Minnesota Senate Passes Medical Pot Legislation
The Minnesota state Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
Watch CBS News
The Minnesota state Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would legalize marijuana for medical purposes.
Stock up on beer, wine and liquor on Saturday. The Minnesota Senate soundly defeated a repeal of the state's law barring liquor stores from being open on Sundays. The chamber voted in favor of allowing craft beer tap rooms to sell growlers for takeaway on Sundays, but then the bill got pulled from debate.
A bill to legalize medical marijuana is headed to the Senate floor after passage by the Finance Committee. The committee passed the bill 14-7 on Monday after adding a few wrinkles to the legislation.
Bills legalizing medical marijuana could be voted on in both the Minnesota House and Senate this week, but the House and Senate versions are significantly different. That has led to disagreements among supporters that some say threaten passage of any type of bill.
A rift among Minnesota supporters of allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes could make it harder to push legalization through the legislature this year. Committees in both the House and Senate were debating competing legislation Friday. A Senate panel stripped the option of smoking marijuana as medication from its bill on Thursday. But the House version is even more limited in how the drug may be accessed.
The Minnesota Senate has passed a bill allowing the state to retain blood samples from newborn babies indefinitely. Senators voted 36 to 20 to send the proposal to Gov. Mark Dayton.
Top Minnesota lawmakers are working to set the terms of a deal on tax cuts, new state spending and borrowing for construction that would enable them to end their session. Democratic leaders of the House and Senate said Thursday that they were closing in on a framework.
One more Minnesota Senate panel has approved legislation that would legalize medical marijuana. The Senate Judiciary Committee gave the OK Wednesday despite opposition from law enforcement including Public Safety Commissioner Mona Dohman.
A Minnesota Senate panel has approved legislation that would legalize medical marijuana. The chamber's Committee on State and Local Government advanced the legislation after questions on how a program would be set up and run.
The Minnesota Senate has taken a stand against the sale of lottery tickets through a website or gas-pump terminals. By a voice vote Friday, senators moved to outlaw the practice that the Minnesota Lottery had already begun. It was as an amendment to a separate gambling regulation bill.
The Minnesota Senate approved wide-ranging legislation Wednesday to expand workplace protections for women including provisions aimed at leveling pay and accommodating pregnancies. The 51-14 vote sets up a likely negotiation with the House, which passed legislation that goes even further.
One of the first women to be elected to the Minnesota Senate has died, according to reports. Former Republican state senator Nancy Brataas died Thursday night after a long battle with emphysema.
Democrats fighting to protect Minnesota U.S. Sen. Al Franken's seat want to replicate the last presidential campaign playbook by casting a well-funded GOP challenger as a corporate raider who put profit over people.
The Minnesota Senate has given approval to another $101 million in tax breaks, but the array of relief differs from a House version. Thursday's 57-6 vote sets up final tax negotiations with House tax writers. Both chambers are led by Democrats.
A plan to construct a $77 million building to house Minnesota's 67 state senators is moving forward after the Senate Rules Committee approved the proposal on Monday. The project matches one that the House Rules Committee approved Friday by a single vote. It would cost $13 million less than the original proposal the Senate Rules Committee approved earlier this year.
Top Democrats in the State House Friday approved a scaled-back version of a major new office building next to the Capitol, dedicated to the Minnesota Senate. The building's original design had a soaring glass front, with a fitness center and reflecting pool. The scaled back version is slightly more modest, but no less controversial.
The Minnesota Senate passed a bill Thursday to prevent bullying in Minnesota schools. But even though lawmakers support the idea of the Safe and Supportive Schools Act, it is still among the most controversial bills of the year at the Capitol. Minnesota has been in the national spotlight because of a rash of students committing suicides because of bullying.
This legislative session has stalled out with battles over a proposed $90 million Senate office building and a proposed minimum wage increase. But the battle is not between Republicans and Democrats - it's the Democrats who are fighting amongst themselves. With Democrats controlling the Minnesota House and Senate as well as the governor's office, it's the Democrats who are battling with each other over key issues.
