Minnesota

Walz, Democratic governors say abortion will be on the November ballot • Minnesota Reformer

Published

2 years ago

June 24, 2024

Walz, Democratic governors say abortion will be on the November ballot • Minnesota Reformer

Gov. Tim Walz used the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Dobbs decision to highlight what he said would be the “major role” abortion will play in the November presidential election, and he argued that limiting access to reproductive health care is still a priority for many Republicans.

Walz, who serves as chair of the Democratic Governors Association, was joined by six other Democratic governors, including some facing close reelection battles in their home states. They said a person’s geography shouldn’t determine whether they can get an abortion.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade and gave states permission to set abortion policy, 14 states enacted total abortion bans, and many more have enacted bans with gestational limits.

Walz leaned into the stakes of the presidential election on one of the few issues that has been a clear winner for Democrats during the presidency of Joe Biden.

“You’re going to get a choice in November, whether it’s to vote for President Biden to protect those rights to continue on making sure that women have bodily autonomy, or to turn that clock back,” Walz said. “As Donald Trump said, he was so proud to be the architect in bringing down Roe v. Wade, so it becomes critically important.”

Minnesota Democrats last year passed a law codifying the right to abortion and reproductive health care, and pregnant people appear to be coming to Minnesota as a safe haven. According to the Guttmacher Institute, the proportion of abortions obtained by out-of-state residents in Minnesota increased from about 9% in 2020 — when Roe was still in place — to about 21% in 2023. There were about 14,700 clinician-provided abortions in Minnesota last year, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month upheld broad access to an abortion pill — mifepristone — used in medication abortions. Medication abortions account for the vast majority of abortions in the U.S.

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith last week introduced a bill to repeal the 1873 Comstock Act, which bans the mailing of obscene material, including abortion-related materials. Although the law is not being enforced, Smith and abortion advocates say a future Trump administration could weaponize the law to ban abortion pills from being sent in the mail.

“Now that Trump has overturned Roe, a future Republican administration could try to misapply this 150-year-old Comstock law to deny American women their rights, even in states where abortion rights are protected by state law,” Smith said in a press release. “This is why I’m introducing legislation to repeal Comstock. It is too dangerous to leave this law on the books.”

A few of the governors during the Monday press conference criticized their Republican opponents challenging them in November.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said his state has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country, only allowing exceptions if the mother’s life is at risk.

Beshear said leaving abortion access up to individual states endangers people in GOP states, particularly abuse survivors.

“There shouldn’t be a state in the United States of America where victims of rape and incest should have no options or where someone has to carry a non-viable pregnancy. That’s just wrong,” Beshear said.

Walz said the right to an abortion is sure to be among the factors people consider when voting.

“This is one that’s very personal to people. It’s not theoretical. Republicans keep trying to tell you that ‘Oh, this is over.’ Whatever, keep saying that because it’s far from over,” he said.

At the end of the press conference, Walz addressed the flooding caused by heavy rains affecting cities across Minnesota. Walz said that the damage could rival the 1997 Red River flooding that devastated many cities along the Minnesota-North Dakota border.

Walz said the state is preparing mitigation efforts and is ready to perform evacuations when necessary. He also said he’s ready to call a special legislative session if needed to allocate more funding to combat the flood, but the state isn’t at that point yet and the situation is developing.

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Minnesota

Reynolds scores 21, winner to take Minnesota 67-66 past Northwestern

Published

10 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Reynolds scores 21, winner to take Minnesota 67-66 past Northwestern

March 8, 2026 / 1:52 PM CDT
/ AP

Langston Reynolds scored 21 points and scored the game-winning basket to lead Minnesota 67-66 past Northwestern in the final regular season game of the season for both Big Ten teams on Saturday.

Reynolds was 9 of 13 from the floor and scored the final four points over the last 26 seconds. He turned a three-point Golden Gophers (15-16, 8-12 Big Ten) deficit into a win with a layup with 11 seconds left, and scored 17 in the second half.

Cade Tyson had 15 points, while Isaac Asuma added 14 points and eight rebounds. Bobby Durkin scored 12, made 4 of 8 from behind the arc and had two steals.

The Golden Gophers had a 39-29 lead at the half after opening the game with an 18-2 run fueled by nine points from Asuma.

