Why some businesses that closed during COVID lockdown still have not fully reopened
Dozens of Twin Cities restaurants that closed during the pandemic promised on their websites or social media to reopen. But they haven’t yet.
Economy
Hemp Heyday for Minnesota Farmers?
Minnesota’s surprising legislation portends a new reality for the state’s long-struggling hemp farmers.
Agency staffing shortages put 3,500 disabled Minnesotans on waiting lists for jobs
Agency leaders and advocates are concerned about people’s mental health and are getting ready to ask state lawmakers to help make nonprofit workers’ wages more competitive.
Tax collections up, but state economic consultant predicts three-quarter recession in Minnesota beginning now
IHS Markit predicts U.S. GDP will decline and unemployment rates will rise. Meanwhile, state economists are working to determine how a recession will affect tax collections.
5 ways Minnesota child care providers are still struggling after 2020 shutdowns
Providers lost revenue during the pandemic, and while the state distributed grants and funds to help, advocates warn it is not enough to keep providers across the state afloat.
Wish you were riding Southwest light rail by now? Blame tunnel vision
The cursed part of the now-$2.74 billion extension of the current Green Line is a tunnel that makes up just 2,870 feet of the 14.5 mile route from Target Field to Eden Prairie.
Why Minnesota Democrats aren’t embracing California’s ban on new gas cars
States like Washington and Massachusetts plan to join California in largely banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.
Wait? There’s a ‘real issue’ in the state auditor’s race?
It’s called ESG – Environment, Social and Governance – a move to consider issues such as climate change, social justice and equity as state and local governments decide where to invest funds.
Colleges and universities largely escape scrutiny in student loan bailout
Taxpayers assume an estimated $300 billion worth of loan debt for students whose educations often took longer and cost more than expected, led to jobs that didn’t pay enough to cover their loans or never led to a degree.
Mark Andrew’s retirement from State Fair food among many vendor transitions this year
Writer and State Fair aficianado Joe Kimball was shocked to find the World’s Greatest French Fries is no longer operating. Fish tacos are in its place, and it’s just one of many vendor transitions at the fair this year.
Analyses of how states responded to COVID highlighted in Walz-Jensen contest for governor
Back in spring 2020, it was Trump’s “Liberate Minnesota” tweet against a TikTok song-and-dance video suggesting Minnesota was among the states not keeping people safe from COVID. Two years later, how analysts have ranked Minnesota’s pandemic response are sometimes – but not always – cited in the race for governor.
The stories, faces behind the 100 million Americans touched by medical debt
Some lost their homes. Some emptied their retirement accounts. Some struggled to feed and clothe their families.
Officials estimate ‘remarkable’ $650 million for Minnesota broadband from infrastructure bill
The federal bill had promised at least $100 million for every state. Now, Minnesota officials have an estimate of extra cash the state will get for having a lot of rural areas: $550 million.
FCC rejects internet funding in Minnesota, nation, for embattled LTD Broadband
“We cannot afford to subsidize ventures that are not delivering the promised speeds or are not likely to meet program requirements,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a news release.
D.C. Memo: Senate to vote on Inflation Reduction Act
While Senate Democrats worked on getting the votes they need, senators approved bills that would support veterans and survivors of police officers who have died by suicide.
Future prospects for legal sports betting in Minnesota rests with tribes, horse tracks
Sports betting needs bipartisan support to pass the Minnesota Legislature. It also needs support from the tribes, which want control over new gambling in the state, and horse tracks.
Capitol watchers ‘befuddled’ by rare bonding bill stall under legislative dealmaker Tom Bakk
The veteran DFL state senator who recently turned independent was tapped to help lead the Legislature’s efforts to finance public construction projects across the state. So far, there’s been no deal.
Untangling the appeals process for St. Paul’s rent control ordinance
Landlords can enter an appeal in order to raise rent beyond the 3% cap, and tenants can make a complaint against a landlord’s appeal. Both landlords and tenants have issues with the new process.
A six-figure income is needed to comfortably afford a home in the Twin Cities, nation
The estimated annual income needed to afford the median home in the United States rose a whopping $28,000 — from $79,600 to $107,600.
Greater Minnesotans may be feeling the squeeze of inflation more so than their metro counterparts
In Greater Minnesota, where more people live in rural areas, 79 percent of respondents to a MinnPost poll said they felt their incomes were falling behind the cost of living.
