MINNETONKA, Minn. — A former three-time Grand Slam tennis pro is working to grow the game in the Twin Cities, and is being recognized on a national stage for her efforts. Felicia Raschiatore is the tennis manager at Williston Fitness Center in Minnetonka. She's been coaching for 38 years, and teaches tennis players of all genders, ages and levels.

The Department of Labor is proposing to phase out a controversial Depression-era program that lets some employers pay disabled workers less than the federal minimum wage. The agency has issued a proposed rule that would immediately stop the issuance of certificates that let employers pay less than the federal minimum and start a three-year phase-out period for the hundreds of employers that currently hold the permits.

Around 30% of the staff have an intellectual disability. Workers make between $13 and $18 per hour including tips — far above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. Nationwide, 16% of people with an intellectually disability are employed, according to a ThinkWork survey.

"His physician recommended piano lessons as a possibility to work on hand strengthening, and through the family fund, we were able to pay for those services through piano lessons," explained Regina. "So he's been taking piano lessons for the last several years as a way of strengthening his hands, but it is also teaching them a skill."

Clockwise from left: Fifth-grader Noah Schott speaks with teacher Heidi Keiper about ideas for Evergreen Elementary’s upcoming student newspaper as Ray Kashtok, Edsel Siira, Ryder Thomspon and Rebecca Cramer listen and also offer ideas on Dec. 11 at the school in north Spokane.

The special educational needs and disabilities (Send) problem does not lie in the legal framework, which from the 1981 Education Act on, through several iterations in law, has provided a legal entitlement for children with Send to receive the provision required to meet those needs.

For members of the legislature’s Education Committee, the 2025 legislative session will bring back perennial debates over funding, classroom safety and teacher hiring and retention. But this year, committee leaders have also pledged to make concerted efforts to address special education funding and services — costs that can account for as much as a quarter or more of some public school districts’ budgets.

Medicare Advantage special needs plan (SNP) beneficiaries were more likely to use lower-quality hospices than those enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare. Fee-for-service beneficiaries and those enrolled in regular Medicare Advantage sought care at hospices of similar quality, the study found. Referral networks also played a key role in patients’ hospice choice when it comes to quality, according to the research.

The department’s withdrawal of the Medicaid proposal is a blow to school administrators, who have long criticized the lengthy bureaucratic process that makes it more difficult for schools to use available funds to help students with mental health and medical needs and receive services to address them at school.