Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Denise Dittrich

Jun 12, 2013

Tom Bakk: Remembrance of the session past

In the end, the DFL-controlled 2013 Legislature finished its budget work on time — with four minutes to spare, to be exact. It was 11:56 p.m. on adjournment day by the time the Minnesota Senate wrapped up its vote on the tax bill.

Mar 8, 2013

OLA report examines special ed challenges

Coming off the 2012 election, lawmakers are looking to make good on campaign promises to improve education and lower property taxes. On the issue of special education, both of those concerns are at play on a large scale.

Sep 19, 2012

Both parties eye pickups in District 36 contest

Over the past decade, Senate District 47 — stretching around north metro area cities like Champlin, Coon Rapids and Brooklyn Park — has been a place where moderate Democrats could prosper despite the district’s slight GOP tilt.

Jul 13, 2012

The top 25 Minnesota political donors of the past decade

Matt Entenza and his wife, Lois Quam, aren’t exactly the first names that pop up when Minnesota politicos talk about heavy-hitter political donors.

May 11, 2012

So long, adios, auf wiedersehen

After adjourning in the wee hours of Thursday morning, the Minnesota House of Representatives plunged ahead with the bittersweet biennial ritual of retirement speeches from departing members.

May 4, 2012

Quid pro quo helped trust lands, DNR fee bills

Two marquee pieces of environmental legislation in the 2012 session owe their victories in no small part to horse trading between Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature.

Mar 26, 2012

Denise Dittrich won’t seek a fifth term

Dittrich has carved out a career as a conservative DFLer in winning elections in her swing district in the northern Twin Cities suburbs.

Feb 8, 2012

Racino push may wither again

There was little fanfare when not one but two racino bills surfaced in the Minnesota Legislature last week. The perennial proposal to install slot machines in racetracks usually enters into the political milieu with news conferences and headlines.

Nov 9, 2011

School trust lands: conservation or cash?

The most often cited sources of K-12 school funding in Minnesota are per-pupil aid from the state and property taxes levied by local districts. But a less well known source of funding for schools is being scrutinized by state lawmakers and Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration.

Oct 26, 2011

‘The Late Debate with Jack and Ben’ attracts a small but loyal audience of Capitol conservatives

“The Late Debate with Jack and Ben” got off to an inauspicious start. At the beginning of the debut broadcast in April, one of the microphones didn’t work for the initial eight minutes. The first words uttered over the air were, “Do you hear me?”

May 25, 2011

House GOP vote on marriage amendment was defining issue of session’s last days

Around 4 o’clock last Saturday afternoon, the central drama of Session 2011’s closing days finally reared its head on the House floor. Shortly before the chamber recessed for dinner, GOP Rep. Mary Liz Holberg stood to announce the addition of a controversial constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage to the calendar for that evening’s proceedings.

May 22, 2011

House votes to put gay marriage ban on the ballot

After five hours of emotional debate, the House voted to place a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage on the 2012 ballot. The amendment – which previously passed the state Senate on a largely party-line vote – passed off of the House floor on a 70-62 vote Saturday evening. Four Republicans voted against the amendment, with two DFLers crossing over to vote for the measure.

Top News

See All Top News

Legal calendar

Click here to see upcoming Minnesota events

Expert Testimony

See All Expert Testimony