## A Year in Review: Minnesota’s 2024 Rollercoaster
2024 in Minnesota offered a whirlwind of events, from disheartening educational statistics to bizarre legislative proposals and eyebrow-raising legal troubles involving elected officials. This retrospective highlights some of the most memorable—and often shocking—stories from the past year.
One of the most concerning trends revealed the declining reading proficiency of Minnesota’s fourth graders. Under Governor Tim Walz’s administration, which saw him ascend to the vice-presidential candidacy, fourth-grade reading scores fell below the national average for the first time in state history. This drop resulted in a thirteen-place decline in national education rankings, placing Minnesota’s elementary students behind even those in Mississippi. The pervasive issue extends beyond statewide averages; dozens of schools, primarily public charters, reported entire classrooms failing to meet minimum standards in reading and math. While persistent racial and economic disparities, exacerbated by the lingering effects of COVID-19 school shutdowns, contribute to these challenges, the funding model itself is also problematic. A visit to a rural school where students had to fundraise to save their classrooms after repeated voter rejection of funding levies underscored the inequities inherent in the state’s reliance on local levies for education funding, particularly impacting rural areas with limited tax bases.
Beyond educational struggles, 2024 witnessed a strange wave of legislative proposals. One particularly peculiar bill, inspired by the “chemtrails” conspiracy theory, sought to regulate non-existent phenomena such as “xenobiotic electromagnetism and fields.” While this bill ultimately failed due to Democratic control of the legislature, it highlighted a broader trend of conspiracy theories influencing state-level politics, with some co-sponsors withdrawing their support after media coverage. However, this issue persists, with continued promotion of unfounded claims by some state legislators. Adding to the state’s political embarrassment, at least six lawmakers faced arrests and charges for various crimes, including drunk driving and, in one remarkable case, first-degree burglary.
Even seemingly mundane numbers unveiled surprising realities. The sheer volume of salt used on Minnesota roads annually—approximately 445,000 tons—translated into a startling visual: a pile roughly the size of U.S. Bank Stadium. This unexpected calculation served as a reminder of the importance of data visualization in understanding complex issues.
The attempted rollout of the Office of Cannabis Management’s social equity policy aimed to assist individuals harmed by the War on Drugs in the burgeoning legal marijuana market. However, the broadly written policy led to an overwhelming number of applications—somewhere between 30% and 40% of Minnesota adults could qualify. This resulted in approximately 2,000 applications for a limited number of licenses, leading to the disqualification of over 1,000 applicants and the subsequent cancellation of the license lottery. This setback casts doubt on the program’s ability to achieve its intended goal of providing an early advantage to those who have been disproportionately affected by drug enforcement.
Finally, the case of Jessica Beske highlighted the harsh realities of Minnesota’s drug laws. Facing decades in prison for alleged bong water found in her car, her case exposes a loophole allowing aggressive prosecution of paraphernalia offenses, even in the context of decriminalization efforts. Beske’s story, brought to light through her direct contact, underscores the need for vigilance in monitoring the use of power by authorities.
About the Author: Christopher Ingraham covers greater Minnesota and reports on data-driven stories across the state. He is the author of “If You Lived Here You’d Be Home By Now,” and was previously a data reporter for the Washington Post.