Business and Economic News

Minnesota's Black farmers working to reconnect to land
African American farmers in Minnesota are trying to connect with their agricultural roots, and at the same time, build a more sustainable and equitable agricultural system.
Fargo-Moorhead flood control project advances amid worker shortage
The pace of work on the $3 billion Red River Diversion will increase this year as earthmovers start to carve out a 30-mile-long channel to divert floodwater around Fargo-Moorhead. The multi-year project will need hundreds of workers, and filling those jobs might be a challenge in an already tight labor market.
EPA recommends Army Corps not reissue PolyMet water permit
While only a recommendation, the move by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could deal a potentially severe blow to the controversial $1 billion mine proposed near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes in northeastern Minnesota.
What is May Day? For the most part, the opposite of capitalism
What springs to mind when you hear May Day? In the U.S. and abroad, the day has grown to encompass a spectrum of meanings. But the themes have remained the same: worker unity, suppression and rebirth.
First case of human avian flu infection confirmed in Colorado
A Colorado man has tested positive for avian flu in the first recent confirmed case of a human infected with the disease that has resulted in the deaths of millions of birds. Minnesota health officials said they've been “actively monitoring” but have not confirmed any cases in humans.
How the tobacco industry targeted Black Americans with menthol smokes
The Food and Drug Administration has announced plans to ban menthol cigarettes, which the tobacco industry has aggressively marketed toward African Americans since 1964.
Amid avian flu outbreak, activists decry poultry-killing methods
How to quickly destroy thousands of chickens or turkeys exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza is an unpleasant problem. Here’s a closer look at how it’s done in Minnesota.
Tentative deal at Capitol on hero pay, unemployment fund
Legislative leaders said Thursday they have an agreement on two spending issues that they’ve been stuck on for months–bonuses for frontline pandemic workers and a fix for a depleted trust fund that will prevent tax increases for businesses.