Ground Level Blog

A village in Spain, where residents volunteer to take on local government tasks, could be an example for strapped Minnesota cities.
How will central Minnesota balance environmental protection with economic development? Join a Ground Level conversation.
Red Wing wakeboarder hopes incubator will pull him to success
A new virtual incubator in Red Wing is helping Kyle Mehrkens perfect his invention, a winch that pulls waterskiers and wakeboarders without a boat or anybody else around.
Public Insight Network members tell Ground Level what does — or doesn’t — give their communities an aura of entrepreneurship.
The Kauffman Foundation has produced two reports examining obstacles and potential state and local incentives for entrepreneurship.
Microloan lets Iron Range couple move back from Twin Cities
In a climate where it’s tough to get a small business loan from a bank, microloan programs have stepped in to provide start-up capital.
Minnesota’s property owners will pay 4.7 percent more in property taxes in 2012, according to the state Department of Revenue’s final tax levy figures. That’s a total of $374 million.
Minneapolis Fed finds little evidence self-employment has grown
The January issue of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’ quarterly newspaper, the fedgazette, explores the data of self-employment and finds little evidence that it is growing.