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Demonstrators shut down Caribou drive-thru demanding worker protections
About three dozen honking cars blocked the drive-thru of a Caribou Coffee in Roseville Monday, calling on the chain to provide more personal protective equipment, sick time and hazard pay for workers. As Gov. Tim Walz’s order closing dine-in restaurants, bars and coffee shops stretches into its seventh week, Caribou workers say they’ve been required […]
6,000 unemployment checks are in the mail for gig workers, self-employed
More than 6,000 checks went out this week to Minnesota workers who until now were ineligible for unemployment: beauticians, Uber drivers, restaurant owners and other independent contractors and self-employed workers. “This was something brand new that we had to stand up in a matter of weeks,” said Blake Chaffee, deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department […]
Minneapolis and St. Paul receive 10,000 rental assistance applications and counting
More than 4,500 Minneapolis households have applied for emergency housing assistance since the city began accepting applications Wednesday morning, three times more households than will receive grants. In St. Paul, more than 5,200 people applied for housing assistance during the 10-day application period, which ended April 19. Around 1,000 eligible families will be selected to […]
Northern Minnesota counties weigh joining “reopen” movement, defying public health experts
Commissioners in seven northern Minnesota counties considered similar resolutions Tuesday calling on Gov. Tim Walz to end the stay-at-home order and allow restaurants, bars and other places of public accommodation to reopen. Three county boards voted to approve, one rejected, and four discussed it but took no action. Commissioners for another eight counties, which did […]
Hennepin County will spend millions more on hotels for homeless, housing assistance
Hennepin County commissioners on Tuesday approved spending another $4 million on COVID-19 response efforts, which includes moving 200 people out of the county’s two largest homeless shelters and into hotel rooms to reduce the risk of an outbreak. The additional funding is on top of the more than $2 million the county has spent on […]
Most vulnerable leave homeless shelters just as COVID-19 arrives
Three weeks ago, Barbara Williams moved out of a shelter in Minneapolis — where 15 women sleep on bunk beds in a large, open room — and into a hotel suite with its own bathroom, queen-sized bed and TV. Even though it’s an upgrade, Williams was worried about being socially isolated. “I didn’t want to […]
Minn. Senator joins calls for suspending rents and mortgages during pandemic
State Sen. Jeff Hayden, DFL-Minneapolis, joined a growing chorus of progressive local leaders calling for the state to suspend rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the health emergency caused by COVID-19. “The executive order where people can’t be evicted at some point is going to end,” Hayden said. “And if people have not […]
Senate Republicans announce bipartisan housing assistance bill, blindsiding Democrats
Republican and DFL legislators appeared to have an agreement on a bill providing millions in rental and mortgage assistance to Minnesotans affected by COVID-19, but the Democrats seemed not to know about it. Sen. Torrey Westrom, R-Elbow Lake, and Sen. Bill Weber, R-Luverne, announced Thursday a bipartisan deal that would provide $30 million in funding […]
Land O’Lakes quietly gets rid of iconic Indian maiden mascot
For nearly a century, the Land O’Lakes Indian maiden has kneeled by the side of a blue lake holding out an offering of a 4-stick box of butter. No more. The Minnesota-based farmer cooperative has redesigned its packaging to focus on celebrating farmers ahead of its 100th anniversary next year. “We need packaging that reflects […]
Upper Mississippi River named most endangered river of 2020
The portion of the Mississippi River running through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa has been named the most endangered river in the country by the environmental advocacy group American Rivers. “Climate change is driving more intense rainstorms, leading to more frequent and prolonged flooding in the Upper Midwest,” the group said in announcing the ranking. […]
First two homeless Minnesotans test positive for COVID-19
Two people experiencing homelessness tested positive for COVID-19, the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed Friday. Both individuals live in Hennepin County but don’t appear to be connected. One person is in their 50s and the other is a young adult over 18 years old. Neither are in critical condition and both are in isolation. Around […]
Minneapolis has closed more miles of road to cars than any city in America
Minneapolis’ park system, rated No. 1 six years in a row, has a new title: most miles of road closed to cars during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 27, when Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order first took effect, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has closed more than 18 miles of road around lakes and […]