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Star Tribune | February 14, 2018
Gov. Mark Dayton and a bipartisan group of lawmakers called for a tax on prescription opioids Wednesday, proposing that the money raised be used to alleviate the epidemic that killed nearly 400 Minnesotans in 2016.
Dayton was joined at a Wednesday news conference by Rep. Dave Baker, R-Willmar, and Sen. Chris Eaton, DFL-Brooklyn Center, who both lost children to opioid addiction. “I don’t want to see other families go through what my family went through when we lost our son,” Baker said.
The plan would tax prescription opioids a penny on each milligram of active ingredient in a pain pill. The proceeds, estimated to be about $20 million per year, would go toward prevention, emergency response, treatment and recovery, and law enforcement.
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Yale Climate Connections | February 14, 2018
Clean energy takes a lot of work – and that’s good news for Minnesota’s job market.
Mast: “This rapid transition to cleaner and more sustainable energy is driving significant job growth all across the state.”
That’s Gregg Mast of Clean Energy Economy Minnesota. He says clean energy and energy efficiency jobs grew almost four times faster than all other job types in the state between 2015 and 2016.
Now, more than 57,000 Minnesotans work in these fields. Most are employed in energy efficiency – for example, installing high-efficiency appliances or constructing energy-efficient buildings.
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5 Eyewitness News | February 14, 2018
The Metropolitan Council says developers have added $8.4 billion in investment along current and potential metro light rail corridors since the transit-ways were added to the Twin Cities landscape.
The agency says that number could be higher as many projects along the lines, including 24 of 41 project on the Blue Line, have not yet publicly disclosed their project value, according to a release.
The Met Council says it tracks proposed, under construction or completed developments along the existing Green and Blue lines and their proposed extensions.
"In the past year alone, we have seen an increase of $1.6 billion for a total of $8.4 billion in development along LRT lines," Met Council Chair Alene Tchourumoff said, according to the release. "Businesses and developers choose proximity to light rail because they know that residents and workers of all ages are increasingly demanding access to transit – whether for housing, work, school, or entertainment."
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WCCO | February 13, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — University of Minnesota students working on careers in health will have a new state of the art place to study.
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held Tuesday for the Health Sciences Education Center at the corner of Harvard and Delaware streets.
The Minnesota Legislature approved funding for the $108 million facility during last year’s special session.
Donors are also helping to pay for it.
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