Nick Martinelli, the nation’s sixth-leading scorer (22.7 per game), had 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting and nine rebounds for the Wildcats (13-18, 5-15). Jake West added 14 points and hit 4 of 7 behind the arc, and Tre Singleton scored 10 to go with six rebounds and four assists.

Northwestern will be the No. 15 seed in the Big Ten tournament and face No. 18 seed Penn State on Tuesday in the opening round.

Minnesota will enter as the No. 11 seed and face No. 14 seed Rutgers in the second round Wednesday.

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Minnesota

A couple mild days before chance of snow returns to northern Minnesota

Published

22 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

A couple mild days before chance of snow returns to northern Minnesota

We are tracking more clouds around the Arrowhead today, but temperatures are warming up nicely to wrap up the weekend. Overnight lows were kept milder by a bit of a breeze, and that west wind will continue to push warmer air in, with sustained winds at 10 to 20 miles per hour today. By the afternoon, highs look to top out in the upper 40s and low 50s throughout the Northland.

Tomorrow will be a sunnier but cooler day for much of the Arrowhead. Winds will be rather similar to today, with temperatures remaining a little cooler, in the low 40s for the afternoon. However as we go through the rest of the week, we cool down rather quickly. Monday night will bring in a chance for snow across much of the region, and by Tuesday, we will be returning back below the freezing mark with a bit of a chill that will last through the middle of March, with highs in the 20s and 30s through next weekend.

I grew up in Central Minnesota, and my in weather and storms led me to pursue my passion for meteorology. I got my Bachelor of Science from Iowa State University, and my experiences with forecasting there led me to start my career as a Meteorologist for WDAY as well as The Forum.

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Minnesota

How To Watch Orlando Magic-Minnesota Timberwolves Lineups, Injury Report, Betting Lines & More

Published

1 day ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

How To Watch Orlando Magic-Minnesota Timberwolves Lineups, Injury Report, Betting Lines & More

The Orlando Magic have an opportunity to continue their surge on the road in Minnesota, where they’ll look to continue a win streak that began in L.A. with wins over the Clippers and Lakers.

The Magic are on a two-game weekend road trip that’s all business, featuring this contest against the Timberwolves and a matchup with the Bucks in Milwaukee on Sunday.

Orlando guard Anthony Black and center Wendell Carter Jr. returned from one-game absences to help the Magic defeat the Dallas Mavericks 115-114 on Thursday behind 19 points from Tristan da Silva.

Minnesota is perfect through three March dates and brings a five-game win streak into this matchup with the Magic. An 8-1 run dating back to Feb. 9 has lifted the Timberwolves into third place in the Western Conference, although their lead on current No. 6 seed Los Angeles (Lakers) is just two games.

The Magic have fallen behind the Miami Heat in the Southeast Division by a half-game, although they hold a tie-braker since they have defeated Miami all four times they’ve played. The Magic have slipped to eighth in the East. The entire Southeast would be headed for the play-in tournament if the season ended today.

Orlando is 13-15 on the road 13-9 against Western Conference foes. Minnesota is 22-11 at home and a solid 16-6 against Eastern Conference competition.

Vitals – How to Watch Magic at Timberwolves

Game date, time and location: Sunday, March 7, 3:10 p.m. EST, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida (Magic), FanDuel Sports Network North (Timberwolves)

Radio: FM 96.9 The Game/AM 740 WYGM (Magic), KFXN (Timberwolves)

Magic hope to avoid three-game losing streak vs. Wolves

The Orlando Magic (33-28) visit the Minnesota Timberwolves (40-23) in the first matchup between these teams this season. After being swept in last season’s meetings, Orlando looks to win at Target Center for the sixth time in seven tries since they’ve had a lot of success there under Jamahl Mosley.

The Timberwolves won last season’s contest at home, which happens to be the most recent matchup in the series, 118-111 on March 14. Paolo Banchero scored 43 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss, while Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with 28 points.

Orlando had won five straight in Minneapolis prior to last season and are 8-5 over the last 13 against the Timberwolves. That has helped the Magic open a 44-27 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to 1989-90.

Betting Lines (via DraftKings)

Spread: Timberwolves -6.5 (-112), Magic +6.5 (-108)

Moneyline: Timberwolves -270, Magic +220

Total: 223.5 (Over -112, Under -108)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

PROJECTED STARTERS

MAGIC

G/F Desmond Bane

F Paolo Banchero

C Wendell Carter Jr.

G Jalen Suggs

G Anthony Black