Connect with us

Star Tribune

Minnesota emblems redesign commission aims to pick five finalists Tuesday for new flag, seal

Avatar

Published

on


The Minnesota State Emblems Redesign Commission is attempting Tuesday to winnow down some 2,600 state flag and seal designs to their top five.

Each of the 13 members on the commission have spent the last two weeks poring over the designs and will present their 25 favorites in a public hearing near the state Capitol. The meeting starts at 1 p.m. and could stretch into the evening as they debate the merits of each design with a goal of picking five designs for the flag and five for the seal, according to a release.

From those five, the commission will pick one design for each, likely in December, that will become the basis for the new state flag and seal.

The commission was created by the Legislature last session to redesign both emblems after decades of criticism that their imagery is offense to Native Americans. The seal, at the center of the state flag, shows a white settler plowing a field in the foreground while a Native American man rides on horseback off into the sunset. Others have criticized the flag as unremarkable, lacking basic design principles that make it stand out from other state flags.

The commission was flooded last month with submissions from the public, hundreds featuring loons — Minnesota’s state bird — and the north star, a nod to the state’s motto as “the star of the north.” Other themes included winter, pine trees and lakes. A few people submitted the current state flag, signaling they don’t want the design to change.

The commission wants submissions for the new flag to follow key design principles, including the use of only a few distinctive colors and imagery that can be recognized from a distance and drawn from memory. The design must consider the state’s history while also representing “Minnesota’s enduring values and aspirations,” according to the brief.

They’re facing a Jan. 1 deadline to submit the final designs to the Legislature. The public can attend the meeting in person at the Minnesota Senate Building or watch it streamed live from the commission’s website.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings

Star Tribune

With a coin flip, Lucie Skjefte appointed to the Minneapolis school board

Avatar

Published

on


The Minneapolis school board on Tuesday night appointed Lucie Skjefte, chair of the district’s American Indian Parent Advisory Committee, to fill the vacant District 3 board seat in the city’s center.

Her selection ultimately came down to chance.

Skjefte emerged from earlier ranked-choice voting in a tie with Fatimah Hussein, and the two then deadlocked, 4 to 4, in a live board vote before a coin was flipped in Skjefte’s favor.

They were among four finalists to succeed Faheema Feerayarre, who resigned in September, too late for the seat to be placed on the November ballot.

The move throws two new members into the mix as the school board works to erase an anticipated budget deficit and dig into a “transformation process” that could include closing and merging schools.

Greta Callahan, a former president of the teachers chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, won election last week to the District 6 seat.

During an appearance before board members last Thursday, Skjefte, who is a Red Lake tribal member, spoke of her work as an Indigenous graphics designer and as director of operations for the Mni Sota Fund, a community development group that seeks to empower Native people.

She said she’d aim to “reach out and create spaces for every voice, especially for those from historically marginalized communities.”



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Star Tribune

What to know about Forest Lake’s Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to serve as defense secretary

Avatar

Published

on


In picking Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense, President-elect Donald Trump has selected a military veteran and popular conservative media personality with a large following of his own.

Hegseth, 44, has developed a close rapport with Trump, who also reportedly considered him for a post in his first administration. Hegseth has lobbied Trump to release service members accused of war crimes.

Here are a few things to know about Hegseth.

He’s a Fox News personality and author

Co-host of Fox News Channel’s ”Fox & Friends Weekend,” Hegseth has been a contributor to the network for a decade. He developed a friendship with Trump through the president-elect’s regular appearances on the show. In a statement, a Fox News spokesperson complimented Hegseth’s military knowledge, saying his ”insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers.”

He’s also written a number of books, several for the network’s publishing imprint, including ”The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.” In announcing Hegseth’s nomination, Trump complimented that book, noting its ”nine weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list, including two weeks at NUMBER ONE.”

Hegseth has served in the military, although he lacks senior military or national security experience.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Star Tribune

More than half of Minnesota county election offices receive bomb threats since Nov. 8

Avatar

Published

on


Election offices in more than half of Minnesota’s counties have been targeted with emailed bomb threats since Nov. 8, the office of the Secretary of State said Tuesday.

The threats come as election workers are still in the process of verifying the results of the 2024 election.

In a statement, Secretary of State Steve Simon said his office is coordinating with local, state and federal partners to “ensure that our election officials can complete this important work and that those responsible for these threats are held accountable.”

“Threats of violence against election workers, aimed at disrupting our democracy, are absolutely unacceptable,” he said.

Turnout was high in Minnesota in 2024, but it was lower compared to the 2020 presidential election.

Unofficial 2024 results show about 76% of registered voters cast a ballot, down from the record-breaking 79.96% turnout in 2020, the office of the Secretary of State said last week.

The unofficial results, however, are higher than the 74.72% turnout recorded in 2016.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024 Breaking MN

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.