Business and Economic News

IRS expected to push back tax-filing deadline
It will be the second consecutive year the agency has given taxpayers more time to filed their returns because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Will work from home outlast virus? Ford's move suggests yes
On Wednesday, Ford Motor Co. told about 30,000 of its employees worldwide who have worked from home that they can continue to do so indefinitely, with flexible hours approved by their managers.
Intelligence Squared debate: Is it time for slavery reparations?
A top aide to President Joe Biden recently said that the White House will “start acting now” on reparations for African Americans. Some say it’s long overdue. Reparations, they say, are important to start to address the moral injury slavery inflicted. Others say direct payments to African Americans will divide the Black community, exaggerate racial tensions and prove impossible to administer.
Biden showcases COVID aid to small businesses
During his visit to a small, minority-owned business in suburban Philadelphia, the president underscored that the huge relief package was passed without any help from Republican lawmakers as he sought to highlight how the bill will help small businesses imperiled by the public health crisis.
Across the internet, a game of Whac-A-Mole is underway to root out extremism
How are alternative platforms, where extremist ideology and disinformation thrive, monitored? Can we ever really root out extremism in the virtual space or will the targets just keep jumping around?
Eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, food plant workers have mixed feelings about them
Almost a year after COVID-19 surged through Minnesota’s food processing workforce, plant employees are now on the priority list for vaccination. One group is trying to find out why people may hesitate.
As precious metals prices soar, Minnesota becomes hot spot for catalytic converter thefts
There's something more valuable than gold attached to the bottom of your car — and it's sparking a crime wave in Minnesota and across the country. Catalytic converters contain trace amounts of precious metals, including rhodium, which in early March peaked at nearly $30,000 per ounce.
Health economist Len Nichols on the ongoing need for health reform and equity
In a year-long global pandemic, people are more concerned than ever with their own health care, and how to afford it. And many people are concerned about making it affordable to everyone. Health economist Len Nichols has been working on this for close to three decades, and he shared his ideas at a recent University of Minnesota Humphrey School event.