On August 25, the St. Paul City Council added 10 years to a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District that funds development around Allianz Field. The new district, named ‘Snelling Midway…
State and local taxes and spending KAAL TV: Gov. Walz announces allocation of $103 million of federal money Brainerd Dispatch: Area cities receive DEED grants Star Tribune: Minnesota keeps top…
Even though both theory and evidence show that rent control is bad public policy, Minneapolis’ city council continues to pursue it as a solution to the city’s shortage of affordable…
As the new school year starts, schools are facing what has been a familiar issue to most businesses over the last couple of months — a worker shortage. School districts in…
Last week, The Globe carried a story titled ‘Southwest Minnesota sees labor shortage, including Nobles County‘: The numbers in southwest Minnesota still add up to a labor shortage, the Nobles…
Labor market The Globe: Southwest Minnesota sees labor shortage, including Nobles County KRFO: Rochester area jobless rate returns to pre-pandemic levels Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal: Economic recovery yielding positive trends…
On August 17, Boston magazine asked, ‘Will We Ever Solve the Childcare Crisis?‘ The article explained, We live in one of the most innovative and progressive regions in the country—not to…
Economic growth St. Peter Herald: Minnesota’s clean-energy jobs rebound from COVID punch WIZM: Some rural bankers worried drought will threaten operations, including in Minnesota Bemidji Pioneer: Other View: Federal infrastructure…
In my Star Tribune op-ed ‘Minnesota, we have a problem‘ last month, I mentioned our state’s racial disparities. Among others, I mentioned the disparity in homeownership rates specifically. In June,…
Recently, the Golden Valley City Council passed a law to restrict payday lending. The Golden Valley City Council took action Aug. 17 to safeguard its community against “predatory lenders” via…
When I wrote in the Star Tribune in April that ‘enhanced’ unemployment benefits were one factor explaining the puzzle of record job openings coexisting with elevated levels of unemployment, not everyone agreed. One response claimed…
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how President Biden’s proposed corporate tax hike will be bad for Minnesota businesses. The proposal, to raise the corporate tax rate from…
The Trump administration was punctuated by a string of “explosive” books — mostly composed of unsourced tittle-tattle — which were published, “exploded,” and disappeared. You’re Hired! Untold Successes and Failures…
On Aug. 16, the Star Tribune reported that, with just a week until the state Fair opening, vendors were having a hard time attracting workers. With the Minnesota State Fair…
Labor market Bloomberg Tax: Minnesota’s Hourly Minimum Wages Expected to Rise in 2022 Star Tribune: Minnesota State Fair and its vendors scramble to find workers Star Tribune: Red Wing Shoes,…
On Wednesday, I wrote about how, in a recent interview with the Pioneer Press, I spoke about some of the schemes the federal government used to aid businesses during the…
Yesterday, I wrote about new research which suggested that 15 percent of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans were fraudulent. There was always going to be an element of this, I…
A couple of weeks ago, I spoke to the Pioneer Press about some of the schemes the federal government used to aid businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the…
On August 11, the U.S. Senate passed a massive $3.5 trillion spending plan, which, among other things, includes $225 billion for affordable childcare. Details for the bill are yet to…
I’ve written before about how affordable housing in the Twin Cities is rare because it’s illegal to build: After all, high prices are simply a signal that demand, in this…
Economic growth Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal: Minnesota venues call SBA relief ‘critical’ to pandemic-era survival State and local taxes and spending Twin Cities Business: Minnesota’s Angel Tax Credit Program Renewed…
When California passed a law to require space for some farm animals in 2018, the effort was lauded as necessary. At the beginning of next year, California will enforce a…
Last month, CNBC sent out this tweet: It isn’t often that I’m stunned into silence, but this did it. One of the basic confusions that people can fall into when…
Lack of access to affordable housing is a big issue in Minnesota, especially in the Twin Cities. While most of the effort geared towards alleviating this issue has centered around…