Work & Money
Milan, Minnesota swelled with immigrants. But will the census count them?
This story was contributed by Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. MILAN, Minn. — The October chill hit Gabriel Elias like a truck when he reached the airport parking lot in Minneapolis. He recalls surveying the cold, unfamiliar landscape. The trees looked near death. As his uncle drove nearly three hours across the […]
Nonprofit groups tell Congress to get back to work
A group of Minnesota nonprofits called on federal elected officials Monday to “get back to work” and pass another coronavirus relief package. More than 150 nonprofit groups sent a letter to Minnesota’s congressional delegation Aug. 20 saying the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act was vital, but insufficient as the “the situation is worsening.” […]
St. Louis Park repeals “crime-free/drug-free” law which gave police power to evict
The St. Louis Park City Council voted unanimously Monday to repeal a 2008 ordinance that allowed police to force landlords to evict renters for suspected criminal activity — even if they were never charged with a crime. “I think that we have landed in the right spot in terms of scaling back the police involvement […]
6 questions for former St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, CEO of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
We talked to Chris Coleman, president and CEO of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and former St. Paul mayor, about the housing landscape and what Habitat has been up to. His answers were edited for space and clarity. Q: What’s the housing situation look like right now? Chris Coleman: The housing shortage is dramatic in the […]
Study: Low-income voters could swing the election toward Democrats
Democrats could win big dividends if they focused on getting low-income voters to the polls, according to a new analysis released Tuesday by the Poor People’s Campaign. The report, authored by Columbia University professor Rob Hartley, analyzes Census Bureau data from 2004-2016 and finds that if low-income voters had voted at similar rates to high-income […]
Trump’s $400 a week jobless aid could be just $300. It depends on where you live.
Governors, lawmakers and state unemployment agencies on Monday wrestled with confusion created by President Donald Trump’s executive action extending unemployment benefits, and it appeared some states could settle for $300 a week in benefits instead of the $400 that the president touted. State leaders from both political parties remained unsure how much they’d have to […]
Analysis: Blue collar workers in service and other industries bearing the economic brunt of the pandemic
As Congress considers another COVID-19 relief package, let’s hope lawmakers realize whose fortunes are most at risk from the pandemic and the economic pain it’s caused. Broadly speaking, it’s people on the bottom half of the income ladder. The pandemic has divided the American economy into two groups, and for the most part their fortunes […]
U.S. House passes package to rescue child care industry
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House stepped in Wednesday to try to rescue the nation’s child care system from collapse under the weight of the pandemic. The chamber approved a pair of bills that backers say are needed to fully reopen the economy and shore up the child care industry in the longer term. Rep. Pete […]
Charges say Chauvin pretended to live in Florida. How common is that?
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis Police officer accused of second-degree murder in the killing of George Floyd, now faces different allegations in Washington County: He and wife Kellie Chauvin didn’t file their taxes, thereby underreporting more than $460,000 of income, according to the charges. Authorities allege the hustle was the type that may be familiar […]
Senate Republicans pursue benefits pay cut for jobless; adjourn without action
WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders slammed Republicans Friday for leaving in the lurch millions of jobless Americans who are relying on enhanced unemployment benefits to stay financially afloat amid ongoing public health and economic crises. Republicans in Congress and the White House were engaged in heated negotiations during the past several days over the details of […]
Congress: Extend unemployment benefits, or you might lose your job
I’m unemployed. I’ve been a journalist for three decades now, starting in the summer of 1989, when I did a summer internship at the Bismarck Tribune. How could I have known when I left a full-time job last year — after my spiraling-out-of-control arthritis rendered me scarcely able to walk some days — that I […]
Minneapolis clears homeless encampment in Powderhorn Park
Minneapolis Parks Police arrested 20 activists and residents of a homeless encampment on the east side of Powderhorn Park Monday for refusing to leave, after the park superintendent deemed the park too dangerous for habitation and gave residents 72 hours to vacate. “Our focus was on dismantling this particular encampment because it had risen to […]