Linda Higgins

A bill to allow incurably ill patients to legally purchase marijuana is up for consideration in the Minnesota Senate. The Medical Use of Marijuana bill is nearly identical to a bill that passed the Senate last year and almost passed the House. It enjoys partisan support this year, although last year Gov. Tim Pawlenty indicated he would veto such a bill so long as law enforcement opposed it.

The sub-zero temperatures didn’t scare away North Side residents. Roughly 50 folks gathered Tuesday night at the Minneapolis Urban League to meet with their state legislative delegation and learn the details of Minnesota’s looming $4.8 billion budget deficit. Freshmen Reps. Bobby Joe Champion (pictured) and Jeff Hayden (the only two African Americans in the legislature) were on hand, along with veteran state Sen. Linda Higgins. “The reality is that people are really, really frightened,” Hayden said at the start of the discussion.

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison will be among the special guests speaking at tonight’s Predatory Lending Community Action meeting.

Other guests include state Rep. Joe Mullery, state Sen. Linda Higgins, and ACORN finance director Jordan Ash, who was a part of Attorney General Lori Swanson’s Task Force Against Predatory Lending.

Ellison will be discussing federal legislation being proposed [...]