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Supporters of an Equal Rights Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution rallied at the Capitol on March 12, urging lawmakers to advance a proposed amendment that would ask voters to guarantee equal rights under state law. The rally in the Capitol rotunda drew advocates from across Minnesota, along with elected officials including Attorney General Keith Ellison, Sen. Mary Kunesh and Rep. Zack Stephenson. The proposed amendment, introduced by Kunesh and Rep. Leigh Finke, would place a constitutional amendment question before voters. Supporters say Minnesota is lagging behind other states in adding equal-rights protections to its constitution. ...

The Oak Grove City Council on March 9 approved a $567,676 bid from Knife River Corporation North for the city’s 2026 Street Improvement Project, including Nightingale Knoll Trail work. The contract was approved 4-0, with Council Member Paul Tradewell absent. According to the meeting packet, the bid was below the engineer’s estimate of $598,610. City Engineer Chuck Schwartz said the street work includes the south end of Zion Parkway, the adjacent section of 223rd Lane NW and the neighborhood south of Lake George. He said Pines Third Addition is included in the trail portion, which totals $56,018.20 and will be paid through a separate trail fund. ...

CAVA, a chain restaurant known for its Mediterranean-style bowls and pita wraps, is expanding with a new location in Blaine at 12351 Ulysses St NE. The restaurant has hundreds of locations in other states, but has not opened a Minnesota location until now. The location is near the National Sports Center, where development is underway on the 105th Avenue redevelopment project. In an email, a spokesperson confirmed the Blaine location, alongside another forthcoming location in Minneapolis. ...

The Columbia Heights City Council unanimously approved a first reading of a charter amendment that would shift oversight of the police department from the mayor to the city manager. City Manager Aaron Chirpich said the city’s Charter Commission had been working on the proposal for at least a year. The amendment would change how police oversight is defined in the city charter. Chirpich said the charter currently states that the mayor has appointment, control and direction over every police officer in the city, language he said is overly broad and does not reflect how modern police departments operate. ...

The St. Francis City Council voted 4-1 on March 2 to request inclusion in Anoka County’s hand-counted post-election review for the 2026 election, saying the move would help demonstrate the integrity of the city’s elections. Council Member Sarah Udvig cast the lone dissenting vote. Anoka County currently conducts post-election reviews in eight randomly selected precincts, although state statute requires only four. Mayor Mark Vogel said St. Francis is requesting inclusion in the process to further demonstrate confidence in how ballots are counted. ...

Doctors with Doctors Council SEIU at Allina Health have authorized a potential open-ended strike after 90% of members voted in favor amid stalled contract negotiations with the Minnesota and western Wisconsin-based provider. The union previously authorized a one-day strike in November 2025, citing concerns about staffing, health care benefits, retirement and sick leave. In previous reporting, Dr. Matt Hoffman, a family and travel medicine specialist at the Vadnais Heights clinic, also said Allina had been planning to cut wages for most primary care providers. ...

Ham Lake approved a conditional use permit for a flower farm despite residents raising concerns about noise from events featuring live music. The City Council voted 4-0 at its March 2 meeting to allow Branch and Bloom Flower Farm to operate at 13401 Radisson Road NE. The permit was requested by Kari Kearns of Cadillac Ranch LLC. Residents raised concerns about noise from events held at the property after the farm opened. ...

The Andover City Council on March 3 unanimously approved the vacation of drainage and utility easements and the final plat for the next phase of the Fields of Winslow Cove development. The approvals affect Outlots E and F in the development’s first addition. Community Development Director Joe Janish said the outlots were originally established with blanket drainage and utility easements to allow utilities and drainage across the property during earlier phases of development. ...

The Andover City Council on March 3 provided an update on the Alternative Urban Areawide Review for the proposed Fields of Andover development. The project, planned on just over 800 acres, could include either 80 or 1,545 housing units and about 30 acres of commercial development, according to previous reports. Community Development Director Joe Janish told the council the Alternative Urban Areawide Review environmental process is allowed under state statute when certain criteria are met. For the Fields project, the review was initiated by the developer. ...

The Blaine City Council on March 2 unanimously approved submitting a grant application to the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources for funding to build two segments of the Wetland Sanctuary Trail. Director of Engineering Daniel Schluender said staff first brought the trail project to the council in late 2025, when members discussed options to finance the first two segments. Since then, staff have reviewed grant opportunities to help fund the work. ...