It costs about $1,000 more to send a 4-year-old to preschool than it does to send an 18-year-old to college in Minnesota. That’s revealed in this blog post by the Wall Street Journal’s Eric Morath: “Think college is expensive? Try sending your kid to full-time day care or preschool. … In nearly half the country, it’s now more expensive to educate a 4-year-old in preschool than an 18-year-old in college, a finding that illustrates the rising burden many families face affording care for children. … The annual cost of care for a 4-year old at a full-time day-care center or school is greater than the average cost of in-state tuition at a four-year institution in 23 states, according to new data from the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank.”
Easy to say the Iron Range should diversify its economy; harder to say exactly how. That’s the question raised in Dan Kraker’s report for MPR: “Whenever the longstanding and elusive goal of economic diversification is brought up on the Iron Range, inevitably someone will bring up the story of the chopsticks factory. … ‘I have to chuckle, in my time as commissioner, I’d just ask, name a success, name a failure. And chopsticks factory always comes up,’ said Tony Sertich, former commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board.”
Hard to argue with these kids’ logic. The Star Tribune’s Alejandra Matos writes, “South High had the highest number of students opting out of the assessments last year, a right they have under state law. Only 48 students took the math exam in 11th grade — out of 405 students. Statewide, less than 2 percent of all students opted out of that test. … Abdinasir Abdulkadir, a senior, is one of the students who did not take any of his MCAs. His parents care a lot about exams, especially college entrance tests. His mother and father came to the United States from Somalia for a better future, so they place a strong emphasis on his test results, Abdulkadir said. … ‘When I found out I could opt out, I had to sit down and explain to them that I do not want to take these tests because they are not helping me in any way,’ he said.”
Wouldn’t want to mislead consumers. The Pioneer Press’ Jess Fleming writes: “Call it what you want, but Indeed Brewing Company can no longer market or label its seasonal spring honey beer as LSD Ale. … The brewery did not face federal regulation until it started to cross state lines, and for a while, when Indeed was selling only in limited Wisconsin markets, they kept that particular beer in Minnesota. Regulators were concerned that the name implied there were drugs in the beer. … ‘The feds did not like the name LSD,’ said Indeed co-founder and co-owner Thomas Whisenand. ‘They made that clear very quickly.’ ”
In other news…
Rep. Rick Nolan’s feeling the Bern: “Nolan to back Sanders at Dem convention” [Brainerd Dispatch]
What’s the good of supporting museums if you can’t also dictate what they display? “Emails Show Museum Closed Green Energy Exhibit After Complaints From Fossil Fuel Industry” [Inside Energy]
If you’re reading this while driving, STOP IT: “Statewide texting-while-driving crackdown underway” [Pioneer Press]
Remember Cecil the Lion? Photographer Brent Stapelkamp does: “Remembering Cecil the Lion” [The Atlantic]
Sounds like a regular MnDOT meat raffle: “Truck Carrying Meat Crashes, Spills on I-494 in Eden Prairie” [KSTP]
Big happenings at Winona’s Marine Art Museum: “Marine Art Museum unveils new painting, director” [Rochester Post-Bulletin]
He may not live here any more, but Tony Dungy stays connected to the Gopher State. [ESPN]
