Business and Economic News

Barnes & Noble set to be sold to Elliott Management for about $683 million
That price tag includes all of the book megachain's debt. Elliott's acquisition of the largest retail bookseller in the U.S. comes less than a year after it bought Waterstones, the largest in the U.K.
Metro Transit to launch C Line this weekend
The new bus rapid transit line will be served, in part, by a fleet of battery-powered vehicles made in St. Cloud.
German automaker Mercedes Benz is the latest to make the move toward a carbon-neutral auto fleet. The automaker pledges to change factories and vehicles to go carbon neutral by 2039.
Hemp farmer sues MN over crop crackdown, says state broke its own rules
Southern Minnesota farmer Luis Hummel is pushing back on a move by state agriculture officials to yank his license and destroy his hemp crop after police said it tested more like marijuana than hemp. But it's not clear what happened, or if the state followed its own regulations.
They're more than just the Mom and Pop shop around the corner. They employ hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans each year.
Destination Medical Center, North? Duluth readies for massive medical investment
Two of Duluth's regional health care systems, Essentia Health and St. Luke's, are planning to invest more than $1 billion in expansions. City officials hope the development, which is being supported in part with infrastructure funding from the state, will spur additional growth in the downtown medical district.