Great reads on algal poison factories, American climate refugees, and more
A Minnesota transplant in a South Carolina lab untangles natural toxins more deadly than sarin gas.
Midwest Region
Tons of plastic trash enter the Great Lakes every year – where does it go?
One recent study found microplastic particles — fragments measuring less then five millimeters — in globally sourced tap water and beer brewed with water from the Great Lakes.
1973: The year Minnesota became above average (and stayed there)
Minnesota grew faster than the national average during the 1950s and 1960s and passed the national average in per-person income in 1973, when Gov. Wendell Anderson appeared on TIME’s cover.
Wisconsin residents see democracy decline, reflecting national discontent with government
“Most people believe government no longer represents the people,” said Sheila Plotkin, founder of the group We, the Irrelevant. “It represents campaign donors, special interests, the wealthy.”
Twice as many cases are pending before Minnesota’s immigration court as in 2015. But it’s not because Trump is trying to deport more people
Someone facing deportation in the Bloomington court who is not detained can expect to wait 1,060 days, or almost three years, before the case will be heard.
Low soybean prices are bad for Minnesota’s soybean farmers. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad for Minnesota’s economy overall
Trade policy will always create winners and losers. The key is to mitigate the harms to the losers.
How one Minnesota town leveraged its proximity to Fargo-Moorhead while keeping its small-town feel
Since 2000, Barnesville has been attracting new residents at a steady pace, growing 18 percent to today’s population of about 2,500. Many have easy commutes to jobs in Fargo-Moorhead, just 25 miles away.
Wisconsin to force parents to work for FoodShare, despite doubts about effectiveness
Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-run Legislature expand work mandate to parents of school-age children and increase requirement to 30 hours a week.
Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson’s rocky history as a college Democrat at the U of M
Nicholson harbored serious political ambitions as far back as his days at the University of Minnesota, when he announced that his goal was to be president of the United States.
Wisconsin is coming for Minnesota’s millennials
Last month, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill approving $6.8 million for an ad campaign that will highlight the perks of Wisconsin life for young people from other Midwestern states.
As Minnesota stink bug numbers grow, a look at barriers to controlling them
Of necessity, the battle is essentially forcing greater reliance on “integrated pest management,” which tries to replace toxic chemicals with, say, benign and beneficial insects.
Meet the new stink bug afflicting crops — and overrunning homes — across U.S.
The marmorated brown stink bug has been in Minnesota since 2010, having arrived by FedEx.
At long last, Isle Royale wolf restoration could begin as early as this autumn
Human manipulation, having contributed so much to the island’s ecological problems, will now be used to ease them.
China is taking less of the U.S.’s recyclables. That might be an opportunity for Minnesota
The Midwest already has domestic recycling capacity — and the possibility to build a lot more.
No time to hibernate: Cold Northland welcomes everyone at anytime
As Super Bowl LII visitors learned, there are many ways to enjoy even the very coldest times of winter. And if you’ve seen it all close to home, try venturing to Door County, Wisconsin.
Wind and solar energy: clean, affordable, reliable and secure
It may surprise people to hear that, thanks to advancements in turbine technology and better weather forecasting tools, wind is actually among the lowest cost energy sources.
Minnesota politicians will be paying very close attention to the Wisconsin redistricting case before the U.S. Supreme Court today
The case, Gill v. Whitford, is the first time the nation’s highest court could strike down the role partisanship plays in the process of drawing political maps.
Elisabeth Congdon’s other daughter, Jennifer Johnson, has died
Johnson was raised at Glensheen, the Congdon mansion in Duluth, and lived her adult life in Racine, Wisconsin. She believed her sister, Marjorie, was involved in the murder of their mother.
Hey Wisconsin, move to Minnesota
I love Wisconsin, but, like many ex-Wisconsinites who have landed and settled in Minnesota, I know there is no way I am going to move back to my home state.
Under Trump, Wisconsin dairies struggle to keep immigrant workers
Workers cite hostility and heightened enforcement. Dairy farmers raise wages to attract and keep Mexican and Central American employees.
