Business & Economy

An environmental group fighting the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota has proposed an alternative vision for the site that reimagines it as a clean energy and manufacturing hub.

Sen. Aric Putnam isn’t a farmer and hasn’t worked in agriculture, but starting next month, he’ll chair the Senate Agriculture Committee. Before lawmakers head back to St. Paul, Putnam said he hopes to immerse himself in Minnesota agriculture.

The 5th Circuit Court rejected a Education Department appeal on Wednesday, the latest setback in several parallel lawsuits. The administration is expected to ask the Supreme Court to weigh in.

After a big infusion of federal pandemic funding last year, heating assistance grants have dropped back to pre-pandemic levels while fuel prices surge. It’s left many low-income Minnesotans wondering how they will pay their bills and stay warm this winter.

Congress is moving urgently to head off the looming U.S. rail strike. The House passed a bill Wednesday that would bind companies and workers to a proposed settlement reached in September that failed to gain the support of all 12 unions involved.

Host Cathy Wurzer talks with Louis Johnston, professor in the Economics department at Saint John’s University about a possible strike among railroad workers and the U.S. House of Representatives vote on stopping it.

U.S. senators from both parties have expressed skepticism that a proposed merger between grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons will lower prices for consumers. But the CEOs of Kroger and Albertsons insisted Tuesday that there will still be competition. They told a hearing that a merger will help them counter growing rivals like Walmart, Costco and Amazon. 

As the shortage of meat cutters grows and threatens butchering operations large and small, two Minnesota colleges do their bit to keep the trade alive.

Inflation has been pushing prices up all year, but economists and politicians don't agree on where it's coming from.

Minneapolis and St. Paul are at the forefront of a national experiment which involves giving people $500 a month with no strings attached.