Despite a collection of traditional adversaries aligning in opposition Friday, Democratic senators advanced a proposed ballot measure to let voters resolve a legislative deadlock over the minimum wage. A Senate jobs panel endorsed a constitutional amendment on a party-line vote over the objections of business, labor, faith and other advocacy groups. The measure would let voters decide if increases in the minimum wage should be automatically tied to inflation starting in 2017.
Five Republicans running for Minnesota governor are leaving no doubt they are united in their opposition to a planned Senate Office Building. The candidates held a joint news conference Thursday at the Capitol to showcase their distaste.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk says voters should decide whether Minnesota's minimum wage climbs automatically. A constitutional amendment that he and another prominent senator put in play Thursday would ask voters this fall if they think the wage should be forever linked to inflation.
Legislative Republicans pressed Monday for a speedy resolution to a controversy over a proposed Senate office building, making clear they oppose its construction. Several GOP lawmakers said the state should make do with the space it has, and reconfigure Capitol renovation plans if necessary.
Minnesota legislators planned quick and possibly final votes Thursday on a measure that would provide income tax breaks and repeal some controversial new business taxes. The Minnesota Senate prepared to debate a $434 million tax relief plan that also puts $150 million into a state budget reserve.
A tax relief measure put on a fast track in the Minnesota Senate on Wednesday could mean immediate breaks for at least 300,000 people. The Democratic-crafted proposal was unveiled a day after Gov. Mark Dayton implored lawmakers to speed up. The bill could get a floor vote as soon as Thursday.
A Minnesota Senate subcommittee on elections unanimously approved a bill Monday to reinforce a gift ban that was softened last year. The exception passed last spring allowed lawmakers to get lobbyist-purchased meals at receptions as long as all legislators were invited.
The public schools superintendent of Des Moines, Iowa, has resigned while challenging his deportation after being detained by immigration authorities.
"We have the best players in the world. We have the best fans in the world, but right now we have the worst leadership in the world," Napheesa Collier said.
Avian influenza has been found in flocks at four more turkey farms in Minnesota, according to animal health officials. This comes mere weeks after officials last reported the spread of the disease.
A proposal says Gov. Tim Walz would call a special session to convene on Monday and will focus on "specific action on guns."
According to DHS documents, Bakken's family child care license will be placed on conditional status for two years. She also must complete 10 hours of "practicing Safe and Healthy Child Care" training.
Avian influenza has been found in flocks at four more turkey farms in Minnesota, according to animal health officials. This comes mere weeks after officials last reported the spread of the disease.
A proposal says Gov. Tim Walz would call a special session to convene on Monday and will focus on "specific action on guns."
According to DHS documents, Bakken's family child care license will be placed on conditional status for two years. She also must complete 10 hours of "practicing Safe and Healthy Child Care" training.
Officials say accumulated trash near an unused entrance to the mosque was burning and extinguished by the Minneapolis Fire Department.
Traffic is being diverted off a highway east of the Twin Cities on Tuesday morning due to a serious crash, officials said.
Police in Pine County, Minnesota, say new technology helped save a 5-year-old boy who got lost in the woods.
The United States Department of Justice is suing Minnesota, and both Twin Cities, over so-called "sanctuary city" policies.
Last year, China purchased $12.6 billion worth of soybeans from the U.S., federal data from the agriculture department shows. As harvest season gets underway this year, the country's orders are $0.
Three more measles cases have been reported in Minnesota in the past week.
All Minnesota Department of Transportation staff are taking a moment to pause Monday following the deaths of two contractors last week.
Madison Bergmann resigned from her position as a fifth-grade teacher at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, Wisconsin, in May last year after the 11-year-old victim's parents discovered concerning texts between the two.
Wisconsin business owner Bill Berrien, a supporter of President Donald Trump, ended his Republican campaign for governor on Friday, days after it was reported that he followed numerous sexually explicit accounts online, including a nonbinary pornography performer.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin says it will stop scheduling patients for abortions starting next week as it works to provide the service in the face of Medicaid funding cuts in President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill.
