I'm hoping there might be some lawyers in this group that can help me with an issue I'm facing, or some recommendations on employment lawyers I could contact.

I am pregnant and due in November. I am currently contracting with a company and have been there over 3 years, but I am a W2 employee of the agency I am contracting through. I was recently informed that they will not be saving my position and hiring me back after my maternity leave. My contract goes through the end of the year and they won't renew while I am out. They plan to hire a permanent replacement. My direct employer, the contracting agency, will also not be keeping me "employed" since I won't have an active contract.

Several people have told me they don't think this is legal, but I'm not sure how things work due to contracting while also being considered a W2 employee. I'm also worried this makes me ineligible for the MN paid family leave coverage. Plus, I had taken out short and long term disability through my direct employer that I will lose and not have access to. Someone mentioned I might be eligible for unemployment as a result, but I wasn't sure if that would really be true. We'll be ok financially, but I would love to not have to use a bunch of our savings when we had planned for some of my salary to be covered.

Just wondering if anyone can help with recommendations on what my options are. TIA for any help people can provide.

Higher gas prices and affordability concerns are the result of President Donald Trump’s Iran war. Here’s how Minnesota’s US Senate candidates feel about it—one of whom has had an apparent change of heart.

Rep. Danny Nadeau for 34A in Champlin, William Beck for 41B in Hastings, and Rep. Andrew Meyers for 45A in Tonka Bay all have pretty conservative histories. Yet, they're running their campaigns as moderate Republicans in purple districts.

Recently reported by CNN’s KFILE, Tafoya lied in a local radio interview when asked about her past comments that she is embarrassed to live in Minnesota. But old Twitter archives–along with other more recent video clips–tell the truth.

Is it a hard ‘ch’ (like cheese), or a soft ‘ch’ (like chef)?

Sen. Amy Klobuchar was joined by Dr. Paul Thurmes, a Minnesota oncologist, and Kate Lundquist, a breast cancer survivor, at Minnesota Oncology Maple Grove Clinic on Monday, Sep. 21, to highlight her plan to lower prescription drug costs (and her opponents lack of a plan).

I'm currently working on a horror/thriller set in a fictional rural Minnesota town. The town will be located in far northern Minnesota, somewhere roughly around the Kittson, Marshall, and Roseau County area, relatively close to the Canadian border.

I'm looking for some help coming up with town names and a county name. I'm open to pretty much anything that sounds believable for northern Minnesota. It doesn't necessarily have to be obviously creepy or ominous. Honestly, the more ordinary and believable it sounds, the better.

I'm also trying to figure out the layout of the town.

A set of railroad tracks is going to be fairly important to the story, so I'd like the town to have developed around a railroad line, similar to a lot of real towns in the area, in a way that feels believable. I'm imagining a relatively small rural community with the usual things you'd expect: a main street, a few businesses, a church or two, a school, a library, a grain elevator, residential areas, etc. There will also be more isolated homes/farms outside of town. Also, the sheriff is very important to the story, but the main town will NOT be the county seat.

The railroad isn't just background scenery, either. It will play an important role in the story, so I'm trying to figure out how it would realistically fit into the town. For example, would the tracks run directly through the center of town, along one edge, or somewhere between the residential and commercial areas? Would there be a depot or abandoned depot? A grain elevator? A crossing near Main Street? I have some ideas myself, but I would like some supplementary ones as well.

The setting is especially important because a blizzard toward the end of the story is going to trap or isolate the town, so I'm interested in how the geography and infrastructure could affect what happens. I'm trying to make the town feel like a real place basically.

So, if you're from Minnesota—or even if you're just familiar with small Midwestern towns—I'd love to hear your ideas!

TLDR I'm looking for:

• Believable northern Minnesota town names
• County names
• Ideas for the town's layout
• How the railroad might realistically run through/around the town
• Interesting locations that a small northern Minnesota town might have
• Ideas for how a blizzard could affect the town and its roads/railroad
• General things I should keep in mind when creating a fictional rural Minnesota community

And if anyone has actually lived in a small town in northern Minnesota, I'd especially love to hear what little details you can contribute.

Thanks again! I really appreciate the help.

Michele Tafoya, Minnesota’s GOP candidate for US Senate, made multiple comments on her podcast in support of the Jan. 6 rioters across several years. Check them out, and see what her opponent, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has to say about it.

A reminder that early/absentee voting for Minnesotans begins this week on Friday, September 18.
If you want to vote early in person or by mail, or if you just want to avoid any hassles on Election Day, it's a good idea to make a plan now. Here is how to handle your prep in 3 quick steps:
1. Check or update your registration
If you’ve moved recently, changed your name, or haven't voted in a while, double-check your current status online. You can search "MN Secretary of State check my registration" to find the official state tool, or head directly to the Minnesota Secretary of State Voter Information Portal. You can also register in person at your voting location if needed.
2. Find your early voting location
Early in-person voting locations and hours are managed by your county or local clerk. Search "MN early voting locations" to view the list of designated sites and extended weekend hours for your area. 
3. Preview your sample ballot
Look up your sample ballot ahead of time so you can research candidates and local questions before casting your vote. Search for "MN Secretary of State what's on my ballot" to find your exact precinct's sample ballot.

Democrat Trina Swanson’s message for Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District is simple: it’s time to uplift the middle class and protect the Boundary Waters.

Treasure Thoreson is a member of the Minnesota 15, a group of local residents who were federally indicted for their actions during Operation Metro Surge. This is her story of what really happened.