Category: Rural Headlines

EXCERPT: “The 2022 Minnesota Legislative session is underway, and Bradley Peterson, Executive Director of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, tells KNSI that his organization is ready to remind lawmakers that smaller communities in greater Minnesota have unmet needs as well. Peterson says the coalition’s biggest goal is an increase in Local Government Aid. ‘Our highest priority ...

EXCERPT: “A few years ago, Tiffany Jennen was looking for a large commercial space to lease in order to open a new gymnastics facility in Fergus Falls. She found one in a building that had previously been a Shopko home goods store. Shopko filed for bankruptcy in 2019. Its parent company cited piling up debt and a decline ...

EXCERPT: “Federal COVID-19 relief dollars for child care providers will continue to flow through the states this year, cheered by both Republican and Democratic governors who say parents need affordable child care to get back to work. But child care providers and advocates warn that the federal money, which expires in 2024, won’t solve the ...

EXCERPT: “Minnesota exports of agricultural, mining and manufactured products continued to grow, increasing by 19% to $5.7 billion in the third quarter of 2021, according to a report released today by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). State exports increased $916 million over the third quarter of 2020, continuing their strong recovery ...

EXCERPT: “The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced Tuesday that eight construction projects in different areas of the state will receive a total of $18 million to improve transportation infrastructure that supports economic growth. According to MnDOT, the funding comes from the state’s competitive Transportation Economic Development (TED) program. The TED program targets transportation infrastructure projects that ...

EXCERPT: “The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) awarded grants totaling $2,425,000 to 14 organizations representing communities throughout Minnesota to increase the supply of quality child care providers in order to support regional economic development. These grants authorize $5 million over the next two fiscal years for grants to local communities to increase ...

EXCERPT: “The last two years have been pivotal ones for the future of high-speed internet access in Minnesota. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated the lack of broadband in many parts of the state as people shifted to remote work and school. Congress poured unprecedented amounts of money into subsidizing construction of new infrastructure like fiber-optic ...

EXCERPT: “The 2022 Minnesota legislative session is coming up fast and organizations representing communities across the state are zeroing in on a bonding bill. Bradley Peterson, executive director of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, said bonding legislation is a big-ticket item for the organization heading into the session. Peterson said the bonding bill is ...

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 ...