Business and Economic News

Minority-owned small businesses were supposed to get priority. They may not have
The CARES Act required the Small Business Administration to tell banks to prioritize underserved communities for coronavirus relief loans. That didn't happen, a new inspector general's report found.
State workers may lose pay raise as economy tanks
The Minnesota House voted Monday to ratify state employee contracts that would deliver salary increases at a time of a looming budget deficit. The DFL-backed move sets up a showdown with Senate Republicans, who say it’s not a good idea to raise salaries with a budget deficit looming.
The latest on the economy
MPR senior economics contributor Chris Farrell answers questions about the economy.
Minnesota coach buses leave for D.C. to demand federal help
The almost four dozen Minnesota bus companies run a total of nearly 400 coach buses. But they’ve been idled for weeks by the COVID-19 outbreak.
As Minnesota retailers reopen, they're navigating a new way of doing business
Monday marks one week since many “nonessential” retailers in Minnesota were allowed to reopen — with limitations. Those stores and service providers had to take safety precautions and minimize their contact with customers, navigating a new way of doing business.
Shutdown of tribal casinos deals blow to Indian Country
Several hundred Native American casinos across the country have voluntarily closed during the pandemic, often taking away tribes' main source of income in an effort to protect people's health in communities with limited medical resources.
COVID-19 spread at Amazon Eagan warehouse scares workers
Some employees at the facility say the retail giant isn’t doing enough to protect them after six co-workers tested positive. They fear the disease will spread beyond the warehouse walls into their communities. The company calls the allegations “unfounded.”
As food supply chain breaks down, farm-to-door CSAs take off
Community Supported Agriculture programs that sell a weekly box of produce directly to consumers are popular amid concerns about grocery shopping during the pandemic.