A loyalist of Donald Trump who represents a broad swath of Wisconsin's rural north woods in Congress entered the governor's race in the battleground state Tuesday, shaking up the Republican primary.
A Republican manufacturer running for governor in Wisconsin as a conservative supporter of "family values" and President Donald Trump followed numerous sexually explicit accounts online.
When the news broke that Milton's would be closing, many longtime patrons were stunned.
Kelly Kunz began what she calls "Street Justice Ministry" months ago, buying a bus and using it to give essentials to those on the streets.
A 90-year-old former network producer is sharing her life lessons in a book, detailing her upbringing from a farm in Minnesota to Manhattan and back.
Love Your Melon began with beanies and a mission to fight childhood cancer. Now, one of its founders is bringing it all back with a bold new vision.
Donald Henson of Penn Hills is facing federal charges of forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with a governmental officer or employee and damaging government property.
A proposal says Gov. Tim Walz would call a special session to convene on Monday and will focus on "specific action on guns."
Pfizer's CEO said President Trump's threat of tariffs motivated his company to take swift action.
The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are being sued over immigration enforcement policies.
The Minnesota DFL on Monday rejected the Minneapolis wing's appeal over its mayoral endorsement.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Monday that "Minnesota officials are jeopardizing the safety of their own citizens by allowing illegal aliens to circumvent the legal process.”
Avian influenza has been found in flocks at four more turkey farms in Minnesota, according to animal health officials. This comes mere weeks after officials last reported the spread of the disease.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services recently suspended payments to 11 providers that serve adults with disabilities over "credible allegations" of fraud, according to a letter written by Temporary Commissioner Shireen Gandhi and obtained by WCCO.
"Now that prices are changed, we're in a wait-and-see. Do people start drinking less? Do people start going out less? What happens to traffic counts? Does this still financially work? It's a big unknown," said Peter Poire-Odegard, who owns Roots Roasting in St. Paul.
Credit cards often provide zero liability for fraudulent transactions. In contrast, bank accounts are the sole responsibility of the account holder.
Nearly half a year after the state's last detection of the virus, avian influenza has been found in a southern Minnesota turkey flock, according to animal health officials.
The public schools superintendent of Des Moines, Iowa, has resigned while challenging his deportation after being detained by immigration authorities.
Police have identified a woman whose remains were found in a Canadian well nearly two decades ago. She was born in the 19th century, police said.
A man is expected to survive after being shot during a wedding at a park in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, on Saturday.
The United States Department of Justice is suing Minnesota, and both Twin Cities, over so-called "sanctuary city" policies.
Madison Bergmann resigned from her position as a fifth-grade teacher at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, Wisconsin, in May last year after the 11-year-old victim's parents discovered concerning texts between the two.
Avian influenza has been found in flocks at four more turkey farms in Minnesota, according to animal health officials. This comes mere weeks after officials last reported the spread of the disease.
Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield finds out if there is "ick" in the licks.
Three more measles cases have been reported in Minnesota in the past week.
One of Minnesota's few inpatient addiction treatment units will close in a few months.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services recently suspended payments to 11 providers that serve adults with disabilities over "credible allegations" of fraud, according to a letter written by Temporary Commissioner Shireen Gandhi and obtained by WCCO.
The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Bad Bunny will lead the 2026 Super Bowl halftime festivities at Levi's Stadium on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.
Selena Gomez married Benny Blanco, the music producer and songwriter to whom she'd been engaged since last year. Gomez shared photos from the ceremony on social media.
Jimmy Kimmel is back on his ABC late-night show, but not everywhere.
The Chad Smith Foundation is launching its first-ever scholarship at the University of Minnesota's School of Music. It honors his parents, U of M grads who instilled a lifelong love of learning and arts in their family.
Jimmy Kimmel returned to his late-night show just less than a week after network broadcaster ABC pulled "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" over remarks he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services determined in a joint finding that Minnesota "allowed male athletes to compete" on several girls' sports teams.
The Minnesota Vikings' offseason plan to upgrade the offensive line has thus far been waylaid by injuries.
The Minnesota Wild have signed superstar Kirill Kaprizov to a massive contract extension.
