Year: 2021

November 2021 Kelly Asche, Research Associate (CRPD) Neil Linscheid, Educator – Community Economics (U of MN Extension) Ryan Pesch, Educator – Community Economics (U of MN Extension) For a printable version of this report, click here. Online sales have permeated everyday life and their impacts stretch beyond convenience of shopping. Local leaders see the evidence ...

By Whitney Oachs, Research Associate This week the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (PCA) announced its 2022 draft list of new proposed impaired waters. Among the 305 new waterways added to that list is the St. Croix River, which is included due to having concerning levels of PFOS, a “forever chemical” used in manufacturing Scotchgard, firefighting ...

EXCERPT: “Minnesota has a strong tradition of community newspapers, says Lisa Hills, executive director of the Minnesota Newspaper Association. Unlike many areas of the U.S. that are now considered news deserts, most of Minnesota’s rural residents can still pick up a copy of a local paper like the Mesabi Tribune or Sleepy Eye Herald-Dispatch. The 270 members of the ...

EXCERPT: “The new $1 trillion dollar infrastructure package — passed by Congress Friday night — invests billions in spending. For Minnesota, there will be more than $5-billion for road, bridge, and public transit improvements. There will also be tens of millions for broadband, which is expected to have a major impact on the state’s rural ...

EXCERPT: “Greater Minnesota communities and businesses are stymied by a shortage of housing around the state, local leaders told a panel of state legislators on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Limited housing options in more rural parts of the state restricted businesses there from growing since workers can’t find homes nearby. And because the communities have lower ...

By Julie Tesch CRPD’s board members come from all over the state, representing a variety of interests. Thirteen are appointed by the Governor and two are appointed by Minnesota House and Senate leadership; all members represent different aspects of rural Minnesota. Remaining members consist of five at-large positions chosen by board members themselves.   The ...

EXCERPT: “‘Rural By Choice’ is a new seven-part documentary series that reveals how rural communities in Western Minnesota have experienced surprising population growth — from surprising demographics — in recent years. The story of this rural America rebound is told through the eyes of WCCO radio host Cory Hepola (a native of Otter Tail County), who returns to his ...

EXCERPT: “Successful businesses are eminently salable at a multiple of revenue or profits; restaurants are a notable exception. Most go up for sale when an owner or founding chef departs. Unproven new ownership may lack the ability to maintain the customer experience, which is closely tied to a chef/owner’s vision, and new owners are often ...

EXCERPT: “I have driven 381 miles for a beer. Revelation Ale Works is a small, seven-barrel taproom in Minnesota’s northwesternmost corner, in a blip of corn silos and grain elevators called Hallock (pop. 981). The landscape is practically featureless, a flowchart of sugar beets and soybeans broken by farmhouses and the odd cottonwood. The soil is ...