Work & Money
COVID-19 relief spurs personal income growth for Minnesotans
Minnesotans’ personal incomes were up 3.9% in the first half of 2021 compared to before the pandemic, in line with national trends, according to an analysis by Pew Charitable Trusts. Personal income grew in every state between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2021 because of pandemic-related government assistance and wage […]
States, cities face deadline for proving how quickly they’ve helped renters in crisis
WASHINGTON — States, cities and counties that excelled at distributing emergency federal aid to renters struggling during the pandemic may soon be rewarded—with yet more cash. Their new funding would be drawn from sluggish states and localities that didn’t move as swiftly to help people facing eviction and homelessness, who were targeted for billions in assistance […]
What will Minneapolis’ rent control policy look like?
Minneapolis voters gave city leaders the green light to move forward with enacting rent control, with 53% of voters approving a ballot measure on Tuesday. But what kind of policy gets passed — if any at all — is up to a new, slightly more moderate city council and reelected mayor, who are unlikely to […]
We’re treating essential workers like they’re expendable, again — Column
They slaughtered animals for us — practically shoulder to shoulder during a pandemic — so we could be carnivores. They cared for the elderly and then watched one after another of their patients succumb to the virus. They stocked the shelves of grocery stores and brought the food to our cars. They kept Amazon warehouses […]
30 homeless women evacuated from encampment to hotels
The Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center was awarded a $400,000 contract to house 30 homeless, single, Native women who were moved out of two encampments near Cedar and Franklin avenues in early October.
Federal vaccine rule for private businesses to kick in on Jan. 4
WASHINGTON — Many private employers beginning in January will have to ensure their workers either are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or that they will undergo weekly testing and wear a face covering, under a new federal rule announced Thursday by the White House. The policy from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is set to […]
Report: COVID cases, deaths at packing plants were triple previous counts
The numbers of meatpacking workers infected and killed by the coronavirus are much higher than previously known, a congressional review has found. More than 59,000 workers of the country’s five largest meatpackers were infected, and about 270 died, according to a report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis that was made public […]
St. Paul voters could pass one of the country’s most stringent rent control policies
Emily Lynch’s rent is going up 34% next year. For the past four years, she’s rented a small, beige house just north of the Capitol in St. Paul for $1,176 per month plus utilities. “It’s a dump,” as she puts it. The roof leaks. The basement has mold. The windows are old and barely keep […]
Evictions continue upward trend as moratorium nears end
Weekly eviction filings in Minnesota are up about fivefold since June, when the state began rolling back a moratorium on evictions put in place by Gov. Tim Walz in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the high mark — 206 filings in the last week of September— is still far lower than the 344 evictions […]
Minnesota solar installer bankruptcies leave unfinished projects, calls for better oversight
Minnesota solar industry leaders are working with state officials to tighten oversight of residential solar contractors after the bankruptcy of a Utah-based company left dozens of homeowners with unfinished projects. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry reached an agreement last week with the trustee of Empire Solar Group LLC, a national solar installer that […]
Minneapolis aims to provide lawyers to all low-income renters in eviction cases
The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a so-called “right to counsel” ordinance on Friday that aims to provide all low-income renters with free legal services in eviction cases. While the U.S. Constitution grants everyone the right to an attorney in criminal cases, evictions and other housing disputes are civil matters and the vast majority of […]
Minnesota Housing says it’s speeding up rental assistance payments as thousands wait for help
Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho said on Thursday that they’ve been able to speed up rental assistance payments and met a key congressional benchmark for distributing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid. She also admitted that they’re not yet where they should be. “I want to acknowledge how incredibly stressful this whole period […]