On Thursday night the Minnesota House of Representatives gave final passage to the bill establishing a state-run health-insurance marketplace, leaving the long-disputed measure just a Senate vote away from reaching the governor’s desk.

Legislation to establish a Minnesota health insurance exchange is nearing the end of its grueling committee march. The House version has cleared six committees, with stops at Taxes and Ways and Means still ahead. In the Senate, where the bill has also cleared six committees, it awaits only a stop in Rules and Administration before moving to the floor.

Broad coalition led by TakeAction Minnesota won by making the most of modestly funded drive.

On Tuesday night, roughly 100 people gathered at Maplewood City Hall to hear a debate on the proposed constitutional amendment requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls.

On a recent Friday afternoon hundreds of protesters marched from Peavey Plaza to the regional headquarters of Wells Fargo in downtown Minneapolis. The marchers carried a wide array of placards, but by far the most common was “We are the 99 percent.”