Year: 2020

Here’s to blue skies ahead in 2021.   By Marnie Werner, VP of Research & Operations Okay, it’s been a crazy year, right? Who would have imagined on January 1 of 2020 all the things we’ve been through by Dec. 31? For many of us, it was a sad, frustrating year. All our personal plans ...

EXCERPT: “A new study has found that while the prevalence of neurologic conditions like dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis (MS) is consistent across the U.S., the distribution of neurologists is not, and people in more rural areas may be less likely to receive specialty care for certain neurologic conditions. The study, funded by ...

EXCERPT: “Two of 13 projects that have received funding to improve Minnesota’s freight transportation network are in McLeod County. The first project, which is to construct a roundabout at the intersection of U.S. Highway 212 and Morningside Drive in Glencoe, is slated for 2024. The second project, which is to construct a roundabout at the ...

EXCERPT: “Legislators from the Moorhead area discussed their plans to assist border cities and their businesses in advance of the legislative session which begins Monday, Jan. 4. Sen. Kent Eken, D-Twin Valley, Rep. Paul Marquart, D-Dilworth, and Rep.-elect Heather Keeler, D-Moorhead, joined Department of Transportation Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher in the roundtable discussion, which was ...

On our blog two weeks ago, we talked about looking forward, not only because it’s the end of the year and that’s what people do—they review the past year and look ahead to the year to come—but because the end of the pandemic is in sight. We can start to look to the great beyond. ...

EXCERPT: “The Federal Communications Commission announced on Monday that more than $408 million of a $9.2 billion national broadband grant program would be spent over 10 years on developing high-speed internet in rural Minnesota. That $408 million is the fourth largest sum for any one state, putting Minnesota behind only California, Mississippi and Arkansas. While local broadband ...

EXCERPT: “Low-income families and people with disabilities will have greater access to dental care in West Central Minnesota thanks to an innovative partnership between Apple Tree Dental and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) . . . After more than three years in development, the $5.1 million Center for Dental Health in Fergus Falls opened ...

EXCERPT: “Grocery stores are anchors in rural Minnesota, contributing to food access, community life and overall health. But in dozens of communities across the state, residents could face losing their local grocery in the next five years if store owners’ concerns are realized. Those concerns are among the findings of a new study by University ...

EXCERPT: “With COVID-19 spreading at an uncontrolled rate throughout the region and more school districts shifting their learning models, public health staff from 11 county and tribal public health departments have partnered to present a united message about the difficult decisions that need to be made. Public health staff from Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, ...