Minnesota Reformer

The Minnesota Reformer is a nonprofit news organization that operates independently, with a mission to keep the people of Minnesota informed. We focus on revealing stories that may be overlooked or ignored by other media outlets. Our team is actively engaged in government spaces, keeping tabs on elected officials and the powerful entities trying to sway their decisions. Beyond the political sphere, we connect with the community—visiting bars, parks, farms, and warehouses—to share the experiences of those impacted by government actions and corporate interests. Best of all, our content is entirely free to access—no advertisements or paywalls. You can also freely republish our articles, graphics, and commentary.

Local

English

Online/Digital

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#121413

United States

#24880

News and Media

#1159

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

Labor fights to preserve recent gains at Minnesota Legislature — and other labor news • Minnesota Reformer

5 days ago | minnesotareformer.com | Max Nesterak

Take a seat in the Break Room, our weekly round-up of labor news in Minnesota and beyond. This week: Labor fights to preserve gains at the Capitol; U.S. Rep. Angie Craig racks up labor endorsements; truckers brace for tariff slowdown; Macalester staff file for union election; and Pope Leo XIV’s pro-labor predecessor.
Trump’s tariffs weigh heavy on truckers as overseas shipments sink

5 days ago | minnesotareformer.com | Max Nesterak

Freddy Lazo left a restaurant job for a higher paying one in trucking about two-and-a-half years ago. But the way President Trump’s trade war is going, he’s thinking he might have to go back to waiting tables soon. “It’s really super slow,” Lazo said, looking across the mostly empty trucking yard of shipping company Big Blue Box in New Brighton.
St. Paul walks back rent control

6 days ago | minnesotareformer.com | Madison McVan

New — and new-ish — rental properties in St. Paul will no longer be subject to the city’s 3% cap on yearly rent increases. The St. Paul City Council, at the behest of Mayor Melvin Carter, voted 4-3 Wednesday to permanently exempt new construction and rentals built after 2004 from the rent control ordinance, which voters approved by ballot measure in 2021.
'10% problematic' • Minnesota Reformer

6 days ago | minnesotareformer.com | J. Patrick Coolican

Gov. Tim Walz got dragged online and on cable news last week for some comments he made at the Harvard Institute of Politics. “But I also was on the ticket quite honestly, ya know, because I could code talk to white guys watching football and fixing their truck and doing that. That I could put them at ease. I was the permission structure to say, ‘Look you can do this and vote for this.’”If true, and it probably is, “it was an epic miscalculation,” as CNN’s Abby Phillip put it.
An uncertain time for solar, thanks to politics: Q&A with All Energy Solar CEO Michael Allen

6 days ago | minnesotareformer.com | Brian Martucci

If you live in Minnesota, you may have already had an inkling, but a quick glance at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s U.S. solar resource map confirms: Minnesota is among the least sunny states in the Lower 48. Yet Minnesota gets a surprising amount of its electricity from the sun.
‘Blue Dog’ Democrats vote to roll back paid sick leave for workers at small farms and businesses

1 week ago | minnesotareformer.com | Max Nesterak |Minnesota Reformer

Six self-described “Blue Dog” Senate Democrats voted with Republicans on Tuesday to weaken the paid sick leave law they supported just two years ago and repeal the benefit for tens of thousands of workers at small farms and micro-businesses. The bill would still need to pass the House and win the signature of Gov. Tim Walz — both very much in doubt — before becoming law.
U.S. Senate Dems launch forums to spotlight ‘bulldozing’ of Department of Education

1 week ago | minnesotareformer.com | Shauneen Miranda |Minnesota Reformer

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday blasted the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, underscoring the impact of the dizzying array of cuts, overhauls and proposed changes to the agency on students, families and educators. Sen.
U.S. Supreme Court lets Trump ban transgender people in military while case continues

1 week ago | minnesotareformer.com | Ashley Murray |Minnesota Reformer

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday allowed the Trump administration’s ban on transgender military service members to temporarily remain in place, while a lower court reviews the policy that advocates and some service members contend illegally targets a group of people.
Pay raises for nursing home workers passes Minnesota House with bipartisan support

1 week ago | minnesotareformer.com | Max Nesterak

Thousands of nursing home workers across Minnesota would see a significant pay increase on Jan. 1 under a bill that easily passed the state House 109-25 on Monday. The measure still needs Senate approval and the signature of Gov. Tim Walz. The House human services budget bill includes funding for nursing homes to pay for increased minimum wage rates set by the state’s Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board last year.
Minnesota Senate passes bill reining in HOAs

1 week ago | minnesotareformer.com | Madison McVan

The Minnesota Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would cap homeowners’ association fees, require board members disclose conflicts of interest and establish new rules to settle contentious HOA disputes. The bill (SF1750) now heads to the House. More than 1.5 million Minnesotans belong to an HOA, and the majority of newly-constricted homes are in HOAs. The Reformer has reported on the stories of homeowners who were surprised with huge bills for repairs they didn’t think were necessary.