Year: 2018

EXCERPT: “Healthcare experts offered their advice for preserving access to emergency services in rural communities, and for improving the overall health of patients during a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. They suggested using global budgets, increasing the use of telemedicine and strengthening support for the healthcare workforce in these areas. But first, the Democratic ...

  Anna Wasescha, president and CEO of West Central Initiative in Fergus Falls, joins Jim again to talk about relocating to rural communities and how there are lots of places for people to work and contribute to the community regardless of their age. It’s all about helping people have the best life possible.

EXCERPT: “Lane-departure crashes on curves make up a significant portion of fatal crashes on rural Minnesota roads. To improve safety, solutions are needed to help drivers identify upcoming curves and inform them of a safe speed for navigating the curve. ‘Traditionally there are two ways to do this: with either static signage or with dynamic ...

EXCERPT: “Open enrollment has increased across Greater Minnesota over the last decade, according to research by the Center for Rural Policy and Development. The percentage of students choosing to open enroll in rural Minnesota districts increased from 9 percent in 2006-2007 to 15 percent in 2016-2017. For non-metro districts that are regional centers, open enrollment increased ...

EXCERPT: “According to the tenth annual State of Manufacturing®, a comprehensive survey project sponsored by Enterprise Minnesota and its partners, manufacturers have almost a surreally high level of optimism with expectations of record revenues, record profitability, record-level of investment in their companies, and increased wages. Sixty-four percent anticipate economic expansion – a record high in the survey’s ...

  We catch up Anna Wasescha, president and CEO of West Central Initiative in Fergus Falls, one of the McKnight Foundation Initiative Foundations. This week Anna talks with us about WCI’s “Live Wide Open” campaign to attract people to the region for jobs and for the lifestyle.

EXCERPT: “A new report benchmarking the health of seniors in America finds poorer health outcomes for rural senior citizens compared with their urban and suburban peers and increased national suicide rates. An analysis within the report also highlights the risk of social isolation and its association with poor health for seniors . . . Key findings across states ...

EXCERPT: “Given these benefits, and the state support, the solar explosion in Minnesota is not surprising. But, as in any new market, there have been growing pains. Many installers complain that they can’t get enough labor for the demand. They cite a State Board of Electricity rule that solar construction is considered electrical work and must be ...

EXCERPT: “Sarah Smarsh reports on socioeconomic class, politics and more for national and international outlets, including The Guardian, The New Yorker and The Cut. Her forthcoming book, Heartland: A Daughter of the Working Class Reconciles an American Divide, delves into her experiences with class and place growing up on a working farm in Kansas. Smarsh spent the spring of 2018 at Harvard as a ...