder for good municipal water or pay more to treat it. Twenty years ago these were isolated problems. But three-quarters of Minnesota’s residents get their water from aquifer-tapping…

by Michael Olson

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January 7, 2014 1:56 AM

How should Mayor Hodges address disparity in Minneapolis?

When Mayor Betsy Hodges and the City Council get down to business this year, they promise that racial equality will be on the agenda, writes MPR News reporter Curtis Gilbert. The city’s need to narrow wide disparities between white residents and minority communities — in education, employment, health and other areas — was a recurring Read more →

by Michael Olson

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