Business and Economic News

Why are Minnesota electricity bills going up?
Hot temperatures, grid upgrades and higher returns are some of the factors behind energy costs.
Hastings sues 3M over ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water
The lawsuit alleges that chemicals known as PFAS emitted from the smokestacks of 3M's Cottage Grove facility were carried downwind and deposited onto the soil, where they leached into Hastings' public wells.
Family, friends remember farmer who supplied Minnesota State Fair's Corn Roast
For more than two decades, farmer Jerry Untiedt supplied each year’s Minnesota State Fair with hundreds of thousands of ears of fresh sweet corn for the Corn Roast stand. He passed away in July.
What’s behind the financial strain Americans are feeling?
MPR News host Angela Davis talks about why so many Americans feel financially squeezed. From soaring airfares to trouble keeping up with buy now, pay later loans, they’ll examine what’s straining household budgets — and what those pressures reveal about the economy.
Former leader of St. Cloud cemetery accused of embezzling more than $350,000 from nonprofit
A civil complaint alleges that the cemetery association’s former president stole money from the organization from 2020 to 2024 and spent it on personal expenses. He also faces a felony theft charge.
Minnesota AG announces oversight deal allowing North Memorial-Sanford Health merger to advance
Terms of the agreement include $600 million in investments in North Memorial’s Maple Grove and Robbinsdale hospitals, and maintaining the Level 1 trauma center in Robbinsdale for at least 10 years.
How a first-time 4-H state fair exhibitor prepares her lamb for the competition
12-year-old 4-H participant Madelyn Donnelly said that facing a big day at the state fair for the first time is stressful, but luckily her lamb is a “chill dude.” She’s hoping her sheep impresses the judges, and she’s getting help from her 19-year-old mentor through a program called a BELLE grant.
Chisago County workers' union announces deal to end lengthy strike
The union said the agreement addresses two main sticking points that led to the lengthy strike — including a wage increase of 20.5 percent over three years, and offering health insurance through the Teamsters.