Business and Economic News

Massachusetts joins state-led efforts on equal pay for women
As part of a state law designed to help equalize pay for women, employers are now prohibited from asking about an employee's previous salary. Advocates say the question creates a cycle of low pay.
Voters could determine the fate of the proposals in November if the Minneapolis City Council decides to include them on the ballot.
Mo' money, mo' bug problems: Wealthier homes are rich in insects too
Looking for a healthy variety of bugs? You might want to try searching in your wealthiest friend's house. Neighborhood income is a good predictor of the number of kinds of bugs in homes.
Here's the colony-killing mistake backyard beekeepers make
While experts welcome the rising interest in beekeeping as a hobby, they warn novices may be inadvertently putting their hives, and hives for miles around, in danger.
Mpls. Fed chief, activists talk about economic gap
The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis met with activists and northside residents Wednesday over racial and economic disparities.
At Farmfest, atypical uncertainty on presidential race
Farmers tend to vote Republican, but those at this year's Farmfest in southwest Minnesota were unusually undecided and reticent about the presidential candidates.
Northern Minnesota oil pipeline's future unclear after Enbridge deal
Enbridge Energy says it's buying a stake in the Bakken Pipeline System, leaving unclear the future of the controversial Sandpiper line the company has proposed across northern Minnesota.
County commissioners have approved building the new jail and office space on Le Center's southeast side, but did not address public safety concerns about moving inmates from the jail to the existing courthouse.