Wednesday, May 8, 2013
A bill to let states impose sales tax on big online retailers passed the U.S. Senate Monday. Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken voted for the Marketplace Fairness Act, as did many Republicans.
Why should online shoppers pay sales tax? Why or why not? Leave a comment below. You could pay the same sales tax for online purchases as you do for shopping at a physical store if a bill that passed the U.S. Senate Monday becomes law. The Marketplace Fairness Act would allow states to collect sales tax from retailers with more than $1 million in annual gross sales to out-of-state customers. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken (both DFL-MN) voted yes, joined by 67 other senators including 21 Republicans. Minnesota Revenue Commissioner Myron Frans praised the Senate action in a press release: "This legislation levels the playing field for all those Main Street businesses in Minnesota and across the country. It also helps large retailers like…
Monday, April 22, 2013
He did not hear the Miranda warning, and some feel they should go further to gather information about the planning of last week's attack.
Update, 12:20 p.m. April 22: White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will not be treated as an enemy combatant, according to NBC News. "We will prosecute this terrorist through our civilian system of justice," Carney said. *** Original post, 9:24 a.m. April 22: When Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was arrested Friday in Watertown, MA, we all let out a collective sigh of relief. Rapidly thoughts turned to prosecution. At the first news conference after the arrest, officials and reporters talked about the "public safety exception" to Miranda Rights. The exception "permits law enforcement to engage in a limited and focused unwarned interrogation and allows the government to introduce the statement as direct evidence," according to the…
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
A windchill of minus 10 on the first day of spring. Have you considered moving out of state to get away from this climate?
It's 5 degrees above zero on the first day of spring—10 degrees below zero if you count wind chill. Why do you live in Minnesota again? Today is the vernal equinox, when the Earth decides which end it wants to tip toward the sun. Why do our chances of being warm again seem less than 50-50? Spring has sprung, but the climate seems to have sprung a gasket. It's the coldest it's been this late in the season since 1996. Why haven't you moved someplace warm yet? Watch the video above, titled Why We're Here: Twin Cities. It was shot two years ago—entirely in the summer. Coincidence? Leave a comment below and share five good reasons you still live in Minnesota—one reason for each degree above zero this morning.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Even if you don't have children in the school system, is this something your town should consider?
Now that the days are getting longer again, most school aged children in Minnesota can see the bright sun of summer on the horizon. Yes, the countdown to summer vacation is definitely in full-swing. Well—unless you're a kid who attends a school with a year-round academic calendar. There are quite of few metro area schools that offer the year-round model, such as Crossroads Elementary in St. Paul and Paideia Academy in Apple Valley—and the model is getting more popular. According to the Minnesota Department of Administration, a study around 1999 showed that many Minnesota schools began adopting either block scheduling or year-round education calendars to improve overall student achievement. Block scheduling gives teachers and students more …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Some state legislators and parents believe immersion teachers should have more time to pass the required test in English. What do you think?
Last February, a new state law requiring all public school teachers to pass the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Basic Skills Test took effect. The teacher licensing exams are currently only offered in English. Parents of immersion students were concerned that the level of English proficiency required for the test is not basic and goes beyond conversational English. Before the new law, public school teachers were already required to take the basic skills test but did not have to pass before they began teaching. Under the old law, would-be teachers who failed the test– as about 30 percent did– could get a three-year provisional license that allowed them to teach while trying to get a passing score. "We hold our immersion teachers to the same …
Friday, February 15, 2013
Security is tight at a Minneapolis High School today after a brawl erupted during lunch on Thursday.
Thursday afternoon, the lunchroom at Minneapolis' South High School descended into pandemonium as scores of students—as many as 300, by some accounts—started brawling. Police eventually used pepper spray to disperse the crowds. The fight seems to have been sparked when students jumped into a physical confrontation between two of their classmates. The battle occurred against a backdrop of tension between the school's Somali and African-American communities. Minneapolis schools spokesperson Stan Alleyne said he thinks a certain amount of fighting is par for the course. "In a high school, any high school in America, there are going to be fights from time to time," Alleyne said, according to MPR on Thursday. "South High is a safe school. Did …
Friday, January 18, 2013
In this week's Hot Topics conversation, we want to know how you feel about a bill that has been introduced in the State Legislature.
This week, the Senate Tax Reform Committee began working on measures, including one that would expand the sales tax base while lowering the overall rate by half a percent. Under the bill, shoppers would pay sales tax on individual clothing items costing more than $200 dollars. The first $200 would be exempt. The committee did not take action on the plan. The proposal was introduced last week by Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), Sen. Chris Eaton (DFL-Brooklyn Center) and Sen. Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope). Watch committee testimony on the proposal in the attached video by MNSenateMedia. Do you think this plan is a good idea? Why or why not? Tell us your opinion in the comments area below.
Albert
2:51 pm on Thursday, May 9, 2013
Why should a business that may be out of state or out the country have an advantage over say a business in our community. The issue is the goverment was slow to the internet sales game and is now just playing catch up. They are not proposing new taxes just leveling out the retail playing field. Support your local business that support your community, not some online company that might be in China… more ›