What is wrong with this picture? In the richest country in the world and in a state that’s traditionally committed to providing help to those in need, Minnesota’s biggest safety net hospital is going to stop serving the uninsured in non-emergency situations, close two clinics and lay off up to 200 people. More…

A familiar face returned to WCCO-TV Thursday after being gone three weeks following knee surgery. Mark Rosen, we missed you. The Channel 4 sports anchor is a 40-year fixture at the station in a business that increasingly places emphasis on youth and short tenures. More…

With the vote on health care reform looming this weekend in the U.S. House, our own Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann brought her “Hands Off Our Health Care” rally to Washington, D.C., Thursday to protest the Democratic proposal. But the overheated rhetoric misses the point of reform. More…

When selecting a new leader for the St. Paul schools, picking a hometown candidate is not always considered the best choice. Outsiders, after all, can bring fresh ideas and a new leadership style to deal with serious problems such as an achievement gap between white students and students of color; declining enrollment; budget shortfalls and strained relations with staff. But this time may be different. More…

In the latest Washington dustup between the White House and Fox News over its coverage of the administration I find myself, surprisingly, siding with the conservative network. More…

The rowdy August town hall meetings on health care are over, thankfully, and now it’s time to get down to the serious business of actually crafting legislation that will affect millions of people and one-sixth of our economy. More…

Here’s hoping that as many of Minnesota’s K-12 students as possible are able to watch President Obama’s speech on education as classes open Tuesday (Sept. 8) across the state. More…

As the debate over health care reform heats up, I am reminded of what my old boss, the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, used to say about legislation: “Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good.” More…

It’s Father’s Day, a good time to reflect on the three people who made me a father and for whom I am eternally grateful. More…

And now comes an American president, intent on reaching out to the Muslim world and serious about forging an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord as a key component of his overall Middle East strategy. More…