Despite their minority status in both the state House and Senate, the DFL caucuses significantly outperformed Republicans in fundraising from the beginning of January until the end of July.

Voters are faced with a familiar dilemma in the heart of the Minnesota Iron Range. The unexpected retirement of 26-year DFL Rep. Tom Rukavina at the end of session has left a big hole in DFL-friendly House District 6B, which stretches across cities like Virginia and Eveleth and includes some of the state’s most mining-dependent towns.

The past year has seen polarizing, multimillion-dollar battles over the role and rights of labor unions across the country.

Like any expanded gambling proposal, the push for a high-end casino nestled on the troubled downtown Minneapolis Block E site faces a host of obstacles in passing through a historically reluctant Legislature.

Shar Knutson, president of the St. Paul Regional Labor Foundation, has been elected president of the 300,000-member AFL-CIO.