Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

Ground Level Blog

DNR’s Landwehr to locals on groundwater: ‘You figure it out.’

DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr launched his agency’s new approach to groundwater management in part of the Twin Cities Wednesday, stressing that local officials have an opportunity to make better decisions than the state can by itself.
by Dave Peters

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

“Beneath the Surface:” Help us look at Minnesota’s pending groundwater challenge

MPR News’ Ground Level project is launching an examination of the growing concern that Minnesota’s groundwater — source of water to three-quarters of the state’s residents — is on a path that can’t be sustained.
by Dave Peters

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Senator trolling for broadband ideas, says state hasn’t done enough

Senator trolling for broadband ideas, says state hasn’t done enough

State Sen. Matt Schmit, DFL-Red Wing, is conducting a nine-city tour through rural Minnesota to collect ideas about whether the state should do more to extend high-speed Internet access.
by Dave Peters

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Never-say-die broadband backers push a co-op in Sibley County

Never-say-die broadband backers push a co-op in Sibley County

A community broadband project in southern Minnesota has met with one obstacle after another. Now it’s got another scheme for moving ahead.
by Jennifer Vogel

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Despite bump in state aid, cities raise levies to dig out from past cuts

Despite bump in state aid, cities raise levies to dig out from past cuts

The Minnesota program that feeds state aid to cities will see a big boost in 2014, but local levies are still increasing as cities contend with rising costs and take on delayed road improvements and other projects.
by Jennifer Vogel

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Mobile’s assist in broadband numbers is mostly metro so far

Those Minnesotans long deprived of high-speed Internet access at home but who now can get it via mobile? They’re not up in the woods or out on the farm.
by Dave Peters

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Data Opener winners tackle rural Minnesota

Data Opener winners tackle rural Minnesota

Minnesota Public Radio News partnered with the Minnesota State Demographic Center to hold the second Minnesota Data Opener, which this year focused on challenges facing rural areas. Winners were announced today during an online chat.
by Jennifer Vogel

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Who knows best where to deploy broadband access? Task force divided

Minnesota’s task force on extending broadband availability is divided over whether to recommend restoring a sales tax exemption for telecommunications companies.
by Dave Peters

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Nursing home closure rocks small town of Hoffman

Nursing home closure rocks small town of Hoffman

People in the small western Minnesota city of Hoffman are trying to figure out how to weather the closing of a nursing home, the biggest employer in town.
by Jennifer Vogel

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

In Cook County, clogging the highway to get high-speed Internet

On Wednesday, I noted that nearly 75 percent of Minnesota households now have Internet access at speeds that reach the state’s goals, yet three Minnesota counties still have no access at those speeds. One of those is Cook County, the northeastern Minnesota recipient of federal stimulus dollars to make fiber available to all residents. So I called Joe Read more →
by Dave Peters

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!