New data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that between 2000 and 2016, job growth was strongest on a North West to South East axis along the Mississippi and…
It is certainly a contender. Fox 9 television uncovers a far-reaching scandal: last year, more than $100 million in cash left the Twin Cities airport in carry-on luggage, bound for…
Evidently government bean counters in St. Louis County have taken a page out of Hennepin County assessors’ playbook. We recently noted the record number of complaints by Minneapolis property owners…
Changes in the federal tax bill to the State and Local Tax deduction and estate tax exemptions should prompt Minnesota's legislators to act in the coming session.
It is possible that our two U.S. Senators and perhaps other members of the delegation, will prevail on the president and the FTA to make these transit projects happen. But…
"The economy, stupid", was famously one of the three talking points in Bill Clinton's presidential campaign back in 1992. Elections aren't always focused on the economy, but Minnesota's 2018 gubernatorial election…
A major factor in our state’s workforce development crisis is a mismatch between the skills workers have and those required by in-demand jobs. But there’s good news: A vocational exploration…
Minneapolis city officials’ mania for bike lanes could be an emergency. That’s the diagnosis by Dr. Geoffrey Emerson in the Star Tribune in the latest cry for help from…
Distrust of the council arises from a governance structure that allows this unelected body to exercise power over 3.5 million metro residents with little to no accountability. The council, reporting…
Politicians passed high state tax rates into law. They told us high taxes are a good thing. They have repeatedly said that tax rates don't affect decisions about location, employment,…
The focus on the controversial Diversity Immigrant Visa program that came to light after the recent terror attack in New York City has suddenly shifted to Minnesota. U.S. Attorney General…
If people want to vote for higher taxes that is one thing. But if they do, they should pay them and not expect others to pick up the tab. By…
For all I know, the FTA’s New Starts grant program tells applicants, “Lie to me, tell me what I want to hear so I can give you the billions in…
Minnesota’s rural economy is gaining strength, reports MinnPost, with many businesses primed for growth. The challenge, of course, is finding the qualified workers necessary to make that growth happen. Southwestern…
Yesterday’s Star Tribune headlined: “Solutions sought with Twin Cities traffic at its most congested since 1993.” The Minnesota Department of Transportation released its annual Twin Cities congestion report last week,…
The fuss about the SALT deduction shows what Minnesota's Congressional Democrats really think. Talking about yanking up tax rates on the rich is one thing. Actually paying them is another.…
The Met Council admits it has not won the argument.
SWLRT has hit several walls: a structural operating deficit brought on by the Council favoring LRT expansion and bike lanes over a well-run bus system, a Legislature that has refused…
DFL Governor Mark Dayton’s plan, like many “blue state” governors, uses “transit oriented development” or TOD, to pull money out of the suburbs and greater Minnesota to fund and re-enforce…
“In the Council’s mind, it’s like a high-stakes poker game. The Council is betting that by spending hundreds of millions of dollars, they can pressure Congress and the FTA into…
So why did the Council step up and make a reasonable rate increase now? Answer: They are flying out to DC to lobby Congress and the FTA/DOT on a regular…
Peter McLaughlin is a Hennepin County Commissioner and perhaps Minnesota’s foremost advocate for wasteful spending on fixed rail transit. He is a member of the Metropolitan Council’s Southwest Light Rail…
An alleged ringleader and her six recruits have been charged with supposedly bamboozling $7.7 million from Medicaid. According to the Star Tribune, the Minnesota Attorney General’s office charged seven women…
MnDOT and the Met Council intentionally increase congestion to move people on to bikes, buses or light rail.