Ask business owners in Minnesota what their biggest challenge is today and most will tell you: “finding help.” Economic growth coupled with an aging workforce heading toward retirement and fewer young people to replace them is putting significant pressure on Greater Minnesota’s employers, making hiring significantly more challenging. Over the next several months, the Center for ...

Across Minnesota, the “opioid crisis” is so much more than just opioids June 2018 By Marnie Werner, VP Research & Operations For the executive summary, click here. For a printable version, click here. If there were any doubt that opioids are the major health emergency of our time, two facts can put that doubt to ...

EXCERPT: “While cities and towns in Koochiching County might have fast and reliable internet service, large parts of the northern Minnesota region currently have no good options. Paul Nevanen, director of the county’s Economic Development Authority, says that translates to headaches for the area’s economy. Just miles from International Falls, where broadband access has attracted a significant data ...

EXCERPT: “Marijuana is slowly creeping onto the scene of Minnesota’s medical industry. Whether people are for it or against it, cannabis has been approved to treat 13 qualifying conditions, from cancer to glaucoma to Alzheimer’s, which was the latest to join the list. While the substance is legal medically, it’s still extremely difficult for people ...

EXCERPT: “Advocates want 35 million dollars a year ongoing funding from the state to expand broadband Internet access in rural Minnesota, and bills have been introduced in both the Minnesota House and Senate.  Judy Erickson with the Rural Broadband Coalition says it needs to be in the base budget instead of one-time money like in ...

EXCERPT: “The Goodwill store in Ely is slated to close permanently on Saturday, Jan. 19. The news of the closure of the store and the related donation center, located at 40 N 2nd Ave. East came as a blow to Ely area residents who used the store to access affordable clothing and household items. ‘I ...