Business and Economic News

Minneapolis mayor calls for unity, outlines broad plan for city budget
In order to make up lost revenue, Mayor Jacob Frey said he’s proposing a 5.75 percent property tax levy. Frey said he wants to avoid staff cuts as much as possible. His staff is working on volunteer early retirement incentives to encourage more senior staff to step down.
Eagle attacks woman along North Shore, bystander comes to the rescue
Cascade Lodge and Restaurant head kitchen manager Bernie Banks happened to be outside when he saw the eagle attacking the woman.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has received less than 1 percent of the money that Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology Group pledged to it two years ago amid the electronics giant's expansion plans in Wisconsin.
St. Paul rebuilding efforts inch along after civil unrest
St. Paul officials estimate 300 businesses were damaged during the civil unrest in late May. City officials say rebuilding in critical business corridors could take 10 years.
Trump's methane rollback that Big Oil doesn't want
The rule would end Obama-era restrictions on emissions of methane, a potent climate-warming gas. The move could make it harder to argue that natural gas is a cleaner-burning fossil fuel than coal.
U.S. jobless claims fall below 1 million but remain high
The Labor Department said that applications fell to 963,000, the second straight drop, from 1.2 million the previous week. The decline suggests that layoffs are slowing, though last week's figure is still above the pre-pandemic record of just under 700,000. 
In Minnesota, many Black women entrepreneurs missed out on PPP dollars
COVID-19 is hitting Black female entrepreneurs in Minnesota just like everyone else, but many missed on the federal lifeline for small businesses because their operations and business relationships don’t sync with traditional banking.
Payroll tax delay to boost take-home pay, but don't spend it yet
President Donald Trump has directed the Treasury Department to stop collecting payroll taxes this fall in an effort to boost workers' paychecks. But the move is temporary, and could spark headaches in 2021.
APM Marketplace special: Reimagining the Economy
David Brancaccio and Kimberly Adams of Marketplace host this special report, “Reimagining the Economy,” exploring what a new reimagined economy might look like and how we might get there.
Opioid scandal haunts drug companies as they respond to pandemic
Thousands of lawsuits that ground to a halt because of COVID-19 are moving forward again as local, state and federal courts reopen around the U.S.