In early May, Joseph Sullivan, a commissioner on the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, challenged the state’s major energy companies to speed up the completion of projects that could put people
Author’s archive
When the Legislature begins its work Jan. 8, a battery of lobbyists for Greater Minnesota interests will be there, arguing for a variety of proposals that they believe will boost the rural economy.
The sector includes companies that make everything from massive conveyor belts to radiators and air coolers to replacement parts for machines that crush ore to special tools used by miners.
As the rural economy has evolved, so too has the University of Minnesota Extension, the public agency charged with “extending” the university’s expertise and knowledge into every corner of the state.
Since 2000, Barnesville has been attracting new residents at a steady pace, growing 18 percent to today's population of about 2,500. Many have easy commutes to jobs in Fargo-Moorhead, just 25 miles away.
“I love this job,” Swift County Monitor-News publisher Reed Anfinson said in his office in Benson. “What I worry about is what replaces me."
Bemidji benefits not only from the money BSU pumps into the local economy but also from its cultural impact, which includes plays and concerts, athletic events, workshops and speeches.
“Several people here have had to quit because their home-based day care closed,” said Lynda Everson, HR director for Brunswick Boat Group. “It’s a constant frustration in our employee base.”