Business and Economic News

Rochester hopes creative installations spark talk of downtown's future
A huge rocking chair and a massive set of chimes are among the temporary sculptures people will see in downtown Rochester this weekend as officials try to kindle public excitement for the Destination Medical Center.
Regulators have approved lower electrical rates for mines and paper mills, but have told Minnesota Power it needs to justify its plan recapture that lost revenue by raising rates for residential customers.
Allina Health officials downplayed striking nurses concerns that the company would step back from an agreement to boost hospital security.
MN jobless rate ticks up to 4 percent in August; 1,500 jobs lost
Minnesota's jobless rate rose to 4 percent in August as employers cut 1,500 jobs, state officials said Thursday. It was the first time in more than two years that Minnesota's rate touched 4 percent.
Minnesotans' incomes bouncing back, census data show
Wages across Minnesota are finally showing signs of recovering from the Great Recession. Census data show increases in median household income last year across most demographic groups, although racial disparities persist.
New research on women in the workplace asserts both men and women ask for raises, but men are more often given raises.
Employees are paying a bigger chunk of health insurance costs
Bosses are passing more of the cost of health insurance on to workers in an effort to keep spending under control. But that can be unfair to lower-income employees, who pay disproportionately more.