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.
Economy
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.
What would a gas tax holiday mean for Minnesotans?
At current gas prices, a state gas tax holiday would save an SUV driver filling a 14-gallon tank about $4 on a $66 tank of gas. A federal gas tax holiday would save that driver roughly $2.60.
Even Minnesota’s state economist isn’t so sure about the economy right now
Laura Kalambokidis, Minnesota government’s top economist for the last decade, said she worries not only about looming economic threats but the uncertainty of what’s to come.
How the pandemic exacerbated Greater Minnesota’s workforce challenges
In the second quarter of 2021, job vacancies topped 7 percent for all regions of the state. They were higher than 9 percent in Southeast and Northeast Minnesota.
Minnesota’s first Black-owned bank opens its doors
First Independence Bank comes to Minnesota with goals of shrinking housing disparities and cashing in on the many investment opportunities that come with banking in the Twin Cities.
For recruitment and retention, some Minnesota businesses are turning to same-day pay
But more than easing potential concerns, financial services companies say same-day pay eliminates the need for payday loans, credit cards and other traps people are falling into when they are short on money.
Why home prices in the Twin Cities keep going up
The rise in housing prices is nothing new, though prices weren’t rising quite this steeply until the pandemic hit.
More Minnesotans are getting back into the workforce. But the state’s labor force participation rate may never be what it once was.
The shortfall is being felt by employers, who are still struggling to hire staff, but also by consumers.
Make that $9.25 billion: Minnesota budget forecast increases an additional $1.5 billion
The increase in the surplus for the current two-year budget grew from $7.75 billion to $9.25 billi0n.
Wisconsin bill would grant utilities a monopoly on building transmission projects
The legislation makes Wisconsin the latest state to push back against a 2011 federal order promoting competition.
Four years after a contentious fight over short-term rentals, how have the regulations played out in Minneapolis and St. Paul?
Although there were initially concerns about enforcement and restriction of an already strained housing supply, neither city has seen a major uptick in complaints.
Ice cream, HVAC and pickleball: what Minnesota towns are doing with their old Shopko spaces
Three years after Shopko declared bankruptcy and shuttered all its stores, many of the buildings have been put to new use.
When dangerous strains of salmonella hit, the turkey industry responded forcefully. The chicken industry? Not so much.
Consolidation in the poultry industry may be fueling widespread salmonella outbreaks. Turkey companies worked with researchers to eradicate one. So why can’t the chicken industry do the same?
Online retail sales are way up. So are local sales tax collections in Minnesota.
A report from the Center for Rural Policy and Development showed some counties’ local sales tax collections up 20 to 30 percent since 2015.
