Category: Rural Headlines

EXCERPT: “As part of an initiative to make high-speed internet more available in rural Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz announced more than $23 million in grant money Tuesday. In total, 41 counties and reservations will benefit from telecoms projects funded by the grant money, which is being matched by local funding. The funds are part of the Department ...

EXCERPT: “Solar panels may harness the sun’s energy in the same way that plants do, but while some rural residents view them as another revenue-enhancing crop, others see them more as weed-like nuisances that threaten their pastoral way of life. Solar projects certainly are growing rapidly throughout the United States, with total installed capacity just shy ...

EXCERPT: “Minnesota is awarding more than $23 million in grants to 30 projects throughout the state to help bring high-quality broadband access to underserved and unserved parts of the state, Gov. Tim Walz announced Tuesday. ‘Fast, reliable broadband access is a critical economic development tool that improves quality of life and makes businesses in Greater ...

EXCERPT: “Hundreds of gun owners and a couple of dozen gun control advocates packed the Crown Ballroom on Tuesday, Jan. 21, for a hearing on a slate of contentious firearm and public safety proposals. It was the first time members of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee took up the bills. Attendees offered a ...

EXCERPT: “More than 600 kits will be shared by state troopers across Minnesota to help people experiencing homelessness. The new initiative aims to provide essentials to people who need them. The Department of Public Safety collected donations across the state and assembled them into Care on the Go kits. ‘A lot of times people will ...

EXCERPT: “Like in other places, the emergency department at the Rainy Lake Medical Center is where people come if they think they’re having a heart attack or have broken their arm or find themselves in a mental health crisis. But unlike some hospitals, there’s no special emergency department for people in crisis and no inpatient beds ...

EXCERPT: “If Blue Earth County wants to have rural broadband internet, it’s going to have to pay a potentially unworkable amount of money . . . That’s what consultants recently found in a broadband feasibility study, which they presented to the Blue Earth County Board Tuesday…According to the study, it could cost more than $35 ...

EXCERPT: “This week, Beltrami County commissioners made news for being the first in Minnesota to bar refugees from settling in their county upon arrival to the U.S. The vote was prompted by an executive order from President Donald Trump that leaves it up to local governments to decide whether or not to allow new refugees to be settled ...

EXCERPT: “Gov. Tim Walz is proposing $293 million in borrowing to help improve drinking water and wastewater facilities throughout Minnesota. The DFL governor announced the plan Friday at the State Capitol. It was the second in a planned four-part rollout of a bonding bill that is expected to reach $2 billion. Republicans have said the ...