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Minnesota infant mortality rate edges downward, bucking national trend
Minnesota’s infant mortality rate, a measure of how many children die within a year of being born, ticked down in 2022, according to the latest data from the CDC. That stands in contrast with the national trend; infant deaths rose significantly last year for the first time in two decades. Minnesota’s rate was 4.5 infant […]
Biden visit underscores big role of government money in farm policy
President Joe Biden traveled to a hog and crop farm in Northfield yesterday to promote the administration’s spending on rural communities. The visit underscored the irony that while farmers are often praised in platitudes for their independence and self-reliance, agriculture is one of the American industries most heavily reliant on government management and supports. Government […]
Rutting deer are wreaking havoc on Minnesota roadways, study finds
An unseen menace is stalking Minnesota’s roadways. It tends to strike just before dawn or just after sunset, when visibility is low. It leaps from the shadows with little regard for its own safety, killing several Minnesota victims every year, wounding hundreds more, and causing untold millions in property damage. We’re talking about deer, of […]
The Topline: Everything in the universe, including Minnesota
Welcome to The Topline, a weekly roundup of the big numbers driving the Minnesota news cycle, as well as the smaller ones that you might have missed. The 3rd District congressman mounting a quixotic primary challenge against President Joe Biden recently told The Atlantic his net worth is in the ballpark of $50 million. Financial […]
Mass shootings are on the rise in Minnesota
Certain mass shootings make national headlines, like the horrific recent incident in Lewiston, Maine, in which a man killed at least 18 people with an AR-15 and injured 13 more. Others gain only regional notoriety, like the October 12 incident in which a Princeton, Minnesota, man shot and wounded five police officers serving a warrant […]
Minnesota abortions are up nearly 40% since Dobbs
Abortions in Minnesota have increased by roughly 40% since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision last June, part of a nationwide increase since the end of Roe. The latest data from the Society of Family Planning, a trade group for medical professionals in obstetrics and related fields, shows that there […]
Some MPD officers have made six figures in overtime already this year
Eight months into 2023, MPD had already paid $14.4 million in overtime — already exceeding the $10 million the city budgeted for overtime in 2023 and eclipsing the amount of overtime spent each of the past four years.
The Topline: Minnesota’s earthquake capital
Welcome to The Topline, a weekly roundup of the big numbers driving the Minnesota news cycle, as well as the smaller ones that you might have missed. The good news: I got a lot of great ideas for data investigations from readers earlier last week. The bad news: I haven’t had a chance yet to […]
Household wealth is increasing, but renters are largely locked out
The latest federal Survey of Consumer Finances – a triennial government report on the financial health of U.S. households – paints a mostly rosy picture of the U.S. economy. The typical household’s net worth, or wealth – the value of their financial assets minus their debts – has swelled by 37% since 2019, to $192,000. […]
How to stop toddler-involved shootings
On Sunday morning, a 4-year-old in Martin County grabbed a loaded gun in the backseat of the car he was in and inadvertently shot the two-year-old sitting next to him, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. It’s at least the fifth time this year that a Minnesota child has accidentally shot someone, according to […]
Minnesota’s overdose crisis, in charts
New data recently released by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension underscores how the COVID-19 pandemic and the social disruption it wrought led to an immediate uptick in fatal overdoses in Minnesota. Monthly fatal overdose numbers were remarkably consistent throughout 2019 and into the first two months of 2020, the data show. But in March […]
The Topline: New data on the overdose crisis
Welcome to The Topline, a weekly roundup of the big numbers driving the Minnesota news cycle, as well as the smaller ones that you might have missed. The state of Minnesota took in $400 million more than expected during the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, according to a recent memo from Minnesota Management and […]