John Hottinger

Apr 23, 2013

Lutheran coalition leader lobbies for poor, environment

The Rev. Mark Peters, executive director of the Lutheran Coalition for Public Policy in Minnesota, brings his denomination's faith-based mission to bear in the Capitol.

Mar 14, 2013

Wolf hunt ban advances in Senate

A proposal to reinstate the ban on wolf hunting in Minnesota has cleared its first committee.

Dec 16, 2011

Koch’s sudden resignation rocks the Capitol

Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch sent shock waves through the Capitol complex late Thursday afternoon when she announced that she will not seek re-election in 2012 and that she is resigning her post as Senate majority leader, effective immediately.

Sep 7, 2011

Citizen involvement guides former legislator

Sitting at a coffee shop in St. Paul, former state Sen. John Hottinger begins a 15-minute answer to the question of what he has been up to since he left the Legislature after 16 years of service in 2006.

Aug 10, 2011

New location, job for Berglin

There is a cloudy magenta scarf draped over Linda Berglin’s shoulders, with delicate patches of silk that resemble faded autumn leaves and pastel butterflies. She makes scarves like these herself. “It makes me happy when I wear them,” she says.

Jul 13, 2011

Governor tries to reclaim the initiative in stalled-out budget talks

The scene was a new one for the governor, at least since the state entered a historic government shutdown two weeks ago. While Dayton made an additional offer to the GOP majorities and appeared at two St. Paul news conferences in the week after the July 1 shutdown, few have seen the state’s chief executive outside of the confines of the now-locked down state Capitol.

Mar 25, 2011

Controversy brews over environmental bills

Amid the flurry of big-ticket budget bills and spreadsheets that have overtaken the Capitol in the past week, the comparatively puny environmental budget bills moving through the Legislature have attracted little attention in most quarters.

Dec 29, 2010

Senate DFL: Goodbye to all that

In 1972, the state Senate's Liberal Caucus won the majority in the general election. When they took office, both chambers switched to a partisan affiliation footing, and and Senate DFLers started a run in the driver's seat that would last nearly 40 years. As Republicans prepare to end their 38-year drought by taking control of the Senate next week, Capitol Report sifted through the archives to gle[...]

Jul 28, 2010

Entenza introduces team of policy advisers

Matt Entenza announced his "leadership team" today, including three commissioners from the administration of former Gov. Jesse Ventura. The group of two-dozen advisers will play an informal role in the former House Minority Leader's gubernatorial campaign.

Jun 12, 2006

Candidates vow to rise above rancor

Former State Sen. John Hottinger will never forget one particular hearing on welfare reform. Held near the Capitol at Christ Lutheran Church, the hearing drew a couple hundred Southeast Asian ...