Kare11
St. Paul voters deny tax increase for childcare
Nearly 60% of voters voted against that increase.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Voters in St. Paul have voted against a property tax increase that would have provided childcare at no cost to low-income families. Nearly 60% of voters voted against that increase.
Along with low-income families, other families would have seen childcare available on a sliding scale.
In the past, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter has said the measure won’t work, telling KARE11 in October that, “based on my judgment, it can’t be done.”
“If I’m a voter, I think, if we vote yes on this, then childcare will be available in the city at no cost to low-income families,” Carter said in October. “This proposal would serve an average of only 404 children per year, at a total cost of $110 million in property tax increases.”
“We can’t ask (St. Paul voters) to pass the largest single property tax increase that I can ever remember on the basis of making a promise that explicitly says all children, and then turn around and say, ‘Oh, of the 20,000 children in our city under age five, we only meant 404 of them,” he continued.
Proponents of the measure have also been steadfast in their stances on this. St. Paul city council member Rebecca Noecker spoke with KARE11 last summer about the issue.
“There’s never been a claim that this would cover every single child on day one,” Noecker told KARE11 back in the summer of 2023. “This is to provide low-income families with free child care, and to make it more affordable for families above that.”
Mayor Carter’s office said Wednesday there would be no comment after the measure failed.
New autonomous driving vehicles are hitting the roads in Eden Prairie.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — SouthWest Transit tested its new self-driving vehicles in Eden Prairie Wednesday.
Riders will be able to travel to and from specific stops using the “Spare” app. SouthWest Transit also says this will connect riders to residential areas, workplaces, and shopping. It will also include a stop at the Southwest Light Rail.
“It’s really exciting for me, but I think it’s exciting for Eden Prairie and it benefits our residents and our businesses,” said Eden Prairie mayor Ron Case.
“We really believe in a future where everyone has access to mobility no matter who they are or where they are, and this represents more than just an advanced piece of technology, it’s a commitment to expanded access,” said vice president of customers with Space, Quinn Kliman.
The service is free and will run on weekdays from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Police say the shooting occurred in an alley between Oliver Avenue North and Penn Avenue North at around 5:30 p.m.
MINNEAPOLIS — Police are investigating after a teen was injured in a shooting Wednesday evening in north Minneapolis.
The Minneapolis Police Department was called to an alley between Oliver Avenue North and Penn Avenue North at around 5:30 p.m. on reports of a possible shooting. When officers arrived, they found a 16-year-old boy who had been shot.
Police say the teen heard a vehicle and gunfire before realizing he had been shot.
Officials say the boys is expected to survive, and no arrests have been made.
*This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Police say it happened near Lowry and Sheridan Avenue N.
MINNEAPOLIS — A 10-year-old girl was taken to the hospital Wednesday after being hit by a vehicle.
It happened near Lowry and Sheridan Avenue N, according to Minneapolis police, shortly before 8 p.m.
Police say the girl was running across the road when she was hit by a grey SUV that did not stop. Her injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
No one has been arrested in the case yet, according to officials.
