Work & Economy
Who is Trader Joe and why do Minnesotans care?
Tatiana Eletski and her son Misha were ecstatic at the opening of the new Trader Joe's in Minnetonka on November 6. Each of them had arms full of groceries, and Eletski informed me that her husband would be shopping at the store later that day to pick up some cheeses that he likes. Eletski said she loves Trader Joe because it reminds her of shopping in Europe, where they come from. "We can get the foods we are used to eating, like swordfish, and certain kinds of chocolate," Eletski said. She said she also loves the people that worked at the store. "They take care of you. They open your egg cartons and make sure that none are broken." MORE »
With necessity as the mother of invention, brothers “rack-up” success
It all started at the University of Minnesota's Campus Security. As Rolf Scholtz and his brother Derk used to patrol the Twin Cities Campus, they would notice how unappealing and dysfunctional the bike racks were - as far as they could tell, the market for aesthetically appealing, U-lock compatible bike racks was wide open.MORE »
Buffalo tackles Minnesota's accountability gap
Accountability and transparency are not only desirable, but crucial in all government interactions with the public. A dollar spent on education should result in a dollar's worth of educated citizen.
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Bike boulevards coming to Minneapolis
The city of Minneapolis is planning to make five new bicycle boulevards in the city next year, including 22nd Ave, Fillmore and 5th Streets in Northeast Minneapolis, 18th Avenue South, and Bryant Avenue South.MORE »
Made in MN 2009: Homegrown holidays
It's the time of year when people gather for holiday parties and receptions and to entertain. That means it is also time for Minnesota 2020 to renew its "buy local" campaign for the third year. A severe recession lingers despite some promising signs it may be bottoming out and a slow recovery may be starting. But "happy days" are not here again - at least not yet.
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Former Agriprocessors manager found guilty on 86 counts
A Sioux Falls, So. Dak., jury returned to the courtroom late Thursday afternoon and found former Agriprocessors manager Sholom M.MORE »
Bike trail stabbing raises concerns
A recent stabbing on the bike trail in Minneapolis near Hiawatha Avenue initially alarmed people, but the complicated circumstances surrounding the incident have raised a lot more issues about safety and self-defense. KFAI's News Director Ahndi Fridell reports.
NEWS DAY | MN unemployment edges up to 7.6 percent
Minnesota's unemployment rose to 7.6 percent in October, the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) reported this morning.MORE »
St. Paul forum to focus on gentrification
In less than a year, construction could begin on the planned Central Corridor light-rail, which the Metropolitan Council claims will bring increased transportation opportunities to Twin Cities. But for many Central Corridor neighbors, it could bring something very different: unsustainable property tax increases, gentrification, and the loss of historic, racially diverse, and close-knit neighborhoods such as St. Paul's Aurora-St. Anthony and Frogtown. MORE »
Minnesota experience offers solution to the ‘jobless recovery’
When President Obama convenes a White House forum next month to consider ways to create jobs, he should consider a program that worked successfully for Minnesota in the 1980s, a noted labor economist says. The Minnesota Emergency Employment Development program, known by its acronym, MEED, was in place from 1983-1989. About 45,000 people enrolled in the program, which provided a wage subsidy of up to $4 per hour ($10 in 2008 dollars) for employers to hire new workers, many of whom were low-skilled or among the long-term unemployed. MORE »
