On Jan. 13, Mayors Melvin Carter of St. Paul and Jacob Frey of Minneapolis announced that, to fight the spread of COVID-19, as of Jan. 19, patrons at restaurants, bars,…
I’ve noted recently how the vaccine and testing regime imposed on Minneapolis by Mayor Jacob Frey last month has hit businesses in the city that were already hurting. I have…
Despite what Mayor Jacob Frey might say, restaurants in Minneapolis do not appear to be coping well with his new vaccine and testing regime. Data on restaurant bookings in the…
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey tweeted last week about how on the first Friday of his new vaccine and testing regime (Jan. 21), his phone had “been flooded with pictures of…
On Jan. 15, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced a mandate requiring proof of vaccinations or negative tests for entry into food or drink establishments in the city beginning Jan. 19.…
New Census Bureau population data show that Minnesota’s population grew by just 225 people in 2021. One particularly alarming aspect of this was a loss of 13,453 residents to other…
The American Rescue Plan, enacted in March 2021, extended previous measures that expanded eligibility for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits to workers who are typically ineligible for state UI programs (Pandemic…
In our new Policy Briefing ‘Minnesota should join the national Nurse Licensure Compact,’ we explain why state policymakers should sign our state up to this arrangement. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit,…
In our new Policy Briefing ‘Minnesota must lift its hospital moratorium,’ we explain why state policymakers should repeal this law that restricts hospital capacity for no good reason. This law, which…
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed some state policies in urgent need of reform. In the field of healthcare, two stand out. First, Minnesota should join the national Nurse Licensure Compact.…
Last week, Gov. Tim Walz announced the “Kids Deserve A Shot” incentive program. Under it, kids who get fully vaccinated for COVID-19 in the next month will get a $200…
The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow tracker downgraded its forecast for Q3 GDP growth again: it has now dropped from 6 percent at the end of July to 1.3 percent now. Then came the…
If you are a business owner whose livelihood has been upended due to lockdown measures, chances are that, at first, you took solace in the fact that your loss would…
In June, a bill passed in St. Paul waiving taxes owed on 2020 unemployment benefits and, something we argued for, payroll loans. Incredibly for a state government that is so…
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…
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…