Star Tribune
Gov. Walz pitches $982 million in infrastructure projects for 2024
Gov. Tim Walz proposed a bonding bill of $982 million on Tuesday, with nearly half going toward shoring up existing state infrastructure.
The governor’s proposal is one of the early steps in the process, setting a framework and tone for the Legislature which goes into session Feb. 12. The DFL-controlled Legislature will weigh Walz’s proposal and likely negotiate with him and Republicans over what to include.
“We have an obligation to ensure every Minnesotan has access to clean water, well-maintained infrastructure, safe communities, and state buildings that are safe and accessible,” the DFL governor said in releasing his proposal. “These projects will support local governments in their work to improve our infrastructure and create good-paying jobs in every corner of the state.”
Unlike other spending proposals, bills that borrow money require a supermajority of more than 3/5ths in both chambers of the Legislature, meaning the DFL needs Republican votes for passage. Especially tricky is the Senate where the DFL has a mere 34-33 edge over the GOP.
In the governor’s proposal, 45% goes to preserving infrastructure, 22% toward water and transportation, 14% to public safety, 10% to housing and 9% to other projects, according to Walz.
He wants to spend $215 million on water and transportation projects, including $119 million for grants and low-interest loans for safe drinking water. He proposed $28 million for new grant programs to help remove water contaminants such as PFAS, manmade chemicals linked to some cancers.
Saying that “everyone in Minnesota deserves to be safe and protected,” the governor proposed using $142 million on public safety projects. He would expand lab capacity at the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and plan for a new State Patrol headquarters. The State Patrol currently leases space in a downtown St. Paul office building for its headquarters. A new location has yet to be determined.
His proposal would spend $47 million for new infrastructure to rehabilitate and educate prison inmates.
Walz also included more than $97 million for housing and environmental projects. Half that amount would go toward Housing Infrastructure Bonds to support construction of multifamily housing for those facing homelessness, senior citizens and families.
Some $16 million of the housing money would be used to update the Minneapolis Veterans Home.
Another $440 million of his proposal would “maintain and renew the buildings that taxpayers own and rely on every day,” he said. Included in that number is nearly $206 million for Minnesota State and the University of Minnesota to repair and renovate buildings.
An additional $85 million will go toward other infrastructure across the state including $40 million for local government projects and $5 million in grants to construct and renovate early childhood facilities.
Walz didn’t include money for U.S. Bank Stadium or Xcel Energy Center in his proposal. The Minneapolis stadium needs $62 million for the second phase of its secure perimeter. St. Paul is working on a pitch to the state for help renovating Xcel, a cost that could reach hundreds of millions.
In even-numbered years, the Legislature typically focuses on passing a package of construction projects. But last session, Walz and legislative leaders struck a deal on a $2.6 billion infrastructure package — the largest in state history — after failing to come to an agreement on one in 2022.
That package was made up of $1.5 billion of borrowing and more than $1.1 billion in cash, and included funding for upgrades to college buildings, road and bridge improvements and water infrastructure projects. Democrats were able to get Republican support for the bill after agreeing to send $300 million to distressed nursing homes.
The state’s latest economic forecast accounted for an $830 million general-obligation bonding bill this year, but lawmakers can use part of a projected $2.4 billion budget surplus to pay for some projects in cash.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation closed part of a state highway Wednesday evening near Austin because of a “major hazardous materials release” in the area.
Hwy. 56 from Hayfield to Waltham, a stretch covering about five miles, was closed in both directions and drivers were directed to follow a detour to Blooming Prairie on U.S. Hwy. 218.
No information on the hazardous materials released was immediately available.
A federal judge dismissed a civil lawsuit against Minnesota state trooper Ryan Londregan in the shooting death of Ricky Cobb II during a 2023 traffic stop.
The decision is the latest development in a case that has drawn heated debate over excessive use of force by law enforcement. Criminal charges against Londregan were dismissed by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in June, saying the prosecution didn’t have the evidence to proceed with a case.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel granted Londregan’s motion to dismiss the civil suit, arguing he acted reasonably when he opened fire as Cobb’s vehicle lurched forward with another state trooper partly inside.
Londregan’s attorney Chris Madelsaid Wednesday that it’s been a “long, grueling journey to justice. Ryan Londregan has finally arrived.”
On July 31, 2023, the two troopers pulled over Cobb, 33, on Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis for driving without taillights and later learned he was wanted for violating a felony domestic no-contact order. Cobb refused commands to exit the car.
With Seide partly inside the car while trying to unbuckle Cobb’s seatbelt, the car moved forward. Londregan then opened fire, hitting Cobb twice.
In her decision, Brasel said the troopers were mandated by state law to make an arrest given Cobb’s domestic no-contact order violation. She said it was objectively reasonable for Londregan to believe Seide was in immediate danger as the car moved forward on a busy highway, which would make his use of force reasonable.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Donald Trump walked down the steps of the Boeing 757 that bears his name, walked across a rain-soaked tarmac and, after twice missing the handle, climbed into the passenger seat of a white garbage truck that also carried his name.
The former president, once a reality TV star known for his showmanship, wanted to draw attention to a remark made a day earlier by his successor, Democratic President Joe Biden, that suggested Trump’s supporters were garbage. Trump has used the remark as a cudgel against his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.
”How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump said, wearing an orange and yellow safety vest over his white dress shirt and red tie. ”This is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.”
Trump and other Republicans were facing pushback of their own for comments by a comedian at a weekend Trump rally who disparaged Puerto Rico as a ”floating island of garbage.” Trump then seized on a comment Biden made on a late Wednesday call that “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”
The president tried to clarify the comment afterward, saying he had intended to say Trump’s demonization of Latinos was unconscionable. But it was too late.
On Thursday, after arriving in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for an evening rally, Trump climbed into the garbage truck, carrying on a brief discussion with reporters while looking out the window — similar to what he did earlier this month during a photo opportunity he staged at a Pennsylvania McDonalds.
He again tried to distance himself from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, whose joke had set off the firestorm, but Trump did not denounce it. He also said he did not need to apologize to Puerto Ricans.
”I don’t know anything about the comedian,” Trump said. ”I don’t know who he is. I’ve never seen him. I heard he made a statement, but it was a statement that he made. He’s a comedian, what can I tell you. I know nothing about him.”
