Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/scott-russell/page/6/)
Minnesota has a cash flow problem to go along with its $1.2 billion deficit problem. And it’s a good bet that the state will try to solve it, at least in part, by additional delays in school aid payments this spring to those districts with some “cash on hand.” Continue Reading
The state of Minnesota is not alone in its revenue problems, according to a new study from the Rockefeller Institute. Continue Reading
The federal stimulus bill’s impact on the federal deficit is being overblown, according a new analysis by the national Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The House and Senate are in the process of passing a comprehensive plan for reforming the health care system. But regardless of what Congress does in the coming months, U.S. health care costs will continue to rise. The question is, what do we get in return for our investment?
Ghana, 26, and his brothers Siva, 19, and Tika, 18, represent a new wave of Minnesota immigrants. They and their family are Bhutanese and when they arrived in St. Paul this fall, they had no relatives here to rely on for help. In the immigration vernacular, they are called “free” refugees, or those with no U.S. ties. Historically, Minnesota has welcomed refugees. Continue Reading
As bad as it is, the current recession would have been worse without the stimulus package, according to a recent report by the nonpartisan U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
Last month, the Amherst Wilder Foundation announced that over the next two years it would cut program funding by 35 percent or more than $20 million and trim 200 of its 525 full-time equivalent staff. While a surprise to most, at Wilder’s top levels, this decision had been gathering momentum for months. President Tom Kingston said the turning point happened about a year ago. Wilder’s financial advisors delivered the bad news. The foundation historically had budgeted a 10.5 percent annual return on its investments, but for the next few decades they said it should plan to get only 8 percent a year. Continue Reading
Anne Long has worked for the Plymouth Christian Youth Center in North Minneapolis since 1973, including the past decade as executive director. She lives seven blocks from the Center and has been a part of many initiatives over the years to improve the north side. The Center is a $3.7 million operation, including a contract alternative high school. The Center also owns and operates the Capri Theater, one of the latest efforts to improve educational opportunities for youth and revitalize the community. Long sat down and talked to Daily Planet reporter Scott Russell about her life, the Center and North Minneapolis. Continue Reading
Katherine just landed a customer service job that will pay $12 to $15 an hour and she is elated.And Katherine, 50, faced a lot more obstacles than most job seekers in the down economy. For one, she is a recovering heroin addict working to stay clean. For another, she did prison time for being part of a counterfeit check operation—a felony conviction she had to disclose to potential employers. “In this economy, if you are focused and determined—and you are persistent about not getting caught up in the excuse of it being the economy—you can make it,” she said. “To quote my pastor, ‘Potential is nothing but potential without motivation.’”
Katherine (she asked not to use her last name) also had some valuable assets in her job search, including nearly six months spent at ReBuild Resources. Continue Reading
The St. Paul Park and Recreation Department expects to lose several hundred mature boulevard trees this year—including Norway and sugar maples and greenspire lindens—to a problem know as stem girdling roots, or SGR, said arborist Chris Boche. Trees already are being marked for removal. Leaf scorch, a possible warning sign of stem girdling roots.SGR is a problem in many urban forests. Trees get planted too deep or soil gets piled next to the trunk. Continue Reading