Bad news for Minnesota in the latest U.S. Census data release. The Star Tribune’s John Reinan and MaryJo Webster crunched the numbers and found: “Household income for blacks in Minnesota plummeted in the past year, according to survey data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. … From 2013 to 2014, the median income for black households in the state fell 14 percent. In constant dollars, that was a decline from about $31,500 to $27,000 — or $4,500 in a single year. … Meanwhile, the statewide poverty rate for black residents rose from 33 percent to 38 percent, compared to a stable overall state poverty rate of 11 percent.”
That’s in spite of new reports that, “Minnesota employers added 7,300 jobs in August and added 2,800 more jobs in July than previously estimated, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) said Thursday.” Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal’s Jim Hammerand further explains, “The professional and business services and leisure and hospitality sectors led the field with 4,600 new jobs each in August. Government was the month’s biggest loser, cutting 5,000 jobs. … The state has gained 38,037 jobs since August 2014, led by 15,721 new jobs in education and health services. Government lost 1,985 jobs in that same time, the largest annual loss by any segment.”
In Matea Gold and Jenna Johnson’s Washington Post story about Scott Walker donors who are getting nervous, Minnesotan Stan Hubbard makes an appearance: “But on Thursday, there were growing signs that his support is slipping. Stanley S. Hubbard, a Minnesota media mogul and top Walker donor, said that while he is sticking with Walker for now, he is considering also giving money to Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, all of whom performed well at Wednesday’s debate, he said. … ‘I think I might help some other candidates too,’ said Hubbard. ‘There might be some good candidates.’ ”
When historical preservation meets beer, we all win. In the Pioneer Press, Frederick Melo reports on an exciting development in St. Paul: “A Civil War-era saloon that had been shuttered for two decades will likely reopen to taproom customers on Smith Avenue over the objection of immediate neighbors. The St. Paul City Council on Wednesday approved a ‘historic use’ variance for the site despite negative feedback from some residents. … Thomas Schroeder, who lives about a block from the 1850s-era building at 445 Smith Ave., told the council Wednesday that he has been ‘restoring it with love’ and has no plans to run a traditional sports bar behind its limestone facade.”
In other news…
A patient of Walter Palmer publicly regrets her public condemnation of the dentist. [Star Tribune]
Move along, nothing to see here: “Look, up in the sky: Stealth bomber training run causes stir over Twin Cities” [Star Tribune]
Rep. Tom Emmer: Maverick. [Pioneer Press]
Austin, Minnesota, has a new mountain bike trail. [Austin Daily Herald]
The Star Tribune is moving its City Pages division. [Twin Cities Business]
Insect noises
Re: the afternoon Glean’s first two paragraphs…
The Republican response to this terrible economic news for the state’s black population is that taxes on businesses and high incomes need to be lowered. Again. Perpetually. And shrinking state government by nearly 2,000 jobs is just a baby step on the way to a nirvana of a drowned baby in a bathtub… excuse me, to a nirvana of no government at all. Does Grover Norquist know about this exciting news?
The DFL response is… (sound of crickets).
Poverty and a lack of academic achievement go hand-in-hand, and the occasional exception is no more than that – an exception. Abe Lincoln did pretty well for a kid who was home-schooled, but sane people don’t expect those kinds of results across the board, from every kid living in a destitute family with no prospects. I no longer expect Republicans to be interested in the welfare of the society as a whole, but I do expect Democrats to do more than sit on their hands when this kind of news appears, as it does with some regularity, year after year, decade after decade.
Them that has, gets. Them that don’t, don’t. It’s a shameful motto for a state that could, and should, do much more to be equitable.
It would be helpful to understand two factors
that may be contributing to the drop in black household income. Minnesota has recently experienced a large increase in the Somali population which now comprises about 10% of what is categorized as the black population in Minnesota. Most of this population has gained employment in the most recent recovery cycle. Average wages for new hires have fallen since 2006 to a bit over $11/hour in 2013. I would expect it to be even lower for non-college graduates. It is likely there is still a real problem in the loss of household income levels for this population. But some of the drop may simply be due the wage drop for new hires combined with a population that has had a lot of recent growth (and therefore a lot of new hires) due to recent immigration trends.