Hot Topics

Should You Pay Tax When You Buy Online?

A bill to let states impose sales tax on big online retailers passed the U.S. Senate Monday. Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken voted for the Marketplace Fairness Act, as did many Republicans.

Why should online shoppers pay sales tax? Why or why not? Leave a comment below. You could pay the same sales tax for online purchases as you do for shopping at a physical store if a bill that passed the U.S. Senate Monday becomes law. The Marketplace Fairness Act would allow states to collect sales tax from retailers with more than $1 million in annual gross sales to out-of-state customers. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken (both DFL-MN) voted yes, joined by 67 other senators including 21 Republicans. Minnesota Revenue Commissioner Myron Frans praised the Senate action in a press release: "This legislation levels the playing field for all those Main Street businesses in Minnesota and across the country. It also helps large retailers like…

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More Fridley-Made Cummins Generators Headed for U.S. Troops in Afghanistan, South Korea

U.S. Sen. Al Franken and Assistant Secretary of Defense Sharon Burke visited the Cummins Power Generation plant in Fridley on Wednesday.

The Cummins Power Generation plant in Fridley hosted a visit by U.S. Sen. Al Franken and Assistant Secretary of Defense Sharon Burke on May 1, 2013, as reported by several local news outlets. Advanced Medium Mobile Power Sources (AMMPS) generators are lighter and more fuel-efficient, the Minnesota Daily reported: About 400 AMMPS generators are already on the ground in Afghanistan, and the military might add about 150 more, depending on operational needs, Lt. Col. Michael Foster said. Foster said generators provide energy for communications, fuel and basic necessities for troops. About 400 of the generators will also be sent to South Korea combat outposts and contingency bases, Burke said. Read the full article at mndaily.com. "I'm proud to…

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The Fifth District Report

Ellison Raises $186K in First Quarter of 2013

The 5th District congressman has nearly $87,000 cash on hand for the 2014 election.

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison raised $185,600 in the first quarter of 2013 and has nearly $87,000 cash on hand, the Star Tribune reported Tuesday. The report was the first filing of the campaign season and comes 18 months ahead of the election season. Minnesota’s congressional delegation raised a combined $4.2 million. Democratic Sen. Al Franken topped the list with $1.985 million raised in the first quarter and $2.03 million cash on hand. Click here to read the full Star Tribune story. Sixth District Rep. Michele Bachmann raised the most among Minnesota’s representatives—and fourth overall in the U.S. House, according to USA Today. The $679,522 she raised in the first quarter of 2013 was behind only House Speaker John Boehner, …

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RECIPES: Ellison’s ‘Juicy Lucy Hotdish’ Can’t Win MN Delegation Hotdish Event

Rep. Tim Walz's 'Hermann the Germann Hotdish' won this year’s competition.

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison struck out yet again in the Third Annual Minnesota Delegation Hotdish Competition. Rep. Tim Walz's "Hermann the Germann Hotdish" won this year’s friendly “friendly, bipartisan, and bicameral ‘Hot Dish Off.’” The competition between Minnesota’s congressional delegation started in 2011 as a way to celebrate Minnesota before the session started. This year, Ellison entered a “Juicy Lucy Hotdish.” Sen. Al Franken cooked “Willmar Stew,” while Sen. Amy Klobuchar prepared “Hormel ‘I Can't Believe It's Not SPAM’ Pepperoni Pizza Hotdish” Check out the recipes from Ellison, Walz, Franken and Klobuchar below. Click here for recipes from all 10 of Minnesota’s legislators. Past winners *** Bring a pot of water to a boil…

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Top Schools, Tribes and Another Coyote Surprise: Pick of Our Patches

Also in this week's update: A couple cancer clowns; Cheerios gone up in flames and a Hammerin' Sen. Franken.

Editor’s Note: Every week we bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee, St. Louis Park and St. Michael Minnetonka Schools Top on State Tests Minnetonka students continue to excel academically by scoring among the top districts in the state on the MCA-II (Minnesota Comprehension Assessment) reading test and the MCA-III math test. Overall, 92 percent of Minnetonka students are proficient in reading and 85 percent are proficient in math. In Metro area rankings, Minnetonka students are #1 in math and a close second to Edina in reading. Scores exceeded the state totals of 76 percent proficiency in reading and 62 percent …

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Franken: Fund Worker-training Offices

The senator used a Fridley company, E.J. Ajax and Sons, as an example.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken (DFL-MN) and Yellow Medicine County Commission Ron Antony (R) co-wrote an opinion article that appears in the Star Tribune. In it, they argue for continued government funding of one-stop worker-training offices in Minnesota. A Fridley company has a starring role in their commentary: Take Erick Ajax. Erick runs E.J. Ajax and Sons, a metal-stamping company in Fridley with 50 employees. He and some other manufacturers partnered with Hennepin Technical College and HIRED, a workforce development agency, to start M-POWERED, a program that allows students to pick up basic and advanced manufacturing skills. Erick just hired four M-POWERED graduates; overall, 93 percent of the more than 250 M-POWERED graduates to date have gone…

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Fridley High's Barker Is Back from National History Day

His only regret: that he didn't do History Day more years.

Taylor Barker has one regret about participating in the National History Day competition: that he didn't do it more often. Barker placed first in Minnesota's State History Day competition with his research paper, Debates of the Diplomats: Paul Nitze and George Kennan, in the senior division.  That earned him a trip to the national competition at the University of Maryland-College Park last week, along with the top two juniors and seniors from each state in each of several project categories: research paper, exhibit board, documentary, performance and website. "It was an incredible experience," Barker said in an interview Saturday after his return. The 55 Minnesota students spent most of their time between Tuesday and Friday supporting each…

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Timeline: How Fridley Tornado Got Federal Disaster Status

The presidential declaration came 2-1/2 weeks after the tornado.

Here are some of the milestones along the way to Fridley's inclusion in the presidential disaster declaration for the May 22 tornado: May 22: May 23: May 26: May 27: May 31: June 3: June 7:

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