Latest Minnesota Headlines
All the headlines from our Minnesota Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Bitter Debate Over Health Reinsurance Plan Erupts in Minnesota House
Mar 22 2019 // A bitter, partisan debate erupted on the Minnesota House floor on March 20 when Republicans tried to bring up a health care reinsurance bill that House Democrats oppose as a giveaway to the insurance industry. Back in...
Hands-Free Phone Use While Driving Bill Passes Minnesota House
Mar 21 2019 // Minnesota motorists would be required to use hands-free devices when talking on the phone while driving under a bill that passed the state House on Monday night, after sponsors said the measure will cut down on distracted...
Critics Say North Dakota Dioceses Too Slow in Naming Problem Priests
Mar 15 2019 // North Dakota’s Roman Catholic dioceses are mulling whether and when to release information about priests accused of sexual abuse, even as critics say they are moving too slowly following explosive revelations in...
Heavy Snow Collapses Barn Roof at Minnesota State Fairgrounds
Mar 14 2019 // Heavy snow has caused some structural damage at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Authorities say part of the roof of the cattle barn gave way Tuesday night. No one was hurt. The 99-year-old brick barn is used for storage...
Minnesota Governor: Collapsing Dairy Barns Threaten State’s Economy
Mar 12 2019 // Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says dairy barns collapsing due to heavy snowfall are threatening the state’s economy. Walz and Sen. Tina Smith met with dairy farmers near Altura in southeastern Minnesota on Saturday. Dozens...
Minnesota Company to Pay $7M in Environmental Pollution Settlement
Mar 5 2019 // A Twin Cities manufacturer has agreed to pay $7 million for its releases of an air pollutant linked to birth defects and certain types of cancer. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner Laura Bishop announced the...
Travelers: Over 70% of Minneapolis-Area Drivers Surveyed Use Phones While Driving
Feb 27 2019 // A recently commissioned survey of 503 Minneapolis-area drivers by The Travelers Companies Inc. found that 71 percent of respondents use a mobile device while driving, with 84 percent of millennials, 72 percent of Gen Xers...
1 Killed in 100-Plus Vehicle Wisconsin Pileup
Feb 26 2019 // Authorities have rescued dozens of people stranded by a blizzard that howled across southern Minnesota and dumped about a foot of snow in some places. In east-central Wisconsin, one person was killed and several others...
No Primary Assumption of Risk in Skiing, Snowboarding, Minnesota Court Says
Feb 18 2019 // Minnesota’s highest court has declined to expand the state’s doctrine of implied primary assumption of risk to recreational skiing and snowboarding. The Minnesota Supreme Court considered the issue in Soderberg...
Minnesota Supreme Court: No Primary Assumption of Risk in Skiing, Snowboarding
Feb 5 2019 // Minnesota’s high court has declined to expand the state’s doctrine of implied primary assumption of risk to recreational skiing and snowboarding. The Minnesota Supreme Court came to that conclusion Soderberg v....
Minnesota Department Reports Data Breach, up to 3K Exposed
Feb 1 2019 // The Minnesota Department of Human Services says a data breach potentially exposed personal information on up to 3,000 people. Commissioner Tony Lourey tells legislative leaders it happened Sept. 28 when an employee fell...
Risk Management Is Answer to Football’s Insurance Problem, Says Top Sports Broker
Feb 1 2019 // ESPN ran an in-depth report recently about insurers being unwilling to cover the National Football League (NFL) for general liability and workers’ compensation due to concerns over player concussions and traumatic...
Cities Sue Companies over Sealant Pollution in Minnesota Ponds
Jan 16 2019 // Seven Minnesota cities are suing a group of companies that refine coal-tar sealants to help pay for cleanup after the product’s harmful chemicals ended up in stormwater ponds across the state. The cities filed...
Judge Lets Berkshire Hathaway’s Dairy Queen Sue Over ‘Blizzard’ Trademark
Jan 11 2019 // A federal judge in Minnesota ruled this week that Dairy Queen, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., may pursue its lawsuit to stop W.B. Mason Co. from selling “Blizzard” bottled spring...
380 People Died in Minnesota Traffic Crashes Last Year
Jan 8 2019 // The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says more people lost their lives on state roadways in 2018 compared to the year before. Initial reports show 380 people were victims of fatal crashes last year, up from 358 in...
Midwest Legislative Priorities Include No-Fault Auto, Distracted Driving, Contractor Fraud, Tort Reform
Jan 7 2019 // With some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation, Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws — much maligned by the insurance industry and business interests — are sure to be a target for legislative...
Alleging Fraud, Minnesota AG Swanson Sues Comcast
Dec 28 2018 // Minnesota’s attorney general sued Comcast/Xfinity on Dec. 21, alleging that the company has overcharged thousands of consumers for cable TV packages, charged them for unordered equipment and services, and failed to...
164K-Plus Pounds of Ground Turkey Recalled by Minnesota’s Jennie-O
Dec 27 2018 // A Minnesota-based poultry producer is recalling more than 164,000 pounds of raw ground turkey products that may be contaminated with salmonella. The Jennie-O Turkey Store products have markings saying to use or freeze by...
June 20 Still the Cut Off Date for Dicamba Use in Minnesota
Dec 12 2018 // Minnesota is maintaining its June 20 cutoff date for farmers to use the herbicide dicamba, which has been blamed for drifting and damaging neighboring soybean fields. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture imposed the...
Marsh & McLennan Agency Acquires Minnesota’s Otis-Magie Insurance Agency
Dec 11 2018 // Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (MMA), the middle market agency subsidiary of Marsh, has acquired Otis-Magie Insurance Agency Inc., a privately owned independent agency headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota. Terms of the...
