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Nine states have already banned affirmative action
Idaho, Arizona, Florida, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Washington, California, and Michigan have already banned affirmative action policies in higher education.
MINNEAPOLIS — On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled to strike down affirmative action in higher education. The 6-3 decision reverses policies that have been in place since the 1960s.
This isn’t the first court case to challenge affirmative action in colleges and universities. In fact, 9 states have bans against race-based college admission policies: Idaho, Arizona, Florida, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Washington, California, and Michigan.
Two of the largest colleges in the country filed briefs expressing support of affirmative action in this landmark case. The University of California and the University of Michigan have leaders that believe affirmative action is an important tool that helps diversify admissions.
“What we can expect is that, especially for selective and elite universities that don’t accept essentially everyone, is you’re going to see an immediate drop of underrepresented minorities,” University of California Los Angeles professor, Jerry Kang said.
Kang said UCLA and the University of California Berkley saw an immediate impact after the California affirmative action ban took place in 1996. He added admissions of minority students dropped by nearly 50%.
The University of California President, Michael V. Drake, issued a statement Thursday saying the consideration of race wasn’t the conclusive solution to inequities in college admission but it was an important pathway to addressing systemic deficiencies.
“Without it, we must work much harder to identify and address the root causes of societal inequities that hinder diverse students in pursuing and achieving a higher education,” Drake said.
UC reportedly has invested nearly half a billion dollars in diversity outreach programs to attract minority students since 2004.
The year before the ban, the University of Michigan reported 7% of their enrollment were black students. By 2021, that percentage fell to 4%.
“We remain firmly convinced that racial diversity is one of the many important components of a broadly diverse student body and an intellectually and culturally rich campus community,” Univerisity of M Michigan President Santa Ono and Provost Laurie McCauley said in a joint letter.
A Pew Research survey says most Americans disapprove of colleges considering race and ethnicity in admissions. The survey was published earlier this month ahead of the SCOTUS decision.
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Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey questioned the legality of the new measure while issuing his veto on Wednesday.
MINNEAPOLIS — The City of Minneapolis will move ahead with new carbon fees after a contentious back and forth at City Hall concluded with the council overriding the mayor’s veto.
The new fees, which target carbon emissions from city businesses, will be implemented on July 1, 2025, according to the council.
Minneapolis already has a pollution fee system, known as the Pollution Control Annual Registration or PCAR. The fees go into the city’s Green Cost Share program, helping pay the costs companies incur bringing down their emissions.
The current PCAR system covers emissions of other air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds, heavy particulates, and sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, lead, and carbon monoxide. Companies are required to report their emissions levels to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which, in turn, charges fees of $100 per ton.
The City Council voted Oct. 2 to add carbon dioxide to the list. The resolution seeks to impose a $452 per ton fee for carbon dioxide.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey questioned the legality of the new measure while issuing his veto on Wednesday.
“I am all on board for PCAR fees—but it’s time the Council stops playing games and follows the processes in place to enact lasting change,” said Mayor Jacob Frey, in a statement to KARE.
Before his veto was overridden, Frey had told KARE that if the measure were to move forward, companies hit with the fees would likely sue the city and win.
Council Member Robin Wonsley, who co-authored the measure, took to X (formerly Twitter) to respond to Frey’s veto on Wednesday night.
Wisconsin law enforcement said Katrina Baur, and her partner, Jesse Vang, are facing charges in connection with 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s death, including obstruction.
TWO RIVERS, Wis. — About a month after 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s remains were recovered from a private property in Wisconsin, state authorities announced Thursday that charges have been filed against the boy’s mother and her partner.
Wisconsin law enforcement said Katrina Baur, and her partner, Jesse Vang, are facing charges in connection with 3-year-old Elijah Vue’s death, including obstruction.
Vue went missing in February and it wasn’t until September that his body was recovered and identified.
Wadena-Deer Creek head coach Kyle Petermeier told families in a letter that a rash of injuries has reduced the roster to the point that playing is a “safety issue.”
WADENA, Minn. — A central Minnesota high school is pulling the plug on the remainder of its varsity football season, saying continuing to play would not be “safe or realistic.”
Wadena-Deer Creek head coach Kyle Petermeier sent a letter home to families earlier in the week, explaining the decision to skip the Wolverines’ final game and subsequent district playoffs. Petermeier said injuries began piling up as the club reached midseason, and roster numbers hit a dangerous low following Wadena-Deer Creek’s game in week 7.
Heading into the final regular season game against Staples-Motley, Wadena-Deer Creek had just eight healthy players from 10th to 12th grade. At that point, the coach said, a difficult but necessary decision had to be made in the interest of safety.
“We are in a position now where we would have to trot out a majority of our team that is 14 and 15 years old, and that is not in the best interest of our kids,” coach Petermeier explained. “To us, safety is ahead of any individual game result. Football is a physical sport and putting out a team of mostly 14-15 year olds vs. 17-18 year olds is not safe or realistic for our team, and even the opposing team playing. “
Before the decision to end their season, the Wolverines were 1-6 on the year, losing games by up to 50 points.
Coach Petermeier credited this year’s varsity squad for their preparation, training and effort, and told parents he believes the future of the Wadena-Deer Creek football program is bright with big participation numbers with players at the fifth- to ninth-grade levels.
“Football is a game that requires strength in numbers, and we will do anything we can to keep these numbers high and keep kids out for football,” he promised.
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