Minnesotans face a future of more floods, droughts, extreme heat events, and intense storms, along with worsening air and water quality, increases in disease, and the further spread of harmful pests.

Legislation allowing day care providers and personal care assistants to join labor unions was arguably the most contentious issue of the legislative session. The proposal was debated for 27 hours on the House and Senate floors, longer than any other bill considered in 2013. Ultimately, the proposal cleared the House by the narrowest of margins, 68-66, on the final day of session.

While excavating sand is nothing new in Minnesota, the rush to excavate large quantities to ship to the Dakotas has quickly unearthed a prominent issue for state legislators and regulators.

Republicans in the state Legislature are advancing a new set of initiatives to overhaul environmental regulation. The measures come after they reached accord last year with Gov. Mark Dayton on a sweeping bill that streamlined the environmental permitting process.

The Minnesota Legislative Auditor has written the latest chapter in the murky saga of what’s constitutionally permissible when it comes to spending state Legacy Amendment dollars. And in a 37-page report released Wednesday, Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles dealt an apparent blow to a key article of faith held by many environment and conservation groups.