Business and Economic News

Smith Foundry announces shutdown
Over a year after federal regulators launched an investigation into Smith Foundry, the facility announced it’s shutting down in August. The Minneapolis iron foundry said environmental regulations will make it impossible to get a new permit.
Texas firm bills taxpayers $578k for Moriarty’s ill-fated trooper prosecution
The outside lawyers concluded that the stop was “horribly executed,” but that they were unlikely to overcome defense arguments that the shooting was justified. The firm’s attorneys billed the county $850 per hour.
A treasure hunt to make Minnesota property maps more accurate
Minnesota counties are starting a project to rebuild a critical but mostly invisible infrastructure across the state. Last year the state Legislature approved funding to pay for verification of the public land survey system. The system is the basis for establishing all property lines. The work involves finding survey markers that, in some cases, were placed more than 150 years ago.
Coming Aug. 1: Metro Transit operators to get pay bump
Metro Transit says hiring more bus and train operators gives the agency the flexibility to increase the frequency of service.
The streaming wars bring a new discounted bundle: Disney+, Hulu and Max
The bundle allows new and existing subscribers to save up to 38 percent compared to the cost of subscribing to each service individually. It’s the latest in a flurry of video streaming deals.
Minneapolis looks to rent vacant storefronts to local artists, organizations
A new Minneapolis initiative will give local artists and organizations a break on rent to fill empty storefront properties. The Vibrant Storefronts Initiative came out of Mayor Jacob Frey’s Vibrant Downtown Storefronts Workgroup. The City Council approved $250,000 from the 2024 budget and debuted the initiative on July 24.