r/stateofMN

This week's roundup of Minnesota protests, rallies, vigils, community meetings, and ways to take action statewide!

When state Rep. Brad Tabke (D-Shakopee) first learned of ICE’s plans to open a massive detention facility in Appleton, Minnesota, on the opposite side of the state from his district, it was like déjà vu. 

A shuttered private prison may be the next ICE detention center in the Midwest, housing 1,600 detainees in a 1,400-person town–but it’s far from a done deal.

70 out of Minnesota’s 87 counties saw a historic jump in cost of living prices during the first year of President Donald Trump’s return to office, and that’s not including the price of gas since the beginning of the Iran war.

Check out North Star Policy Action's new Minnesota Affordability Tracker to see how your county's cost of living has changed: https://northstarpolicy.org/affordability/

“Our Voices, Our Future” is this year’s theme of the Twin Cities Pride Festival, and the grand marshal isn’t just one person championing LGBTQ+ lives, it’s the entire community.

Kobey Layne is running against DFL-endorsed candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar and a slate of Republicans in her campaign to become Minnesota’s next governor, and she’s bringing something to the table Minnesota has never seen before.

I went to the IGH City Council meeting tonight (6/22). Two items were on the agenda: the third reading of an interim ordinance to study data centers and impose a moratorium, and a site plan request for a ~54,000 sq ft data center at 5890 Carmen Ave E.

Before any public discussion could happen on either item, the council recessed the entire meeting, citing pending litigation. The room was full of residents who showed up specifically to comment. People were frustrated, and it got loud. The meeting was moved to Friday, June 26 at 8:00 AM.

I want to be straight about what that reschedule means: an 8 AM weekday slot is hard for most working people to attend. If you can’t be there in person, the next best thing is getting your comment onto the public record by email before then.

Why this matters even if you don’t live in IGH: the proposed site borders residential areas, including a daycare, senior living, and apartments, and it sits close enough to affect South St. Paul residents who currently have no formal say in the decision. Data centers also pull significant water and electrical load, and Minnesota’s water is exactly what makes us attractive to these developers.

The case for the moratorium (not a ban, just a pause to study):

Health impacts are still unstudied. The effects of a large AI data center on an adjacent daycare, senior facility, and apartments are not well understood yet. We should know before we build, not after.

**Grid impact is unknown** Communities are still figuring out how AI-scale facilities affect electrical load and rates for everyone else.

**The city’s own definition is outdated** IGH’s working definition of a data center describes pre-AI facilities. Approving anything under an outdated definition sets the city up badly for every project that follows.

**Neighboring cities have no voice** Because these facilities can sit on a border, South St. Paul residents can be affected with no mechanism to participate. That gap should be fixed before approvals, not after.

What you can do: Email your comment to the IGH City Clerk, who enters public comments into the official record:

Rebecca Kiernan — cityclerk@ighmn.gov

Ask the council to support the moratorium so the city can study this properly before approving anything. Keep it short and civil. Even a few sentences on the record matters. State your name, and if you’re a neighbor in South St. Paul, West St. Paul, or anywhere in the south metro, say so, because the regional impact is the whole point.

Ask the council to support the moratorium so the city can study this properly before approving anything. Keep it short and civil. Even a few sentences on the record matters. State your name, and if you’re a neighbor in South St. Paul, West St. Paul, or anywhere in the south metro, say so, because the regional impact is the whole point.

The meeting is Friday at 8 AM and the window to weigh in is short. If you’ve got a few minutes, please send something or come to the meeting if you can attend.

This week's roundup of Minnesota protests, rallies, vigils, community meetings, and ways to take action statewide!

Just a quick heads-up that voting for the Minnesota Primary officially begins this Friday, June 26th. You can vote by mail or in person from now through August 10th. 

Primary elections are a crucial way to help decide which candidates will be on the ballot for the general election in November, so please make sure your voice is heard!

Not sure if you’re registered or where to go? You can check everything you need at these official links from the Minnesota Secretary of State:
Check your registration status: https://mnvotes.sos.mn.gov/
Find your polling place: https://pollfinder.sos.mn.gov/
Register to vote (or update your info): https://www.sos.mn.gov/elections-voting/register-to-vote/