Ground Level Blog

May 30, 2012 3:27 AM

Metal thefts nag at rural law enforcement

Rural Minnesota communities are experiencing an uptick in metal thefts, especially of copper.

by Jennifer Vogel

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May 29, 2012 11:01 AM

Broadband availability inches up again

Three out of five households have access to the Internet at speeds the state thinks everybody should have by 2015.

by Dave Peters

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May 24, 2012 3:30 AM

Bemidji phone company puts fiber on hold

A northern Minnesota telecom cooperative is putting on hold plans to extend its fiber network, citing changes in the way the government plans to allocate Universal Service Fund money.

by Dave Peters

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May 23, 2012 10:57 AM

For volunteer fire departments, recruits can be hard to find

In order to draw firefighters to its “paid on call” team, White Bear Lake offers pensions, health savings accounts and cheap houses to rent.

by Jennifer Vogel

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May 17, 2012 9:31 AM

What’s the impact of a health care system like Essentia?

The citizens of Sandstone were unhappy with the way Essentia was running their hospital, so they took a stand and are forcing the health care system to do better.

by Jennifer Vogel

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May 16, 2012 8:30 AM

‘Brain Gain’ study: People in 30s, 40s still moving to rural Minnesota

The movement of people in their 30s and 40s into some rural areas that otherwise have declining populations has continued in recent years, a new University of Minnesota Extension study shows.

by Dave Peters

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May 16, 2012 6:43 AM

Behind the “brain gain:” Ups and downs of going rural

People who move to rural Minnesota from the city rave about the beauty and personal freedom, but the jobs picture proves more problematic.

by Jennifer Vogel

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May 16, 2012 5:10 AM

Why move to rural Minnesota?

We asked sources in our Public Insight Network why they had moved to (or back to) rural Minnesota and how the experience has been. The benefits and challenges seem to break down into three categories: community, lifestyle and economics. Here’s what some of our sources had to say.

by Molly Bloom