Year: 2019

Each year, the Center for Rural Policy and Development provides a brief update on various economic and demographic data in rural Minnesota. As policy discussions concerning rural Minnesota unfold, it is important to understand the past, present, and potential futures of rural regions. This report provides historical data points, illustrating how rural conditions have changed ...

EXCERPT: “In preparation for last February’s Super Bowl, held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Twin Cities boosters pushed a ‘Bold North’ theme that advertised the state’s hearty embrace of winter. In recent years, the Dayton brothers, Andrew and Eric, sons of the former governor, have stressed the “North” in their products, such as the clothing ...

EXCERPT: “A month before being sworn into office, Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan embarked on their ‘One Minnesota Listening Tour’ for which they traveled 2,100 miles across the state. In five days, the duo made three stops in the state’s Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation service area, including Hibbing, Silver Bay and Grand ...

EXCERPT: “Attorney General Keith Ellison told lawmakers last week that he will seek money this year to expand his office’s criminal division. In his first testimony before any legislative committee on Jan. 17, Ellison told the Senate State Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee that his biennial budget request will seek to bulk up that unit . ...

EXCERPT: ” It was getting crowded at the 19 & 75 Cafe. In addition to residents from the Ivanhoe area, people were arriving from Lyon and even Redwood County to meet with new Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The turnout was a positive sign, Walz said. As he addressed the people gathered at the cafe, Walz emphasized the need ...

EXCERPT: “Six Greater Minnesota regional development groups are set to receive more than $1 million in state grants aimed at growing access to child care. The Minnesota Department of Human Services on Thursday, Jan. 17, announced that it would give state and private grant dollars totaling $1.5 million to local organizations in Little Falls, Duluth, ...

EXCERPT: “A comprehensive new report on the perils of speeding suggests that the ever-growing cultural divide between rural and urban America may include shifting views on the wisdom of putting the pedal to the metal. Many Western and Southern states have been raising the speed limit in recent years, despite data showing that noninterstate rural ...

  Anna Boroff is the executive director of the Minnesota Cable Communications Association and a CRPD board member. This week she joins Jim to talk about broadband. MCCA represents cable providers across Minnesota who represent about one million customers throughout the state. Demand for services and for increased speeds is continuing to grow. Anna talks ...

EXCERPT: “While cities and towns in Koochiching County might have fast and reliable internet service, large parts of the northern Minnesota region currently have no good options. Paul Nevanen, director of the county’s Economic Development Authority, says that translates to headaches for the area’s economy. Just miles from International Falls, where broadband access has attracted a significant data ...