http://mneconomy.gather.com Recent Articles on Gather by MinnEcon en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:59:04 GMT 2010-01-08T22:59:04Z en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 http://www.gather.com/images/header/logo_gather.gif http://www.gather.com/ http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977982016&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace What do you do when you're a lender with a foreclosed property and you want the ex-homeowner out quickly and neatly? Pay them to leave sooner. It's called "cash for keys." It's become a common practice . . . Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:43:26 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977982016&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2010-01-07T18:43:26Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977980452&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace We posted last week on older workers struggling with standardized testing as they try to return to school. It led to a bunch of good responses, including a detailed view from John Rood , a source . . . Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:08:22 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977980452&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2010-01-06T22:08:22Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977978443&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace We've been writing a lot of downer posts the past month. It's just the way things are for so many Minnesotans struggling in this economy. So when Jesse Dahl dropped a note today to tell us things were . . . Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:14:35 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977978443&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2010-01-05T22:14:35Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977976120&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace We're getting back in the posting groove to start the new year and wanted to give MinnEcon readers a chance to give us a first read on your 2010 economy story . Help us understand what next year looks . . . Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:46:39 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977976120&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2010-01-04T19:46:39Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977970854&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Remember taking that last ACT exam? It got you into college and you thought: "I'm done forever with the Big Test!" Then the recession hit and you decided to go to grad school. Now you're swimming through . . . Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:50:20 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977970854&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-31T23:50:20Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977970343&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace I'm trying to answer some 2009 questions before 2009 ends. Here's one: Why did Minnesota school districts have such a relatively great year passing operating levies when the economy was so bad? Fifty-nine . . . Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:15:34 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977970343&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-31T16:15:34Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977970260&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace I'm trying to answer some 2009 questions before 2009 ends. Here's one: Why did Minnesota school districts have such a relatively great year passing operating levies when the economy was so bad? Fifty-nine . . . Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:15:35 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977970260&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-31T15:15:35Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977968006&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace The recession's forced us to scrap many outdated assumptions about job security, savings, and the poor. How about who goes to food shelves ? Chances are these days, it's one of your neighbors. "We . . . Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:05:07 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977968006&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-30T02:05:07Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977966409&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace We've been hearing a lot lately about the recovering Twin Cities housing market. While the numbers suggest the worst of times may be over, that doesn't mean things will get better soon. That's the candid . . . Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:50:13 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977966409&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-29T02:50:13Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977965571&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Money. Some people would rather discuss religion, politics, sex, or death before talking about money. Others obsess over it.  The medium of exchange is front and center today, and I'm hoping . . . Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:05:33 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977965571&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Julia Schrenkler 2009-12-28T14:05:33Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977964055&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace MinnEcon readers know we've worried a lot about Minnesota's ability to keep its young talent in state . It's been one of the regular themes in our "Leaving Minnesota?" series. I started to think . . . Sun, 27 Dec 2009 02:53:22 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977964055&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-27T02:53:22Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977960743&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Back in the summer we reported on some fascinating research showing deep gender differences in Minnesota unemployment -- gaps bigger here than the nation -- during the recession's peak. The biggest . . . Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:12:27 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977960743&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-23T20:12:27Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977959106&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace This month marks two years since the recession officially began . And while we are told repeatedly a recovery is underway, it won't really feel like it until more people are back to work. In Minnesota . . . Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:22:13 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977959106&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-22T19:22:13Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977957440&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Nothing like a little holiday gloom for the new year. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis today published its district outlook for 2010. Job-wise, things are looking up if you live in the Dakotas . . . Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:00:55 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977957440&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-21T20:00:55Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977954933&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace The corporate jet's taken a public beating during the recession, becoming the symbol of greed after the nation's auto titans jetted in to Washington to beg for bailouts. Push that hype aside . . . Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:18:44 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977954933&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-19T21:18:44Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977953166&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace With so many breadwinners unemployed in this recession, it's easy to dismiss the struggles of teens and young adults who are trying to find work. Laurie Stern of Chaska reminded me recently there's . . . Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:51:34 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977953166&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-18T15:51:34Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977952053&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Tyler DeArmond's story started like many we've heard in this economy -- a would-be entrepreneur launching a new e-commerce business to supplement a pay cut at his full-time job. Then he started talking . . . Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:48:45 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977952053&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-17T22:48:45Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977951852&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Minnesota's unemployment data for November shows a slight improvement in the percentage of jobless Minnesotans. Let's take a deeper look at some of the data. First here are some thoughts from St. . . . Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:01:24 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977951852&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-17T20:01:24Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977950211&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace On Thursday, we'll get our next best look at Minnesota's employment situation when the state releases jobless data for November. Thoughts are mixed on whether we'll see an uptick on the 7.6 percent . . . Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:55:27 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977950211&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-16T18:55:27Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977948577&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Engineers have taken a big employment hit in this economy and we've wondered aloud if that will hurt the state's long-term economic health. On Thursday, we'll be looking for some evidence of a jobs . . . Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:42:56 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977948577&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-15T19:42:56Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946968&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace My MPR colleague Mike Caputo pulled together a neat virtual forum Friday asking if rural Minnesota was losing its best and brightest young people, creating a "brain drain." This is one of those . . . Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:06:26 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946968&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-14T21:06:26Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946928&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Nearly two full years since the economy officially fell into recession , Minnesota seems to be crawling, slowly toward recovery. MPR's Chris Farrell will be looking for clues to the job's market direction . . . Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:00:14 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946928&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-14T21:00:14Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946506&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Winning the Forbes.com "Boost Your Business" competition would have brought April Femrite's bamboo fiber clothing business needed capital and advertising money. It wasn't to be. The Mankato entrepreneur . . . Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:54:25 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946506&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-14T15:54:25Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977942882&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace MinnEcon readers know we've worried a lot about Minnesota's ability to keep its young talent in state and we've also been concerned about the employment hit engineers have taken in this economy. . . . Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:54:10 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977942882&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-11T18:54:10Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977941473&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Wheels move the U.S. economy. Mark Padellford sells all kinds of wheels. So when the recession hit, he felt it. These days, though, in some parts of his business, he's starting to see a turn for the better . . . Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:34:02 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977941473&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-10T22:34:02Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977940061&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Here's the good news from today's college attendance report by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education: Minnesota's college participation rate hit an all-time high in 2008 with 70.2 percent of . . . Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:02:31 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977940061&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-10T04:02:31Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977940054&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Jeff Kornoelje's seen the number of unemployed people in his ministry rise with the recession and he's been trying to help. So next week his church will try something different -- a company Christmas . . . Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:59:12 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977940054&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-10T03:59:12Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977938307&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Last week we introduced you to April Femrite , a Mankato entrepreneur who's a finalist for the Forbes.com "Boost your Business" competition. At stake is $50,000 in Forbes advertising and another . . . Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:05:08 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977938307&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-09T06:05:08Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977937031&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Here's a post from my MPR News colleague Mike Caputo on the pressure Minnesota's local governments feel as the state prepares for even deeper cuts. The state's $1.2 billion budget deficit likely . . . Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:26:40 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977937031&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-08T15:26:40Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977935180&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Below are some of the questions I'm thinking about on the economy as well as some from our colleagues at Marketplace business radio. Pick a question. Every answer makes a little smarter about the economy. . . . Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:41:18 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977935180&grpId=3659174697256437&nav=Groupspace Paul Tosto 2009-12-07T15:41:18Z