Sloane Martin tells the story of the game beyond what fans see on TV, and brings fans exclusive conversations with the standout player of each game — a role she treasures.
Minnesota announced Baldelli's firing following a season marked by a major selloff leading up to the trade deadline after the team faltered in June and failed to mount any momentum in July.
Medicaid fraud allegations continue to spread in St Paul, Minnesota, as debate over a possible special session on gun control continues.
Esme Murphy looks at the role of a key player on gun control and fraud allegations: House Speaker Lisa Demuth.
Violence in Minnesota and around the nation, these past few months has some people turning to their faith.
The violence seen this summer in Minnesota and around the nation has many people turning to faith to sustain them. But for others, it's a time to question faith.
The violence seen this summer in Minnesota and around the nation has many people turning to faith to sustain them. But for others, it's a time to question faith. In Talking Points, Esme Murphy spoke with Archbishop Bernard Hebda about his mission to bring hope following unspeakable tragedies.
Earlier this month, many students went back to school after summer vacation, but in the town of McGregor, Minnesota it's always the first day of school.
In the United States, there are 13 different towns named Long Beach. The one in Minnesota is the smallest, but it's found a colorful way to stand out.
The Aerial Lift Bridge has been granting safe passage for so long that it's become part of the city's skyline. It's evolved over the years, but many of its original parts are still intact.
There's a cabin that blends into its surroundings so well, you almost can't see it. In Finding Minnesota, John Lauritsen shares the story behind the "Mirror Cabin" near the town of Ironton.
It's been 50 years since WCCO has been at its current location at the "Great Minnesota Get-Together."
Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield finds out if there is "ick" in the licks.
The Twin Cities each have a unique personality, pace, and history. But in the mid-1800s, both were still searching for what to call their communities.
Junk mail has a new meaning nowadays. Rather than filling an actual mailbox, people are getting bombarded with texts and emails they never asked for.
A key ingredient for the quintessential Minnesota hot dish recipe keeps going higher and higher in price, giving people sticker shock at butcher shops and grocery stores.
From Sept. 3 to 7, Minnesota saw temperatures ranging from 11 to 15 degrees below average, with highs barely creeping into the 60s followed by nights in the mid-40s.
The Minnesota State Fair has unveiled its new food, drinks and vendors for 2025.
A suspect was taken into custody after an attack on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on June 1 in which there were 15 people and a dog who were victims. The suspect threw Molotov cocktails that burned some of the victims, who were part of a march for Israeli hostages.
WCCO photojournalist Art Phillips shares some personal family photos taken by his father, Arthur Phillips Sr., in Vietnam during his time in service.
The new Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum is under construction just outside of Camp Ripley in Little Falls. Set to open in late 2026, the $40 million, first-of-its-kind project in the nation will be eight times the size of the existing museum. It will honor not only Minnesota's service members and their sacrifices, but the refugee experience as well. Watch and read more in Pauleen Le's series "Vietnam 50 Years Later: Reflections on a War that Changed Minnesota."
The National Weather Service has issued multiple tornado warnings and many more severe thunderstorm warnings throughout wide swaths of southern and central Minnesota Monday afternoon.
It'll be a warm, summer-like day with high temperatures in the 80s.
In Minnesota, weather can be all over the place. Here at WCCO, we want to give you what you need to prepare for what's happening next.
WCCO meteorologist Joseph Dames says October is coming in like July, with highs flirting with 90 degrees.
Summer-like warmth will hold for the next few days in Minnesota, before weekend storms and an eventual cooldown.
Summer-like warmth will hold for the next few days in Minnesota, before weekend storms and an eventual cooldown.
Federal officials say that the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League both violated Title IX with their policy on transgender athletes, in a Tuesday announcement.
It'll be a warm, summer-like day with high temperatures in the 80s.
A school bus and pick-up truck trailer collided on Roanoke Street and 175th Avenue Northwest. Authorities confirm the truck driver died at the scene.
Mike Kaiser, with Granite City, shares a preview of what menu options they are bringing to the table.
Actress Renee Kathleen Koher, who plays Morticia, introduces the show.