Category: Rural Headlines

EXCERPT: “Don’t overlook the big benefits of retiring to a small town. On top of the peace and quiet you’d expect, smaller places to live can also offer tight-knit communities, active senior groups and lower crime rates. Plus, many small towns come with relatively low living costs compared with big-city neighbors. To identify the best places to retire ...

EXCERPT: “The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will bolster its efforts to crack down on the flow of methamphetamine, opioids and other illicit drugs into the Northland with the addition of a Duluth office, officials announced Wednesday. Richard Salter Jr., special agent in charge of the DEA’s Omaha Division, said a new partnership with the Lake Superior ...

EXCERPT: “Greater Minnesota has given many refugees eager to make their mark in the American economy what the Twin Cities could not: ample jobs. That was especially true about a decade ago, coming on the heels of the Great Recession. Unemployment was high, and a lot of companies in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region could afford ...

EXCERPT: “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today announced it has authorized over $121 million in funding over the next decade to expand broadband to 36,579 unserved rural homes and businesses in 16 states, representing the fourth wave of support from last year’s successful Connect America Fund Phase II auction. Providers will begin receiving funding later this month. ...

EXCERPT: “When Bisharo Aded was hired onto the production line at Pilgrim’s Pride chicken processing plant in Cold Spring, Minn., in 2014, her co-workers warned her bluntly: Don’t lose your job, or you’ll risk becoming homeless. She had lived only three years in the United States, and the thought of ending up on the streets frightened ...

And in related news, this from The New York Times… EXCERPT: “When I talk to undergraduate students about their postgraduate plans … the answer inevitably reveals a common assumption: Big cities are where highly educated people must go to succeed economically and socially….But these preconceptions are not only incorrect, they are also unduly limiting the ...

EXCERPT: “Asked who she’d like to have read the state’s report about its strategies to adopt a more driverless future in Minnesota, Kristin White went straight to the point. ‘Anyone and everyone — anyone in Minnesota who uses transportation,’ she said. ‘We want to make this a collaborative process leading into the future.’ White is ...

EXCERPT: “For the past several years, manufacturers and other large employers throughout Greater Minnesota have been dealing with a shortage of workers – a scenario that has only found staying power in a strong economy with low unemployment. MinnPost chronicled the issue two years ago, noting that many companies were either operating short-staffed or holding ...

EXCERPT: “Cities, counties and townships that charge building fees on new homes banked $78 million more than what they needed for inspection costs over the last five years, a study released Tuesday, Aug. 20, showed. The fees are supposed to offset the cost of the inspection expenses at the municipal level. But affordable housing advocates ...