The Daily Digest (property taxes, budget surplus, Ukraine)
Welcome to Monday and welcome to the Daily Digest.
Minnesota:
The state's revenue department says property taxes dropped by $8 million between 2013 and 2014. (MPR News)
ICYMI: The state has a projected $1.23 million surplus. (MPR News)
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The verdict on medical marijuana is still out, largely because rigorous studies that would answer lingering questions have been stymied. (MPR News)
Republican Rep. John Kline's tweets about the Affordable Care Act ring true, says the PoliGraph. (MPR News)
Six months on, nearly 3,000 same-sex couples have married in Minnesota. (Star Tribune)
The same groups that advocated for legalizing same-sex marriage in Minnesota are pushing the Legislature to pass a bill that would protect children from bullying in school. (AP via MPR News)
Washington:
Secretary of State John Kerry is traveling to Kiev to show support for the Ukranian government. (New York Times)
Russia sent troops Crimea region of the Ukraine on Saturday. Ukranian officials have called the movement a "declaration of war" and U.S. officials are condemning the act. (The Washington Post)
Russia may be evicted from the Group of 8 as a result of their actions. (The New York Times)
The situation in the Ukraine will be a test for President Barack Obama's foreign policy. (The Washington Post)
Here's a handy guide to this year's U.S. Senate elections. I'll be keeping an eye on North Carolina, Arkansas and Kentucky's races, as they are likely to be very close. (The New York Times)
Obama unveils his annual budget Tuesday. But Congress typically ignores it, so what's the point? (NPR News)