Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/hindsight/page/7/)
From street cars and rapid buses to expanding rural and exurban mobility, many Minnesota communities have ambitious plans for transit. In the past, federal funding has been a key tool to finance local transit needs and expansions. Continue Reading
Last June, over half of a million Minnesota residents lost power after a storm swept through the state. Many went days without electricity. Yet this outage, along with many others caused by major weather events across the state will be nearly ignored as the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) reviews the reliability of Minnesota’s investor-owned utilities electric service. Continue Reading
West Central Minnesota* now has the smallest job seekers to job openings ratio in the state, according to the Department of Employment and Economic Development’s 2013 second quarter Job Vacancy Survey. Continue Reading
Seven candidates for Mayor at a forum in the Hale Page Diamond Lake neighborhood agreed that the City of Minneapolis urgently needs to attract residents and businesses. Only one candidate mentioned airport noise. None of them mentioned any problem with MSP with respect to economic growth. Continue Reading
On the heels of a severe drought across the Midwest; summer storms that caused record power outages in the Twin Cities; the third largest wildfire in California history and devastating, record-breaking floods in Colorado, the Obama administration proposed a major new rule last week to curb carbon pollution spewing from power plants. Scientists warn that without major reductions in carbon pollution, climate change will cause extreme weather to become even more frequent and severe. Continue Reading
Minneapolis took a big step toward an improved Nicollet Mall Thursday when the city and Downtown Council chose a design team for the street’s revitalization. James Corner Field Operations (known for its work on the High Line linear park in New York) edged out two other finalists. Corner’s team included several Minnesota design firms. For me, the winning plan stood out as the best combination of imaginative, practical, sustainable, and local. Continue Reading
The Hennepin County Board’s approval last week of enhancements to the upcoming Target Field Station, including a public plaza and amphitheater, green space, and retail, is a solid step forward for the Twin Cities and for transit in Minnesota. This project opening next year has the potential not only to materially enhance public space in Minneapolis, but to contribute to an ever more positive outlook in Minnesota about transit’s role in the city and about public space’s relationship to transit. Continue Reading
After the cold, dark winter that lasted more than two decades without a progressive Governor, the last legislative session felt like spring. And while last session was far from perfect, we accomplished something tremendous: our governor and legislature who worked together to build a more fair tax structure, increased aid to local governments while providing property tax relief for the middle-class, we passed all day kindergarten funding, and marriage equality. Continue Reading
In Minnesota, ethanol has become part of our everyday lives. It is blended into our gasoline and is available for flex fuel vehicles in the form of E85, with the intention of lowering our fossil fuels dependence. Ethanol also helps keep corn demand and prices high to support our farmers. But corn ethanol is increasingly becoming a controversial topic. Continue Reading
This week, a broad coalition of faith, labor and nonprofits kicked off its campaign to Raise the Wage at the Minnesota State Fair. Low wage workers and some small business people are urging policy makers to raise Minnesota’s minimum wage to $9.50 by 2015, from the current $7.25. Continue Reading