Kathy Draeger, the statewide Director of the University of Minnesota Extension –  Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, wants rural communities to see their local grocery stores as the assets they are. Small town grocery stores have been facing an uphill battle against increasing competition from the big national chains. In this interview, Kathy and Julie will ...

EXCERPT: “With COVID-19 spreading at an uncontrolled rate throughout the region and more school districts shifting their learning models, public health staff from 11 county and tribal public health departments have partnered to present a united message about the difficult decisions that need to be made. Public health staff from Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, ...

  It’s the beginning of December, in one month 2020 will finally be over, and the 2021 legislature will begin looking at a Minnesota beyond COVID. Yes, there are still many current COVID issues that will need to be addressed: supporting people out of work and the small businesses that employed them, shoring up our ...

EXCERPT: “Coronavirus cases and deaths have spiked widely across Greater Minnesota in October and November, but one area has been hit particularly hard. Since the start of October, disease transmission has sharply escalated in central Minnesota — specifically Stearns, Benton, Sherburne and Mille Lacs counties — making their outbreaks among the worst in the state ...

  By Whitney Oachs, Research Intern Although Minnesota’s state college and university system has reported a decline in enrollment overall over the last 10 years, one small community college in northeastern Minnesota has succeeded against the odds. Between 2010 and 2018, Pine Technical and Community College (PTCC) in Pine County recorded a 20% increase in ...

EXCERPT: “Large urban hospitals across the U.S. are rushing to buy expensive ultra-cold freezers to store what’s likely to be the first approved Covid-19 vaccine. But most rural hospitals can’t afford these high-end units, meaning health workers and residents in those communities may have difficulty getting the shots. The vaccine, developed by Pfizer and the German ...

EXCERPT: “Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced additional funds for a grant on Tuesday to help install up to 22 charging stations for electric vehicles across the state. The dual-port electric vehicle (EV) level 2 charging stations would go in public places and workplaces; locations where drivers park their car for at least 30 minutes. The $170,000 ...

So just what is the Association of Minnesota Counties? Our President and CEO, Julie Tesch, talks with AMC’s Executive Director, Julie Ring, about the association that supports and advocates for Minnesota’s 87 counties. This year of Covid has been especially challenging for county governments. Julie discusses the difficult issues counties have faced and are still ...

EXCERPT: “As traffic deaths increase statewide, the Minnesota State Patrol is hiring more troopers to help keep roads safe. This comes at a time when many Minnesotans are still unemployed because of the pandemic, and no matter your background, the agency is looking for applicants. As of last week, preliminary numbers show more than 300 ...

EXCERPT: “According to data from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office, 73.38% of voters in Morrison County voted for President Donald Trump in 2016. In fact, Morrison County voters gave the president his widest margin of victory in the state at 52.73%. But what could be considered startling by some: is that this county hasn’t ...