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Sunday, July 21, 2024

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VP Kamala Harris says she plans to 'earn and win' Democratic nomination after Joe Biden drops out and endorses her; New Alabama bill threatens voter rights, legal challenge ensues; Fact-checking GOP claims on immigrants; Water contamination a concern in Midwest flood aftermath.

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President Joe Biden drops his 2024 re-election bid. He's endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his spot on the ticket, and election experts say they see benefits to this decision.

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It's grass-cutting season and with it, rural lawn mower races, Montana's drive-thru blood project is easing shortages, rural Americans spend more on food when transportation costs are tallied, and a lack of good childcare is thwarting rural business owners.

To shield public waterways from runoff, MN takes an inventory dive

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Friday, May 24, 2024   

What might seem like an under-the-radar administrative task could end up being a lifesaver for Minnesota waterways in need of safeguards against agricultural runoff.

Lawmakers have paved the way for a crucial list to be updated. In this year's legislative session, a change was made to clarify the definition of public waters, and funding was provided for a several-year process to update Minnesota's Public Waters Inventory.

Carly Griffity, water program director for the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, said these moves mean more lakes and streams will likely qualify for required stretches of vegetation, known as buffer strips, to keep pollutants such as nitrates out of the water.

"It really is a real-world issue that impacts communities," she said.

The law change stemmed from a legal case about a western Minnesota creek that reached the state Supreme Court. The list update was a compromise with agricultural groups seeking certainty for farmers as they plan land use. Lawmakers also increased penalties for violators of buffer-strip requirements. The collective action follows substantial growth in large livestock operations in Minnesota since 1991.

While her organization applauded these moves, Griffith suggested there's more to do to limit pollutants from reaching water sources.

"We have data from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency that [show] on average, cropland drain tile contributes about 70% of nitrogen to Minnesota's surface waters," she said, "and in some areas of the state, like the Minnesota River Valley, that number is even higher."

She referred to subsurface drainage from farms that bypass buffer strips. The state has carried out other strategies to slow fertilizer runoff, but not all efforts have been successful. Recently, the federal Environmental Protection Agency ordered Minnesota to be more aggressive in addressing this problem in the southeastern part of the state.


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Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a political event in Grand Rapids, Mich., in early 2024. (The White House/Wikimedia Commons)

Health and Wellness

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Vice President Kamala Harris focused on reproductive rights at a campaign event in Michigan Wednesday. Her remarks come as President Joe Biden has …


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Construction could begin in Minnesota later this year in the final phase of one of the nation's largest solar energy developments, after state …

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More than 2,400 delegates gathered in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention and delegates from around the country, including …

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