Higher education and federal issues, part 2

CRPD board member and president of Minnesota State Mankato Richard Davenport joins us again this week to talk some more about higher education, specifically how higher ed priorities intersect are affected by federal issues.

RuralMN Radio

Is it opioids or meth? The addiction epidemic, part 1

We have a conversation this week with Thad Shunkwiler, assistant professor of Alcohol and Drug Studies at MN State University, Mankato, about addiction problems around the state besides opioids and a few of the issues that need to be addressed to tackle the problem.

Grow Your Own with Diana Anderson of the Southwest Initiative Foundation

Diana Anderson, president of the Southwest Initiative Foundation in Hutchinson, joins us this week to talk about a new initiative on their part to build opportunities for youth in the region, particularly for the 11,000 children who live in poverty there.

Job vacancies and the workforce shortage, pt 2

This week CRPD’s research associate Kelly Asche joins us again to talk about the workforce shortage and how it can turn out to be a positive story. Employers are starting to look at what were previously considered hard-to-employ groups, like people with criminal backgrounds and people with disabilities. There is also the work going on to promote rural regions and attract people to the rural lifestyle. The Millennial generation is now as big as the Baby Boomer generation, and they’re making decisions on where to live, Asche says.

Job vacancies and the workforce shortage, pt 1

An upcoming report by the Center for Rural Policy & Development shows that there is no shortage of jobs available in Greater Minnesota these days. CRPD Research Associate Kelly Asche joins Jim this week to talk about job vacancies, wages and more in part 1.

Interview with Commissioner Mark Phillips of the Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation

This week on RuralMn Radio, Mark Phillips, Commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation, joins us to talk about the region’s stabilizing economy, how resource extraction businesses feed into vendor businesses, and strategies being implemented to recruit and retain people.