Good morning, and happy Friday. 

First some program notes: On the radio at noon I’ll talk to GOP gubernatorial hopeful Rich Stanek and then later to Lawrence Jacobs from the University of Minnesota about his new book. I hope you can tune in. And we’ll carry the governor’s State of the State speech live on the radio as we have for every governor as long as I can remember. The speech will be at 6 p.m. Sunday. 

MPR’s Brian Bakst sets up State of the State: Gov. Tim Walz will be back in the Minnesota House chamber on Sunday to deliver his annual State of the State Address, a purposeful return to the Capitol where he’s spent relatively little time the past two years. The last two State of the State speeches have been delivered through video feed from the governor’s residence in 2020 and a Mankato classroom in 2021.  “I'm sure legislators have been incredibly sad they have not been able to sit there and listen to me speak for several hours. They will be back,” Walz said Wednesday. “But in all seriousness, it's going to give me an opportunity, I think, to highlight a thanks to a whole lot of Minnesotans for getting us through the worst part of the pandemic, for rebuilding and coming back and solving problems around public safety and criminal justice reform.” Aside from the annual remarks, Walz has conducted much of his business remotely – in part due to the pandemic and in part to a concerted push to take his message on the road.  Avoiding the daily statehouse skirmishes also has strategic importance to a governor trying to appear above legislative fights in an election year. He’s worked to present a sunny outlook in the face of more-pessimistic appraisals of the state’s direction on his watch that rivals convey.

Will Minnesota move to the front of the line for presidential primaries? That’s what the DFL wants.The Star Tribune lays out the hurdles: To move the primary, the DFL and GOP party chairs in Minnesota must submit a joint letter to the Secretary of State's office agreeing on a single date. Without an agreement, the presidential primary is held by default on the first Tuesday in March. A spokesman for the Republican Party of Minnesota declined to comment Thursday when asked about moving the presidential primary earlier in the year. Iowa has long played host to the first presidential caucuses while New Hampshire boasted the first-in-the-nation primary. But a chaotic delay and confusion surrounding Iowa's 2020 caucus results marred the contest, and there are ongoing concerns that two largely white states shouldn't have such a significant early role in picking the Democratic nominee.

The board that oversees police training in Minnesota wants to ban some people from becoming police officers. FOX9 reports: In a contentious 9-3 vote, Minnesota's Peace Officer Standards and Training Board advanced a series of rule changes including a ban on people who support or participate in white supremacy, hate or extremist groups from getting a law enforcement license.  The proposed new standards allow noncitizens who are eligible to work in the U.S. to become Minnesota police officers. They keep the minimum eligibility age at 18 years old, rejecting a change to 21. It's just one step of Minnesota's lengthy administrative rulemaking process, and the proposal is subject to a hearing and review by an administrative law judge.  Opponents of the proposed rule on white supremacy raised concerns about guilt by association and freedom of expression. Critics of the overall package of changes said they had not been properly vetted. Supporters detailed a lengthy review process that took place within the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board. The citizenship change will open the door to more would-be applicants at a time when police agencies are struggling to recruit, they said. And the white supremacy restriction is not meant to rule out people whose pastor or family member makes a racist statement in their presence, they said.

And Theo Keith from FOX9 tweets that Redwood County Attorney Jenna Peterson says the State Patrol closed a crash case involving DFL State Auditor Julie Blaha and Senate Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen back in August without sending her the full case for review , disputing statements from the State Patrol about her involvement. Blaha was cited for the crash but no criminal charges resulted. Some officers at the scene said an open White Claw can was found in the back seat of Blaha’s car. Blaha said the can was not White Claw and that López Franzen had an open can of fruit juice. Blaha, who was driving, tested negative for alcohol. 

Sahan Journal reports:FBI agents arrested a Minnesota man Wednesday afternoon as he allegedly attempted to flee the country while under a federal investigation for stealing millions of dollars from a federal child nutrition program. Mohamed Jama Ismail, 49, is currently in custody at Sherburne County Jail following his initial appearance Thursday in a federal court. The U.S. Attorney’s Office issued an arrest warrant for Mohamed and apprehended him on Wednesday at Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport, alleging that he’d lied in a March 2022 application for a new passport.  He was charged with one count of passport fraud. Mohamed’s arrest marks the first arrest of a person associated with what has become known as the Feeding Our Future investigation.

The Capitol Rotunda was filled with people Thursday to kick off an advocacy day of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans . The rally that began with a Buddhist blessing. Civic, business and other community leaders came to press state lawmakers on their concerns. Members highlighted the need for pandemic worker recognition. They are also pursuing other economic recovery help from a pandemic that strained their communities and cultural businesses. Council Chair Dave Hoang told attendees their presence matters. “The unprecedented challenges we have faced make it more important than ever to be seen, to be heard and to force policy makers to ensure that their decisions reflect and address our reality,” Hoang said.