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.
Economy
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.
Why Land O’Lakes’ CEO pushed so hard for rural broadband in the infrastructure bill
CEO Beth Ford led a three-year advocacy drive to push for high-speed internet service for rural and underserved communities.
The worker shortage is affecting every corner of the state. But it’s hitting Greater Minnesota especially hard.
While the tight labor market isn’t new, it has gotten worse since the onset of the pandemic. Minnesota’s labor force participation rate has dropped to a point it hasn’t seen since the late ’70s, when fewer women were in the workforce.
Consumers are still seeing higher prices for goods. Is it more than just a lingering effect of the pandemic?
In recent months, the cost of groceries, clothing, housing, gas and cars, among other goods, has been increasing, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
EPA nixes Minnesota Legislature’s bid to relax feedlot regulations
The federal agency said the 2021 law would be an “improper modification” to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s authority around clean water rules.
Target is from Minnesota — but is Minnesota the most Target-y state?
Are we the true center of the bullseye?
Why California’s new pork rules could mean big changes for Minnesota hog farmers
Minnesota is the second-largest hog producing state in the nation, and a lot of that meat is sold in California, where voters recently changed the rules on what kind of pork can be sold in the state.
Will there be enough workers for the State Fair?
With a shortage of workers across many industries, some fair vendors are behind pace on hiring for the fair, which is just under a month away.
Minnesota’s pandemic-driven bike boom is showing no signs of slowing down
A combination of high consumer demand and a crunch on suppliers has made bikes and their parts difficult to come by.
Still rolling in it: Latest report show Minnesota tax revenues continuing to surpass projections
In just the last three months of the 2020-21 two-year state budget — April, May and June — collections were 28.7 percent, or $2.12 billion, more than was expected in February.
Prices are higher for all kinds of goods in Minnesota lately. Is it a pandemic blip or permanent?
For consumers in the Twin Cities, some of the biggest year-over-year increases in the Consumer Price Index are in the price of fuel for vehicles, of used cars and trucks, and of gas for heating and cooking at home.
Too much or not enough: Latino workers in Minnesota describe one pandemic, but two very different economies
More than any other group, Latinos in Minnesota remained in the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. But many found themselves on divergent paths.
During the pandemic, rents went down in New York and San Francisco. Why not the Twin Cities?
Rents have been on a slow, steady rise in Minneapolis and St. Paul for years.
Is $300 extra per week in unemployment benefits actually stopping anyone in Minnesota from taking a job?
You know we’re going to say: It’s complicated.
Minnesotans who got extra unemployment payments could see big tax bills this year
Minnesota did not withhold state or federal taxes from the $600 and $300 bonus unemployment payments, which are taxed as regular income.
Officials say Minnesota’s ‘angel’ tax credit program is crucial for the state’s post-pandemic recovery. It’s also long failed to meet equity goals
Though the program — which allows those who invest in early-stage Minnesota businesses to claim a 25 percent tax credit — has been popular, it has come nowhere near its goals for boosting startups by nontraditional owners.
Why federal grants may set rural broadband in some areas of Minnesota back for years
Companies that could quickly build out fiber optic internet have been squeezed out of areas covered by a federal grant to a company with limited resources and experience, something state funders said was necessary to avoid duplicate use of taxpayer money.
After the Capitol riot, Minnesota corporations are stopping their political giving. Don’t expect that to last
Some observers see the changes as “too little, too late.” And indeed, what good is it to halt political donations when there aren’t any major elections happening?
