Business and Economic News

High winds drop the curtain on one of Minnesota's last drive-in movie theaters
Minnesota used to be dotted with dozens of drive-in theaters where you could watch a movie under the stars in your car. But only four remain in the state. And in northwestern Minnesota, one of them was forced to shut down for the season after a storm tore it down.
Inver Grove Heights exempts data center project from city moratorium
The project in question — a proposed 55,000-square-foot data center on Carmen Avenue East — had already been in the works when the council approved the one-year data center moratorium.
Federal regulators sue to close pest-infested Minneapolis food warehouse
Gold Star Distribution is planning to close after pest problems and product recalls. Investigators with the Food and Drug Administration had found a slew of pests in the building during the 2025 inspection.
Why is Rochester’s 10-acre Seneca site still vacant seven years later?
The Seneca Foods processing and canning facility closed in 2018 and Olmsted County purchased the property the following year for $5.6 million. But seven years later, the site is still empty, and county commissioners said that the process to find realistic options to fill the site has been slow, meandering and somewhat controversial.
Doctors strike, rally for contract with Allina
Union officials say Allina is offering less pay than the doctors currently make and is resisting demands for more physician control over decisions affecting patient care. Allina says the two sides have made progress but says any contract has to account for rising healthcare costs.
St. Paul's Summit Brewing Company faces foreclosure
BMO Bank alleges Summit Brewery, one of Minnesota's largest brewers, owes them more than $8 million in unpaid debt.
How to know when it's time to quit your job
How do you know when it’s time to quit your job? MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about how to recognize when a job isn’t working anymore, and how to decide what to do next.
U.S. farmers lost conservation experts in Trump's federal cuts. Now they're hurting for help
The Natural Resources Conservation Service lost nearly a quarter of its staff nationwide in 2025 after the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal government. Many were local experts that help farmers with soil and water conservation efforts.