A meatpacking company in southern Minnesota will pay a $2 million penalty after illegally employing children at its plant in St. James. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry has signed a consent order with Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp. The company employed at least 11 children between the ages of 14 and 17 between April 2021 and April 2023. Of those employees, nine worked after the hours allowed by state law. All 11 children also performed hazardous work at the plant, including working near chemicals and other hazardous substances, operating power-driven machinery, and operating nonautomatic elevators, lifts, and hoisting machines.
Celebration and criticism follow Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier's prison sentence commutation
The 11th hour clemency of Leonard Peltier has touched off a wave of joy, but it also brings pain to those who believe he should remain in prison for murder.
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'Motherpuckers' teach women's hockey with joy and inclusion, and a little irreverence
A thriving beginner women’s hockey team in Duluth called the “Motherpuckers” teaches the game in a supportive, welcoming and low-pressure environment.
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St. Paul arts organization builds virtual Winter Carnival ice castles in Minecraft
Community arts organization 825 Arts in St. Paul will host an ice castle contest online through the video game Minecraft on Saturday, partnering with a local historian to share history and creativity of ice sculptures at the Winter Carnival.
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Minnesota justices set to settle questions of control in 'dysfunctional' House
After listening to GOP and DFL lawyers argue it out Thursday, the Minnesota Supreme Court could soon rule in a pair of cases that may shift the current power structure in the state House of Representatives.
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