Ground Level Blog

How good is Internet access around your town’s school?
The U.S. Department of Education has taken the new National Broadband Map data and mashed it up against data about the nation’s schools, colleges and universities.
Mankato recruits volunteer cops
In the face of cuts to local government aid and other funding, the city of Mankato is looking for volunteer officers.
Ground Level has launched a topic page, “Picking up the Broadband Pace,” that explores issues surrounding high-speed internet, such as who should build it and how might it affect rural communities.
With more retirees and fewer young workers, the state may continually be handed social services bills it can’t afford to pay.
Two towns, Funkley and Tenney, tied in this week’s census release as the smallest cities in Minnesota. But one is considering dissolving, which would make Funkley, again, the state’s smallest city.
Almost half of Minnesota counties lost population this decade (plus trivia question)
The list of Minnesota counties losing population went up, according to the 2010 census release. What had been a phenomenon of western and southern border areas in the 1990s expanded to toward the Twin Cities area.
10-year map masks population shift
The 2010 census shows Minnesota’s population growth in all the usual places — the suburban and ex-urban collar around the Twin Cities metro area. But that’s for the past 10 years. If you look more closely at just the past three or four years, the pattern has shifted.
Minnesotans’ top concerns have shifted from the economy to education and government budget problems, according to new research by Wilder Research.
A change in philosophy in Anoka County’s child protection operations has reduced the number of kids needing placement outside the home and saved money as a result.