Jack O'Connor

1 week ago | inforum.com | Jack O'Connor

MINNEAPOLIS — Over a hundred people came to the capital Wednesday to raise awareness about the disproportionate rates of violence facing Black women as part of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Day on the Hill. The Wednesday, April 9, event also celebrated the Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls, which was created in 2023 to investigate and attempt to reduce the deaths and disappearances of Black women in the state.

2 weeks ago | duluthnewstribune.com | Jack O'Connor

ST. PAUL — Legislators advanced the education policy omnibus bill, which could require schools to implement a cell phone ban policy, mandate greater transparency for charter schools and amend the READ Act. The Senate and House passed their versions of the education policy omnibus bill Wednesday with bipartisan support, where it will eventually be heard on the floors of both chambers.

2 weeks ago | postbulletin.com | Jack O'Connor

ST. PAUL — Legislators advanced the education policy omnibus bill, which could require schools to implement a cell phone ban policy, mandate greater transparency for charter schools and amend the READ Act. The Senate and House passed their versions of the education policy omnibus bill Wednesday with bipartisan support, where it will eventually be heard on the floors of both chambers.

3 weeks ago | parkrapidsenterprise.com | Jack O'Connor

MINNEAPOLIS — Private schools are raising the alarm over Gov. Tim Walz’s proposed education budget, which cuts funding for nonpublic school transportation and educational materials in 2026. Walz’s updated budget proposal, released March 21, eliminates nonpublic pupil education aid — estimated to cost $52.5 million in 2026-27 and $56.4 million in 2028-29 — and nonpublic pupil transportation aid — budgeted at $56.2 million for 2026-7 and $58.4 million for 2028-29.

3 weeks ago | inforum.com | Jack O'Connor

MINNEAPOLIS — Prison reformers want Minnesota to end its use of solitary confinement and improve conditions for inmates separated from the rest of the prison population. The commissioner overseeing the state’s prisons and jails said the issue is more complicated. A Senate bill, SF207, and its House counterpart, HF1628, would ban solitary confinement and mandate better conditions for those in segregated housing.