Business and Economic News

The challenges home care workers face
As the number of aging Americans in need of care grows, so does the home health care industry. We dig into the push for better wages and improved training for workers.
Bigleaf maple syrup flows as profits drip from once-maligned Northwest tree
The Pacific Northwest is getting into the lucrative maple syrup industry. Farmers and researchers in Washington state are beginning to tap the sweet potential of the much-maligned bigleaf maple tree.
Locust swarms in Africa are worst in decades
The worst outbreak of desert locusts in Kenya in 70 years has seen hundreds of millions of the bugs swarm into the East African nation from Somalia and Ethiopia. Those two countries have not had an infestation like this in a quarter-century.
As court case continues, MPCA defends handling of PolyMet permit, citing efficiency
In the third day of an unusual court hearing investigating alleged “procedural irregularities” in the way a mine permit was issued, former MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine testified his agency asked the EPA to delay submitting critical comments because his staff was stretched too thin responding to other comments.
Jim Lehrer of the 'MacNeil-Lehrer Report' dies at 85
A host of the nightly PBS "NewsHour" that for decades offered a thoughtful take on current events has died. Jim Lehrer was 85.
MPCA estimates greenhouse gas emissions for Winona Co. dairy farm expansion
After Minnesota’s appeals court revoked a controversial permit for a proposed dairy farm expansion in Winona County, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency released a draft permit and an additional environmental review that shows the project’s potential impacts to the climate.
Amtrak reverses course on $25,000 bill
The rail carrier Amtrak says passengers who use wheelchairs will no longer have to pay for the added cost of accommodating them.
Supreme Court upholds Minneapolis minimum wage
The Minnesota Supreme Court has upheld the city of Minneapolis' authority to impose a minimum wage that's higher than the state's. The ruling follows three years of legal fighting over the $15 minimum wage.
U.S. seeks to tighten rules covering service animals on planes
The days of passengers bringing rabbits, turtles and birds on planes as emotional-support animals could be ending. The Transportation Department on Wednesday announced plans to change the rules regarding service animals.