Good Jobs
Lawmakers expanded two pilot projects aimed at drawing high school and college students into fields starving for workers, from manufacturing and agriculture to health care and IT.
Good Jobs
DEED had more than double the amount of contract infractions DHS did. And the violations at both agencies mostly involved technical mistakes: No state money was actually spent before contracts were finalized or purchases were approved, say state officials.
Environment
The latest impaired waters list completes a 10-year research effort to collect data on Minnesota’s 80 watersheds.
State Government
Republican state Sen. Roger Chamberlain plans to introduce a bill in 2020 modeled on legislation passed in California, a measure that would let student athletes profit from their name and image, including endorsement deals.
Environment
One piece of an aggressive DNR strategy to slow chronic wasting disease in deer, the dumpster program is now in flux.
Environment
The Walz administration contends that electric vehicles’ small market share in Minnesota is due to lack of choice, not lack of interest. But auto dealers say the buying options for zero-emission vehicles in the state simply reflects consumers’ preference.
Good Jobs
The implications of the two projects for the area’s workforce could be “crazy,” said Michelle Ufford, executive director of the Northeast Minnesota Office of Job Training.
Environment
McCollum got language asking for the study into an appropriations bill that passed the House. Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar are supporting a similar measure in the Senate.
Good Jobs
Minnesota’s economic development agency requires partner nonprofits to report a lot of data, even as agency officials and legislators acknowledge the information isn’t critical for program evaluation.
Environment
As farmers have suffered under U.S. trade policies, a push to invigorate the biofuels industry in Minnesota has gained new momentum.
