Star Tribune
Gov. Tim Walz’s swing-state appeal is put to the test in western Wisconsin
“This is an area that swings back and forth depending on the election cycle, and it’s an area that really can deliver those decisive votes for candidates in a statewide election,” said Anthony Chergosky, a University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political science professor. “If the Harris-Walz ticket can develop a brand that helps them stop the party’s slide in rural Wisconsin, then that will massively help their path to victory.”
Both presidential campaigns have spent considerable time in Wisconsin. Trump recently visited the state four times in a span of eight days. Harris held rallies in La Crosse and Green Bay earlier this month, and Walz made stops in Eau Claire, Green Bay and Madison. Walz told a crowd gathered at a “Students for Harris-Walz” event in Eau Claire that “it’s very realistic to believe that this race will be won going through Wisconsin.”
Though both campaigns have made frequent visits to the Badger State, their stops appear to be geared toward shoring up their respective bases, retired GOP strategist Brandon Scholz said.
“I think Tim Walz’s job right now in Wisconsin, from what he’s saying and where he’s going and what he’s doing, is, ‘let’s make sure 99 percent of our voters turn out, because we need every single one of them because of how close Wisconsin is,’” Scholz said. “To date, neither he nor Harris have communicated a message to bring in those undecideds, ticket splitters.”
Ryan O’Gara is one of those undecideds. The 47-year-old Christian conservative lives in the village of Downing, some 20 miles northwest of Menomonie and home to about 230 people. O’Gara said he sees mostly Trump signs around his town, but he isn’t a fan of either nominee and likely will sit out this election.
Asked what he thought of Walz, O’Gara referred to him as “far-left.” He said he disagrees with allowing gender-affirming health care services for minors. Walz signed a bill into law last year making Minnesota a refuge for people seeking gender-affirming care.
The Minneapolis Police Department is on track to rack up $26 million in overtime this year — about $10 million over budget — as the number of extra hours officers work continues since a flood of officers left the force after George Floyd’s 2020 police killing and unrest that ensued.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara provided the OT figure to City Council members during a budget presentation Thursday in which he added that the department has about 210 vacancies.
“We’re using overtime every day to do the most basic functions of a police department,” he said. “It is critically low staffing right now.”
Last year, MPD paid nearly $23 million in overtime — about half of that “critical staffing overtime,” in which officers are paid double their hourly wage.
Overtime is being driven by a wave of resignations and retirements at the department, which had 578 sworn officers as of Thursday, down from nearly 900 in 2019, a 36% decrease that has left it with one of the nation’s lowest ratios of officers to residents.
MPD was averaging about $7 million in overtime prior to 2020, when it shot up to $11 million and has increased every year since, reaching $23 million last year.
Mayor Jacob Frey has proposed a $230 million budget for MPD next year, a 6% increase from 2024, or $13.7 million. Of that, $13 million is budgeted for “constitutional policing” to comply with a state human rights settlement. State and federal officials are forcing the police department into court-sanctioned monitoring for civil rights violations.
Most of that goes to personnel, which comprises 77% of the budget, according to MPD Finance Director Vicki Troswick. The mayor proposes 966 full-time total MPD employees next year, compared to 935 this year. Of those, 731 sworn officers are budgeted for 2025. The city charter requires the city to employ 1.7 officers per 1,000 residents, or 731 officers, although the city has struggling to reach that number amid a nationwide law enforcement staffing shortage.
Linemen Jason Walker, top, and Jimmy Brown work on a new service line to a garage in Minneapolis on Wednesday. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii)
If the downed cable is a power line, the problem’s not nearly as acute: Power lines like those belonging to Xcel Energy are closely monitored by the company. If one goes down, Xcel often knows about it, but the company still encourages people to call in, said spokesman Kevin Coss.
The company regularly inspects and replaces overhead power lines to make them resilient, but “severe storms and other weather impacts can still sometimes bring down well-maintained power lines, especially when high winds snap nearby trees or tree branches and cause them to fall into the lines,” said Koss. “If homeowners see fallen lines on their property, we urge them to steer clear. Assume all power lines are still energized, even if they have fallen, and keep a safe distance away.”
In Minneapolis, city residents can call 311 to report a downed line, said city spokesman Allen Henry. The message will get forwarded to city staff, likely in the Public Works department, to determine if it’s a power line or not.
Stillwater Public Works Director Shawn Sanders said residents could check their invoices from telecommunications companies they’ve bought service from — think CenturyLink, Comcast or others — for a number to call.
Lake Elmo Public Works Director Marty Powers said power lines are generally at the top of power poles and communications lines lower down, but a homeowner could do a Google search to see which provider is operating in their area or has service at their address. In Lake Elmo, it could be Comcast, Lingo Communications or CenturyLink, but doing a Google search first might show the resident that one or two of the companies doesn’t serve their house and make it easier to know who to contact.
“I have only had two or three inquiries in Lake Elmo over the past five years, but, yes, identifying overhead wires can be challenging,” he said.
“STEP Academy is in a financial crisis,” IQS warned in the letter. “If the board does not take sufficient and responsible action, the school will be unable to continue operations.”
One of the authorizer’s concerns was resolved Thursday night when the board accepted the resignation of superintendent Mustafa Ibrahim, who served as the school’s top administrator since 2012. Two STEP board members also stepped down.
IQS first placed STEP on probation for contract violations in 2020. Most of its complaints have centered on Ibrahim’s actions, with IQS accusing him of operating without proper board oversight and making unilateral decisions that have sometimes hurt the school.
The situation didn’t reach crisis levels, however, until the costs of the school’s 2022 expansion into Burnsville wiped out STEP’s financial reserves. Its fund balance, the most critical indicator of a charter school’s financial health, fell from $2.7 million in 2022 to $54,461 in 2023, state records show.
In a 2023 letter to the school, IQS said STEP “significantly overspent” on renovating the Burnsville facility. It alleged that Ibrahim violated procurement rules by entering into budget-busting agreements without first obtaining board approval.
In a statement to the Star Tribune, Ibrahim blamed STEP’s financial problems on IQS. He said the nonprofit has abused its power by creating “unnecessary barriers and distractions” that have destabilized the school. Ibrahim accused IQS of attempting to “wrest control” of the school and replace its Black leaders with “hand-picked white professionals.”
